Gold Prize

By and large, the Pulitzers are a mystery to me. But the round of winners just announced included a truly pleasant surprise: Jonathan Gold’s win in the criticism category.

We became somewhat acquainted with Mr. Gold back when we lived in New Orleans; he would visit from time to time doing recon for Gourmet Magazine, and we would benefit because he needed diners. He was such a nice guy! And he really knew his subject. I hadn’t been a reader of the L.A. Weekly prior to that, but started checking out his column — and became a fan. (If you’ve ever perused that list of links at rights, you’ll notice that it includes one to his column, in fact.)

Apart from being a gifted and incredibly informed writer on the actual subject of food, he’s also a gifted and incredibly informed writer on the subject of Los Angeles. That is, he makes the column not just a series of restaurant reviews, but something like a food-based series of explorer’s dispatches, and the result is an ongoing guide to what a fascinating metropolis that city really is. Finally, he pulls of the tough and admirable task of giving his writing with a real point of view without simply writing about himself.
Plus he’s surprisingly knowledgeable about heavy metal. Among other things. Not that that comes up in the column.
Anyway, his work is great, and I can’t remember being so pleased about a Pulitzer winner.