'The Menu': a Revenge Fantasy of the Exploited Artist

Revenge is a dish best served on a private island with no signal

Pablo Picasso once said, “the meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” What artists, or creators in general, enjoy doing the most is serving. The joy in creating — whether it’s music, paintings, cooking, or writing — is the ability to use your gift to make someone else feel good. The Menu is about Julian Slowik, a world-class chef whose love for cooking is soured by the status anxiety of his wealthy customers. What used to be a joyful craft has been twist-and-turned into a labor of performative love. This is the story of a chef forced to play along to…

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