GQ: "My Name Is David Chang, and I Hate Fancy Beer"

What an asshat. And oh, more for us... because we all too, have neck beards and argue over hop varietals.

 

Seriously.. What makes him any better? He's being a snob about the "beer snobs".

 

A snob snob? Dude, a new idea.

 

I think someone is just upset that they don't really like good beer and because good beer is quite "the thing" right now, he is feeling left out.

 

Precisely!

 

Who the fuck is David Chang?

 

Meh...

 

What a pointless article. He doesn't even say why he hates beer snobs he just rambles about his love of shitty beer. And by his logic anyone who drinks good beer more than 5% of the time is a snob? Flawless logic.

 

Momofucku

 

I'm fine with contrarian click-bait, and can even laugh along if it's clever or smart. However, this is neither. It's just boring.

 

This a hole probably drives a mercedes and has some dumb hangup about getting into a honda or something.

 

This is a fun read and although he kind of comes off as high and mighty at the beginning, I think it is all pretty tongue-in-cheek. Although I don't know where he's going with the whole pairing rant...

At least I hope so, because if he is dead serious then it is a guy who is super passionate about and has dedicated his life to ramen (seriously) saying that being passionate about beer is silly because beer should be cheap and simple.


Although, admittedly, I can't argue with this:

"...the world south of Texas makes amazing bad beer: Imperial from Costa Rica, Presidente from the Dominican Republic, Tecate from Mexico—all excellent bad beers."

 

It's very important to David Chang that you know he's not fooled by pretentiousness or elitism or any of the other qualities typically attributed to high-end chefs like David Chang.

 

I ordered coffee without my tattoo this morning! I must've done it wrong.

 

Now, wait a minute! My friend and I have bushy goatees, not neckbeards and we argue about hop varietals!

 

To each their own, and I'd gladly eat the food he makes. Just cause he doesn't like the same beer as me, don't really care.

 

A pity, as I'm a fan of DC and his restaurants.

The larger point that I don't get is that to me, good food and good beer (or any other type of alcohol) go hand in hand. Which is why I don't understand things like:

1. Chefs like David Chang or Anthony Bourdain seemingly being fans of AAL, and in some cases (like this) seemingly being anti-craft on top of that. I would have thought making/seeking out good food, would naturally steer someone towards good beer as well.

2. The incensed BA who is "furious" that they went out for a "great meal" at somewhere like Olive Garden, and are shocked/saddened that they encountered a poor beer selection and/or frozen glassware etc.

Edit - I skimmed the article first time, and read it in full just now. Yeah I think he's being tongue in cheek in parts, and really only stressing that he personally prefers Bud Light. Still I don't quite get it (and he doesn't put his money where his mouth is, because all of his restaurants [unless something changed recently] have several craft options, and maybe one asian macro like Tiger or OB)

 

I'm pretty sure there's a very popular macro beer with his name on it.

 

That is his MO without a doubt.
I think that people getting mad about this don't know how far he tries to go to make simple food complex in the name of being simple and not complex. Or didn't read the whole article. Or something.
That said, I would not turn down an opportunity to try his food with a nice, good beer thoughtfully chosen to pair better than Bud Light ever could.

 

I think Bourdain has opened up to craft beer. But I think it is just a philosophy thing - if all you care about is drinking high volumes for a long time, it is easy to just drink what every bar has(aka BLS, "beer like substance") and not care about what else is made.

 

David Chang is a douchebag. He always has been. I lived in NYC for years and while I enjoyed his restaurants, he is a prententious douchebag who thinks he's kingshit of fuck mountain like most NYC chefs.

 

All of his actual complaints about beer snobs are found in the third paragraph. They boil down to people not taking him seriously after he specifically requests the "crappiest beer" available. Oh no!

 

I will grant him a free pass on the pairs well with paragraph. It's near impossible to have a lager overshadow what its being paired with, but his schtick is hardly rant worthy and his beef with good beer sounds couched in willful ignorance.
I want Ed Anger, not Ed slightly peeved.

 

Ironically, he writes for the snobbiest of men's magazines.

And a P.S. to Mr. Chang? My neckbeard keeps me warm on chilly Minnesota nights. ^O^

 

Ignore. Time to move on.

 

"I am not being falsely contrarian or ironic in a hipsterish way," is code for "I am being falsely contrarian and ironic in a hipsterish way," as evidenced by, "I have seen the sunrise from the bar at Mikkeller, okay, guys?"

Really, though, I think there are some of these "foodie" types that think wine is to be lauded and appreciated at the highest levels, as it always has been, while beer is just the working man's drink and should be treated as such.

 

Um... http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/8768/87517/
But David you are involved in a very poor attempt at a snob beer.

 

Wait, I don't know the old joke about cheap beer being like having sex in a canoe.

Or at the very least, not take swipes at people who do enjoy good beer, based on an understanding of the mindset.

But like you said, I think it's tongue-in-cheek for the most part. I personally just don't understand the idea of a person whose career relies on people having a strong preference for an upper-end level of quality in food taking tongue-in-cheek shots at people who have a strong preference for upper-end level of quality in beverages.

 

"I'm not being contrarian" lolz....thats like saying "I'm not a racist BUT..."

This is just the worst. I hate when people romanticize cheap beer by bringing up aspects that have nothing to do with taste (i.e., my grandfather drank it, etc).

Also..."One day, you'll understand what it's like to drink a really cold beer when you've earned it." YOU KNOW, David Chang, craft beer also adheres to the fucking laws of physics as well, and gets COLD when you put it in the fridge. No matter how hard you may or may not have worked for it.

The fact that they even make the distinction between cheap-vs-craft is a bonehead move in the first place...if you love Bud so much, just say you want a Bud and let it stand on the merits you claim it has.

 

Does he realize he post this on GQ the douchest, hipsterest magazine out there? Thats fine if he wants to drink crap like the majority of the population, I expected more from a chef. I'll stick with my quadruple IPAs. I don't understand all this youth bashing I see everywhere, apparently being under 35 with a beard automatically makes you a hipster these days. I think its more hipster to say you prefer bud light and tecate.

 

*scratches neck beard* but what is his favorite hop variety?

 

When I opened the article, I thought it was about Budweiser & boobs. But my reaction to this article is:

BOYCOTT GQ!!!

BOYCOTT ANYTHING DAVID CHANG DOES, ENDORSES OR SELLS!!!

That'll teach 'em.

 

He's basically saying that the things he isn't that into (coffee & beer) shouldn't matter to anyone else, either.

David Chang- When I think of ramen, I think of my dad buying me a box of 100 cellophane-wrapped packages of dried noodles and pouches of MSG-laden salty goodness and telling me to get the hell out of the house. I think of surviving cold college nights in La Crosse, WI on nothing but double ramen made by heating up the water in my tiny dorm room coffee maker. I don't understand ramen snobs. Guys who brag about visiting this or that hidden corner of Japan just to try some old guy's salty noodle water. Does it taste good? I'm sure it tastes fucking great. But when I want ramen, I don't want it to taste great. I just want MSG-laden hot "fucking near water" with noodles that tastes faintly of yesterday's Folger's.

Oh. And I wash it all down with a fresh bottle of Simtra, because I love what happens when a solid, malty IIIPA base is hopped with both Simcoe and Citra. Paired with $.99 ramen, it's fucking magical.

 

I have to imagine this is meant partly in jest. Because no self-respecting chef would show such disregard for a product that has more capability for variety, complexity, and flavor than beer.

This is below even people who claim they "don't like beer," as he really ought to know better.

 

i've heard him crap on food that isn't up to his standards half a dozen times on TV. Being a hypocrite is worse then being a snob IMHO

 

He's obviously not hanging with the right beer snobs*, or else he doesn't understand that beer can be just as delicious as wine. Reverse snobbery indeed.

(*or maybe they're on to him and have decided he's not worth sharing with. )

 

He is the opposite of the people on this website. I mean that in that we look just as ridiculous to this person as they look to us... no right or wrong

Brian

 

Who is David Chang and why should I care what he thinks?

 

This explains the way he thinks:

Definitely not worth taking seriously on many levels.