What is a critic in an influencer’s world?
After a quick review of what moderator lessons and memes will stick from this week’s debate, Ben and Nayeema turn to New York Times reporter and former restaurant critic Pete Wells to explore the fight between the new wave of influencers and the old guard of gatekeepers in food. On the menu: the health hazards of criticism, how celebrity chefs and TikTokers altered the power of his seat and whether diversifying food reviews in the midst of the culture wars were “DEI,” “virtue signaling” or simply — as Pete reveals — an organic evolution. Also: if unlike immigrants in Ohio, he’s ever tasted dog or cat. “It’s one of the few things I haven’t eaten”
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