Writing about food and not losing health. How difficult is it to maintain the right psychophysical balance when being a food and wine critic? The Festival tried to ask three well-known names in the sector: Edoardo Raspelli, for 21 years at the helm of Green Apple; Eleonora Cozzella food critic of La Repubblica and author of 2 books, Pasta revolution and La carbonara perfetto; Luca Iaccarino, collaborator of Vanity Fair and DRepubblica.
Again there are some myths to dispel: a critic does not binge and does not like to go to restaurants where you eat very little and spend a lot. There are also those who, despite boasting an average of 240 meals away from home a year, have just lost 7 kg
Whoever writes about food is like an athlete, needs concentration, predisposition, curiosity and training. In the job of the food critic there is also an important anthropological element: a dish that becomes part of a people's tradition always comes from a solution devised to survive, not to waste. An example? Hakarl, the typical Icelandic dish prepared with fermented shark meat: it is credible how a food apparently so repulsive on the palate, may have become a typical dish thanks to its historical and social value. Eating for work therefore also and above all requires openness.
Whoever is a professional critic must find a balance between work commitments and his / her own body. Thanks to the help of a dietician, the critic can manage his work as an athlete, alternating between competition, training and rest. Food critics are professionals and, like athletes, they must follow rules, nothing can be left to chance. Some of these rules? Going to work on an empty stomach (like the truffle dog, who goes hunting on an empty stomach); avoid overly dilated meals over time, because the ability to discern flavors is lost; change to avoid habituation.
