The culinary powerhouse and man behind New York’s Momofuku restaurant dynasty just can’t get enough of Bud Light, and he doesn’t care who knows it. (He also loves ice in his white wine, which we fully support on the right occasion.)
In a piece penned for GQ, chef David Chang does his darndest to explain why drinking a light, “crappy” beer—over a more artisanal experience—holds a special place in his heart. First things first, however: Chang makes it explicitly clear that he does indeed like craft beers. In fact, he very much recognizes their finer qualities, but, in all honesty, he’s usually not looking for a beer that will blow his mind. Often, we want what we want because it’s familiar, and—in the case of beer—reliably satisfying.
Maybe it’s the nostalgic association with his grandfather that leads Chang to see the value in a bottle of cheap beer. Or, perhaps, it’s the undeniable ability of such lagers to pair surprisingly well with food (a sticking point that surprisingly few commercial beer advertisements touch upon). Or perhaps, at the end of a long day of tasting and analyzing food, a cold, simple beer is more sating than a complicated, craft ale could ever be.
Whatever the case may be, Bud Light remains this chef ‘s (and most of Americans’ beer of choice), and there’s no shame in that. [GQ] [Photo: Flickr/David]