Gourmet, Glutton or Gourmand?

I am a gourmand—a person who is excessively fond of eating.  I am one step below a gourmet—a connoisseur of good food; a person with a discerning palate.  Further, I am one step above a glutton, a person devoted to eating and drinking to excess.  A more colorful explanation of the categories might be:

Gourmet- will eat a paillard of turkey breast with dried cherries and mango at a Michelin star restaurant (and know enough to criticize it if there is just the slightest dash of too much spice);

Gourmand-will consume too much turkey, gravy and stuffing on Thanksgiving; and

Glutton- will chow down on fried turkey leg on a stick, standing up, dripping sweat, while immediately using the nearest porta-potty.

One category of these eaters attends Taste of Chicago, the other two don’t.

In earlier years, Taste of Chicago, billed as the world’s largest food festival, was a revenue-generating event for the city.  It takes place during a 10 day period starting June 24^th and used to culminate on the evening of July 3^rd with a fireworks extravaganza in Grant Park. The city got rid of the fireworks in 2010 because they cost too much. The event is now a loser.

While in 2008, Taste generated $14.4 million in (food) ticket sales, $2.4 million in sponsorship fees and gross revenues of $17.3 million, after expenses, it showed a profit of $2.5 million. One year later, Taste lost $1.5 million after expenses. Ticket sales had dropped to $11.8 million. Sponsorship was down to $1.7 million. In 2010, the event managed to turn a $170,749 profit, but only because the annual July 3rd fireworks extravaganza in Grant Park was replaced with three smaller fireworks shows, and the cost of city services was reduced to $5.8 million, down from $7.4 million the year before.  In 2011, the restaurants grossed 20% less than in 2010 and the event drew 2.35 million visitors, down 11% from 2010 and 37.5% from the event’s 2006 and 2007 heyday.  It has been a downward spiral. 

The Park District is no longer in control of the event, and it now falls under the purview of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.  Michelle Boone, the new Commissioner (all the Commissioners are new in 2011 because Mayor Rahm Emmanuel took over as “Boss”) wants to “re-imagine” the event before making any final decision on its fate. (The Emanuel administration is re-imagining and re-inventing everything around Chicago.  One wonders how the city functioned in the 174 years since its incorporation without him.)

The SunTimes reported that when the Mayor unveils his city budget Wednesday the Taste will be shortened.  Boone said in the story, “It will be a smaller Taste. It will not be a ten-day festival. It’s our hope that the fest will still be free. [But], we have to figure out the right financial model that makes sense, so we’re not losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in trying to deliver this. It would be great if the city could continue to provide fireworks. In the past, Taste had fallen on those [July 3] dates, and it became a signature, capstone closing event. But, we have an opportunity to start fresh. I’m trying to bring the focus back on the food and not on the circuses and how this fest becomes a driver to support the restaurant scene.”

Wait!!  She wants to focus on the food?  She also said, “The culinary scene in Chicago has advanced and progressed in wonderful ways. We have Michelin-rated restaurants and world-class chefs. We’ve gotten lots of attention from Stephanie Izard winning `Top Chef.’”

I agree with her that Chicago is gaining a world-wide reputation for great restaurants and chefs, and while the City is not yet on a level with Paris or Rome, there are many fine spots to chow down on some gourmet victuals.

But will a visitor with a discerning palate want to eat while standing up under the blazing sun and savor his gourmet food on a stick?  The gourmets are not going to reinvent themselves and become gluttons.