Sir, – It seems the hair-shirt brigade of Irish society has found a new target – food critics. Marie Altzinger’s letter (September 14th) takes issue with Catherine Cleary’s review of a meal in Noma, Copenhagen.
Just because we can’t afford a visit doesn’t mean we should draw down the shamrock curtain of self-imposed ignorance and demand our food writers wax lyrical about meal deals in the local chipper. New Scandinavian cuisine is pushing the boundaries of global food culture and chefs such as Noma’s Rene Redzepi or Mathias Dahlgren of Stockholm are rightly regarded as among the most innovative creators in the world.
To deny Irish writers and readers the briefest of insights into these eateries or ideas on the basis of expense misses the point of food writing entirely and in particular the escapism of Ms Cleary’s article. I will probably never get to eat at Noma, but at least an Irish writer with Irish sensibilities got to.
I, for one, applaud this.
Finally, the accusation of animal cruelty over a shrimp simply takes the bisque (sorry!). – Yours, etc,