This season brings me to the question: What was so bad about just doing sandwiches? Sandwiches are great, and as a starting block for a restaurant, they have so much room for creativity. “In general, I’ve always felt like the Italian beef exploration has been kind of poor,” says Ali Akbar. “They have whole scenes discussing philosophies about fine dining, what service means, what cooking means, but they almost spent no time with what a sandwich means or why a sandwich can be meaningful to somebody.”
Food is no longer a main character on The Bear
Every dish is beautiful and no one is hungry.
The show keeps reminding us that the Italian beef window run solely by Ebraheim is the only thing making them money, but there’s no real discussion of what that profitability means about where they should go creatively with the food. “They're leaning a little too hard on the idea that the best treats in the world are all the most expensive ... but at the same time, the Italian beef is just seen as a way to make money,” notes Ali Akbar, adding that he thinks Italian beef is an invention of culinary genius and one of the classic Chicago dishes he’s most in love with.
The lack of culinary purpose seems to be why this season is so ... boring. “Carmy’s culinary philosophy just seems to be ‘excellence,’” McCarthy says, adding that she thinks for him to move past his obsession with this kind of fine cuisine, he needs to “find some joy.” Ali Akbar points out that the Seven Fishes dish in season two and Carmy’s pasta experiments this season do point to a culinary philosophy rooted in his Italian family, but then “he goes to this dark place [and] relies on this training from the person he hates the most, the chef played by Joel McHale ... And he becomes that person.”
Yet again, it’s an intentional choice by the writers, but one that grows weary with no real creative counterpoint from characters like Sydney or Marcus. “You can’t do that fun, creative cooking when you’re miserable,” says McCarthy. “His menu reflects his emotional state in a way that isn’t really explored.” The show’s apparent thesis — that it’s hard and miserable getting to the top — is exactly what is dragging The Bear down.