From Where I Sit...

Everybody's a critic.

One of life's greatest mysteries, in my opinion, are critics. There are all kinds. Food, drink, entertainment, fashion, arts, and I'm sure blogs. Yesterday I asked who Dane Cook was. My brother described him as "one of the funniest comedians on the circuit." Well, I did some googling and found some video of Mr. Cook's act, ahem. If he's the funniest, I'm the skinniest. But, my point here is who's right?

Movie critics make a lot of money to give their opinions. I did some research. The American Film Institute, (they gotta know something, they're an Institute for crying out loud). They say the best movie ever made was Citizen Kane. Yet, at Box Office Mojo, (they gotta know something too, they've got Mojo in their name), a website that lists how much money a movie has made. Citizen Kane ranks 4927. In addition, it only won one Academy Award, for script. It lost to a movie called How Green Was My Valley, which sounds like environmental porn. So, who's right? I can't speak because I've never seen either. My favorite movie, It's A Wonderful Life. If you don't get teary at the end you're not human.

I love food and drink, who doesn't. I enjoy listening to food critics eloquently describe a foofy restaurant or a particular vintage of wine. The bottom line to all is taste. I enjoy a Yellowtail Shiraz. Here is what one reviewer said,

"The Yellow Tail wasn't a bad wine, mind you, but it was simple, mellow and a bit sweet, characteristics guaranteed to find a ready audience in bars and eateries serving modest wines by the glass, but nothing to engage the senses."

I liked it. Here is a shocker. I once had a glass with two double cheese White Castles. Somewhere a food critic has dropped dead.

I just wish I could understand why we let others help us decide what we should try. I think maybe there should be critic critics.