'The Menu': a Revenge Fantasy of the Exploited Artist

Revenge is a dish best served on a private island with no signal

Pablo Picasso once said, “the meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

What artists, or creators in general, enjoy doing the most is serving. The joy in creating — whether it’s music, paintings, cooking, or writing — is the ability to use your gift to make someone else feel good.

The Menu is about Julian Slowik, a world-class chef whose love for cooking is soured by the status anxiety of his wealthy customers. What used to be a joyful craft has been twist-and-turned into a labor of performative love. This is the story of a chef forced to play along to pretense, an artist forced to play as an entertainer.

“You cook with obsession, not love. Even your hot dishes are cold. You're a chef. Your one purpose on this earth is to give people food they might enjoy, and you have failed. You failed, and you bored me. And the worst part is...I'm still f*ckin' hungry.” — Margot

The Critic

Lilian Bloom and Ted, her publisher, represent the critics and gatekeepers of…