Here’s something that should help to put M. Wells’ issues with Alan Richman in perspective: Over in Wales, the chef of an establishment called the Brecon Beacons actually attacked a kitchen worker after a restaurant critic called his meal “disgusting.”
To be fair, the critic was The Sunday Times‘ A.A. Gill, a man whose savagery with the written word could probably cause the queen to pick a fight with a nun. Still, there’s no excuse for violence, and the chef, who was reportedly “intoxicated” at the time of the incident, did a number on his colleague: After attempting — and failing — to punch him, he pushed him down three steps. All while using “foul language.”
The chef was given an 18-month conditional discharge and fined 85 pounds. On his first day back at work he tweeted that he was preparing a tricolore chocolate mousse for the first time in 10 years. Gill later awarded the restaurant four stars. [The Independent via The Food Section]