Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Brady bluff

I had originally planned on writing my thoughts of Adam Platt's New York magazine guide to N.Y.C. dining (feh!) as well as Frank Bruni's top 10 restauarants of 2008 (marginally better).

But the Times has a real, uh, gem in today's food section.

Specifically, it's about the magnificently gluttonous Diamond Jim Brady, and his famous appetite. He was, after all, the man who guzzled orange juice by the quart, consumed eggs by the dozen and ate steak with a side of chops -- and who could forget the potatoes -- all for breakfast! (And this, mind you, did not have any effect on lunch.)

The attitude of the Times' David Kamp is essentially: "Yeah right."

Does this puncture a few myths? (Does it expose, in Kamp's words, "a chink in the blubber"?) Sure it does. No man could physically do what he did. But the legend is worth revering. Reading about the man's appetites is sort of thrilling -- even if it's an exaggeration. (But -- let there be no doubt -- exaggeration indeed.)

Take a look.

(Tomorrow I'll have some thoughts on Platt and the Brunmeister's latest lists.)