In what can only be described an extremely vulgar interview with Chef David Chang of momofuku– with him whining and complaining about pretty much everything, and dropping f-bombs left and right, Chang reveals how much he hates “White Guys” who critique his food and in particular Vegas food influencer John Curtas.
At the one minute mark it gets really interesting, and he starts his personal attack against Curtas. He whines that “there’s people in my career who have been pain in my ass, I don’t know why. John Curtas, I hate him. I didn’t want to even mention his name.”
He claims that because of John Curtas’ “shitty personality,” he tried to get Cosmo to ban Curtas from the restaurant, but lost that fight. “He gave us a review bad review,” Chang claimed.
Yes, John Curtas’ review wasn’t good, as he heavily critiqued the overload of umami. As Curtas reviewed, “after three trips around this menu, I threw in the towel. There are some good things to eat here – the spicy cod hotpot being good fish, well-treated; the katsu chicken an old-fashioned, mushroom cream sauce delight – but by the time you get to them, you will have been drowned by a tsunami of umami.”
Then the interview gets really weird and somewhat racist, with Chang claiming that “white guys” really bother him, proclaiming that “I hate when white guys tell me how to make Asian food,” as if genetics somehow give the ability to notice the overload of umami.
He even gets more personal and unhinged, so much that the reviewer seems taken aback by the viciousness and extreme swearing. “He’s a shitty person, bad fucking guy,” Chang rants, and then says he’s ok with saying “horrific things” and “hopes for the worse” for Curtas.
This type of racist rant isn’t just strange and unprofessional, but really puts both the Cosmo and the restaurant itself in weird place: their clientele is mainly “white guys” from the United States, and Chang’s target should include “white guys.” By saying that they shouldn’t be able to critique or even enjoy the food because they have the wrong DNA is not just offensive but weird.
I sincerely hope Chang grows up and apologizes for not offending many his clientele but wishing what seems to be harm on John Curtas.
