A reminder to do better

Featured in The Somm Journal | Apr- May 2023

A FEW MONTHS AGO, a film came out depicting a restaurant that was something of a mash-up between Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and the world-famed Noma circa 2023. Bear with me here.

As at Noma, the executive chef of The Menu’s fictional restaraunt, Hawthorne, can no longer see a sustainable way to stay open, and thus the team creates a grand plan for shuttering its doors forever.

And as at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, the worst of the worst arrive at Hawthorne to attend its last supper: guests who represent the absolute pinnacle of bad behavior for anyone who's worked in fine dining for long enough to see its shine permanently tarnished. You know the type: people who dine at all the best places strictly so they can say they've been, not because they truly enjoy the craftsmanship of the meals.

Meanwhile, a young female chef in the film is coming to terms with the repercussions of spurning her male superior's unwanted sexual advances. To see just what that sort of unwelcome pursuit feels like, all the male guests are sent off on a harrowing excursion, while the female guests remain in the dining room to enjoy an exquisite dish created especially for them by this ingenue.

If you saw this film and you're not a woman, you might not have even noticed this little vignette that keeps haunting me. But if you think as much as I do about the bizarre way that women sometimes (mis)treat each other in work, friendship, and life in general, perhaps it jarred you as much as it did me.

The diners taste the young chef's creation and politely compliment her on it. Starved for so long of anything resembling praise, she begins to cry. Suddenly realizing that she hasn't ever achieved the kind of insulation from overbearing men that they possess due to their privilege, the women try to use this knowledge to get her to be their ticket out of the nightmare they've found themselves in. For instance, promises to help her start her own restaurant via coveted industry connections suddenly spill forth from the professional critic known for destroying people's culinary careers with the scribble of a pen.

Then, the kicker: The chef proudly announces that the hellish climax that awaits them all was actually her idea, and she is overjoyed that the executive chef finally recognized her capacity for innovation. Without missing a beat, the other women sigh, ask "More wine?", and change the topic.

While this life-or-death scenario is hardly representative of how we interact with each other under more normal circumstances, it does leave us with some things to consider about how we can respond when someone is clearly in need of support. Are we only willing to help each other when we're going to benefit as well? Are we that dependent on the approval of men? Can't we just give without expecting anything in return? The privileged and out-of-touch women at Hawthorne may not represent us, but we can certainly use them as a reminder to do better.

Kami Lee Robb is a Certified Wine Educator and Sommelier.