On Bearded Food Workers

I find beards disconcerting when it comes to people who handle food.

I was watching the Iron Chef yesterday, and the Iron Chef French (is that the write phrasing? It seems right since the others are “Iron Chef Japanese” and “Iron Chef Chinese”) had a black stubbly beard. I kept picturing bits of food getting caught in it and falling on to people’s plates. Isn’t that gross?

Then again, the Frugal Gourmet–before he was arrested for child molestation–had a white fluffy beard. Others think that Julia Child was Jacques Pepin’s beard. And let’s not forget the founding father of American cookery: James Beard.

Maybe beards aren’t so bad after all. Please disregard.

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