Guess I'll have to order pizza instead! 
My Chef rant on "Spice Up Your Life" and why Zesty isn't really a food critic. · 8:24am Jun 12th, 2016
I just finished watching "Spice up your Life", and I have to say I enjoyed most of it. It's not often I feel like commenting on an episode, but to those who know me on here and know I work as an executive chef, I figured it'd do no harm to weigh in on a few things. Now I won't review the whole episode itself as there are plenty of others doing that, instead I'd like to talk about Zesty Gourmand, the Three Hoof rating, and the Tasty Treat as well as ethnic restaurants in general, since I think that sharing your culture's cooking within another is a wonderful thing.
So yeah, that Zesty Gourmand character sure was... something. I get that they needed a stuck up eccentric and stubborn food critic, and yeah it's a kids show so one can't expect the writers to develop a one-off antagonist, but man did they miss the mark on food critics with her. It's a shame that she didn't have at least a little substance to her. Even Anton Ego from "Ratatouille" was a cute little ball of sunshine compared to whatever Zesty is supposed to be.
Food critics who do their job correctly (and aren't just some young wannabe hipster journalist with a naive view of the culinary world) help set standards for the cooking industry in as many ways as there are types of cooking. They shouldn't, and most wouldn't, force a comparison of any one style of cooking to another, nor promote stagnation in the artistic aspects by demanding a single standard of which to judge things. What they offer to chefs are bench marks that we can strive to reach and hopefully exceed and even change with whatever creativity can muster. So I guess what I'm saying is, Zesty Gourmand was most certainly not the best example of a food critic.
Now that Three Hoof Rating Zesty was giving out seemed to be some kind of local achievement native to just Canterlot. Many localities offer their own similar awards, but it could also have been a comparable award to the Michelin Star rating. This is the most important rating a restaurant can get in this world. If you earn a Michelin Star, you're career is pretty much made and unless you mess up, you'll never want for employment in the cooking world. I won't go into the Michelin Star rating system because it's pretty intense, but you can earn up to three stars, and just having one star is amazing enough in it's own right. So yeah, I can understand why people (and seemingly Ponies) flock to places that are rated so highly. However I guarantee that unlike what you saw in the episode, no matter how fussy an eater you are or how much you despise fine dining... if you ever get the chance to eat at a Michelin Star rated restaurant you are almost assured to be both impressed by the service and decor as well as the quality and taste of the food, there is a reason it's the most coveted award and rating.
As for the Tasty Treat, I first want to say that I just love Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It's a whole different spectrum of flavor profiles that originate from the spice trades of centuries gone by, mixed with the local flavors of the regions (also I thought Cumin Coriander was an interestingly named pony, as one of my favorite spice parings is ground toasted cumin and coriander seed). I enjoy ethnic establishments in general, because I think sharing your culture with others by means of the dinner table is just too awesome. It's a shame so many Chinese restaurants screw that up and only sell what is essentially whatever is culturally accepted food that's gussied up to sort of look Chinese, such as the good ol' Orange Chicken in American style Chinese food.
However I'll not go into that, as I could rant for days on authenticity within ethnic food, so lets just say that it's great when they stay true to themselves and their culture which is what Tasty Treat did in the end. To the picky and unadventurous I urge you to step out of your comfort zone and try ethnic restaurants in your local area, or whenever you come across one that catches your eye. Chefs and foodies do this as second nature, but for everyone else, I think it's worth it to see what the rest of the world has available. Also you shouldn't fall prey to stereotypes, like when you hear people joke around and say all Indian food just tastes like curry, just try not buy into that too much. Most people don't even know that there are hundreds of different kinds of curry out there, not just the classic yellow turmeric loaded curry powder you see at the grocery store. Make such an outing an adventure, google what you order, and see how it's made in it's home country, read about its origin, and learn to enjoy new flavor profiles.
I get that there are just some things people don't like, even as a chef I have things I can't stand, but I've yet to see a new menu where there isn't something on it that looks appetizing or interesting. For the record, I hate eggplant, melons, cucumber, and oysters. I do however force myself to try them whenever I see them prepared in a new way, just in case I can find a new way to enjoy it. (I can almost stand baba ganoush, it's really the only way I can eat eggplant.)
So yeah, I guess that's really all I have to say about that episode. As always, if anyone ever needs food advice for their stories or just in general please feel free to ask, I even do mock menus for anyone who need them for their fanfics.
I say Kudos on this, I took "Foods of the World" in college, I am no chef, but given the recipe, the time, and the ingredients, and I can make the dish.
Yes, one should try foods from other countries, there is a veritable world of flavor out there.
I felt the episode was weak in general, and was sorely disappointed that the Gordon Ramsey pony didn't at least trip Zesty on the way out... I'm also genuinely curious why Zesty is allowed to be a food critic at all when the most popular Trend setters of Canterlot seem to at least want to make things fun for themselves AND others(even if it's pricey[I point to Fancy Pants for this example]). And really, you shouldn't play with your food of course, but where's the fun in all the food being exactly the same?
In any case, I'm happy to see a commentary from you on this, Zas. If only because you also make the perspective of being a chef/professional cook all the more genuine than most could ever manage... Also, I really loved Ratatouille and Ego's role in it.