Author Interview: Jay Rayner
July 16th, 2008A little while ago I reviewed The Man Who Ate The World by Jay Rayner. He is a fantastic writer and agreed to answer some of my awesome questions. His answers are excellent and quite thoughtful. As an added bonus, he wrote these responses in a different language known as “British”!
Thanks Jay!!
After all the success with your novels, why write this book? What drew you to go on this search?
Why come up with a book idea which required me to travel the world eating in the very best restaurants on the face of the planet? You’re right. Stupid idea.
(editors note: Touché Mr. Rayner…Touché)
The real answer? I hate being pigeon holed as a writer and, while I love writing the novels, I wanted to experiment with another form. I had never written a piece of narrative non-fiction like this before. As soon as I realised there was something genuinely new happening at the top end of the restaurant world, I saw that it presented a perfect opportunity. This would be both a journey into food and a journey into myself. I started out as an inky thumbed reporter covering the evil that men do and somehow had ended up making a living sitting on my sizable arse. How did that happen? But I was also certain that the book had to have substance. So each city is chosen not simply because there are a bunch of interesting places to eat there but because the restaurants in each one are the way into another story: Las Vegas is actually about the creation of an adult theme park; Moscow is about the end of communism and the rise of the mafia; Dubai is about the building of a city from nothing and so on.
All in all it felt like the kind of book I would want to buy and read. So I decided to write it.
What was your favourite complete meal on the trip? Favourite moment? (I’ve used the British spelling to make you feel more comfortable.)
Thank you for using the British spelling in the question. It really does put me at ease. Without a doubt my favourite city for food was Tokyo and my favourite moment in that city was the 32 course sushi meal I had in a restaurant with just one diner: me. I fell like I left a part of myself in that restaurant, there with Mr Suzuki. It was very special, very concentrated, very intense and – most important of all – delicious. It cost me the equivalent of $500. It was worth it.
The final meal you wrote about cost about $700 a head. I had a Chipotle burrito the other day that cost $6. It was very good. Are the meals that are served at these upper level restaurants really over 100 times better than my burrito? Or is that only due to my complete lack of taste discernment?
An interesting question. I’m sure your burrito was great. And don’t misunderstand me. I am basically a greedy man, which means I can enjoy good examples of food at whatever level. Yes, I love a great restaurant of ambition but I also adore cheap street food.
So to answer the question, was my lunch 100 times better than your burrito? Probably not. But it did take a lot more effort to create it.
How do you respond when you talk about food with people who aren’t as into it as you are?
My job, as a writer, is to make whatever I’m talking about readable and relevant to as big a readership as possible. If this book of mine was targeted solely at people who either visit or have an interest in luxury restaurants its potential readership would be tiny. I have tried to make it readable for as broad a readership as possible, and if I haven’t done that then I’ve failed.
But on a more basic level there are some people who have no interest in food whatsoever, much as I have no interest in team sports like soccer. They are the sort of people who would happily subsist on food pills. How do I respond to them? With a big shrug of the shoulders. We will never be friends.
What is up next for Jay Rayner?
I continue to write my restaurant column and other features for the Observer. I’m also doing a bit more television. Book wise I think there is a principle at the heart of the Man Who Ate the World – Rayner out on the road seeing the world through the prism of food on a journey in which he is personally invested – which can be further exploited. There are other places to explore, though not necessarily through luxury restaurants. I wouldn’t mind combining that search with a TV series. Who knows. Discussions are ongoing.
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July 16th, 2008 at 7:18 am
[...] panamalegal@hush.com wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptWithout a doubt my favourite city for food was Tokyo and my favourite moment in that city was the 32 course sushi meal I had in a restaurant with just one diner: me. I fell like I left a part of myself in that restaurant, there with Mr … [...]
July 16th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
i’ve gotta get this one!
if Jay Rayner is this humourous (hehe) in his interview response, i’m sure the book is even moreso.
great review!
July 16th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
great interview! Loved his answer about the burrito..”was my lunch 100 times better than your burrito? Probably not. But it did take a lot more effort to create it.” It actually made me think about peeling off another layer of what i see in life– think i’ll start with his book!!