Sunday, April 15, 2007
Profile
Anti-Fast Food in France <-- LINK
After posting the pope article I decided to change it because I didn't like it on the second read. My goal was to find a profile that was about the length that we'll be writing for our assignment. I liked this one because it shows you the character, Alain Cojean, while describing his restaurant chain as the subject of the piece.
You get a feel for modern Parisian culture while reading, as well as a clear message about the entrepreneur's new take on it. He sits in a mid-nineteenth century tea salon while observing construction on his newest location near the Louvre. He loves seeing pregnant women in his restaurants because they signify a promise for the future.
I can tell through reading the piece that I'd enjoy having a cup of coffee with the unconventional CEO, which answers Banaszynski's second question in Telling True Stories.
I felt like all the detail and quotes were perfectly relevant to the profile and nothing in it was frivelous or dispensable. I think the piece is a good example for us because it is brief and yet says a lot about the subject's personality.
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8 comments:
You gotta post up the link! :)
I'm pretty positive if you click on "Anti fast-food in France," you'll get there.
Ah! Didn't work the first time I tried it, sorry about that! :)
Finally the rise of healthy fast food, even if it is in France. This piece was well done and on top of that it discusses two topics I love so much, healthy food and France! I really like how Grant Rosenberg opened up the piece describing Alain Cojean, the not so typical head of a fast food chain. He doesn't waste time setting the mood and theme early on, describing both Cojean and his fast food chain as a welcome change to the established American fast food eateries.
The introduction that describes WHAT he's going to discuss is followed by a nice transition describing WHY Cojean and his newest endeavour is worth writing about. He does a great job at presenting what he believes to be the problem that Cojean is responding to; "artery-clogging dishes". As if selling the reader to the new fast-food chain, Rosenberg provides the alternative to this,"vegetable-packed toasted sandwiches, chicken curry wraps and salmon and quinoa salads".
The visuals provided for a smoother read that kept me asking for more. I was able to place myself in Paris on a warm sunny April day, imagining what the "8th and 9th Arrondissements of the French capital" looked like. I tend to enjoy articles when they are able to satisfy my senses by describing the situation, area, people, etc.
After a few reads, I noticed how well Rosenberg was able to become a restaurant critic, profiler and depict new social trends seamlessly. Rather than just focusing on one issue, diversity was another strength of Rosenberg's piece. I particularly liked how Rosenberg peaked the readers interest in the beginning with plenty of descriptions I love so much, then discusses Cojean, and provides the reader with plenty of good quotes from the man himself. Although Rosenberg moves into profiling Cojean with more detail, he does not forget to add in tid-bits of information that goes back to his style found in the beginning of the piece. One such example is, "His employees, all young and outfitted in powder blue T-shirts, are hardly the traditional French model of food industry professionals and more like a typical American chain waitstaff: enthusiastically working to put themselves through school or pay the rent while going to auditions."
Overall I think this piece was well written and payed attention to ADD readers like myself by keeping us entertained and writing fluidly. One thing I would have liked more of is the reaction of the public or workers at the chain. This could have provided much more depth and layer to the piece. I realize it was a profile piece, but I think Rosenberg could have easily spun these quotes back to Cojean. Then again, I can relate to the difficulty of trying to fit so much into such a small piece.
I think this was a great piece, really exhibiting what can happen with narrative journalism--taking something newsworthy and adding depth. I thought we were give a good sense of who Cojean is through detail-his motorcycle, for one thing, and the description of his employees. I also really enjoyed the tight writing style. There was one sentence setting up Cojean's credentials with alliteration, which I love in narrative journalism, because I think it makes the work punchy and moving. I wished, only, for some more of Cojean's actual dialogue. I think often, writers need to allow their sources to speak in the piece. But overall, I really likd this piece.
I liked this piece. The journalist succeeds in answering the two questions and profiles a man through his business, which is also his passion. Was the point of the article to profile the person or the business? Both I guess. The piece was definitely enhanced by profiling the creator, Alain Corjean. It’s like eating at great restaurant and having the owner come ask you how your meal was. I like feeling connected to the source, especially in this increasingly commercialized world where we treat customer service workers like machines.
I really liked the way the piece was crafted. I liked the details about the food itself and the look at the chain's originator that we are given. This piece comes alive with details, like mentioning that pregnant women frequent this chain. That's a really vivid image for me; a line of expectant mothers, some with kids already in tow, waiting for a lunch that will actually be good for them and their child-to-be.
The piece flowed very well, and the picture of the employees in the plain T-shirts really captivated the image of this restaurant and restaraunteur that this article set out to profile. No frills, no greasy, smoky, ambiguous atmosphere, and real people involved in it who genuinely seem to enjoy their involvement.
It made me wonder if something like Panera, which is the closest American thing that I could compare to this restaurant, could be taken to the next level and made something truly health conscious and customer friendly.
I agree that this article takes something simple and manages to capture a snapshot of trends, both in food, society, and small business focus.
I liked it!
I also enjoyed reading the article. The profile opens up with a great image of Cojean. It is clear that this guy isn't just any dude, and he means business. I thought it was interesting that throughout the profile the focus subtly shifts from Cojean to the new trend of healthy fast foods. I didn't mind this at all because the purpose of the article isn't just to talk of him, but to also encourage a healthy lifestyle. The article enlightens us of the progressive restauranteur's basic qualities, as well as his more personal beliefs and opinions.
Being a strong believer of eating healthy, I was delighted to see the topic being highlighted in the Times. Good pick!
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