The Dine, Wine & Spirits Show – NOLADrinks Edition – September 15, 2016

Pictured above – Adrienne Miller (top), Bryan Dias – NOLADrinks (left), Sam Parrie (center), and Katie DuBois (right).

Here’s the full show podcast of the New Orleans Dine, Wine & Spirits Show – NOLADrinks Edition from Thursday, September 15, 2016. I was pleased to welcome Katie DuBois of Barrel Proof, Adrienne Miller of Bar Tonique and Toups’ Meatery, and Sam Parrie of Cane & Table. (See the map below for these cool spots.) We discussed gender issues “behind the bar” and got insights and some of the experiences of these three skilled professional women bartenders in our “What’s in Your Glass/What’s in Your Bottle” segment. It was an informative, important and lively discussion. They join the show in the third segment. We also have a conversation about the establishments in which they work and we tasted some terrific whiskeys, a rancio sec wine, and awesome cracklins!

Prior to Katie, Adrienne, and Sam joining the show, we talk a bit about what’s going on around town and a bit of a discussion on the Petite Sirah grape.

Some comments… Our “What’s in Your Glass/What’s in Your Bottle” segment, which we do from time-to-time, is meant to discuss social, cultural, political, environmental, and economic issues connected to the world of drink and food. Both in a broad sense and, often, what it means to you. These are, in most cases, ongoing dialogues that need to continue. With many of these issues, there are so many things to unpack that a single show cannot (or should not) try and cover everything. As with this topic and others, we look forward to continuing the conversation with multiple perspectives.

Additionally, some conversation has already been spurred on the issue of gender “behind the bar.” To clarify, our mentioning of the hiring practices by the bar “Employee’s Only” (E.O.) in New York (and their operation in Singapore) and subsequent dialogue that came to the fore a few months ago, served, perhaps, as a “catalyst” for much of the talk on the gender issue in the service and bar community. There is and was a lot to these events – what the company’s hiring practices may or may not be (or were), the specific incidence in the opening of the Singapore location, and how certain individuals within the company behaved before and after. Our show was not about that story, other than what was noted above. We encourage you to look into it further for yourself.

One editorial note on this, however, from NOLADrinks is the idea that E.O. was having trouble with their hiring in Singapore. This is, in our view, not an excuse to resort to inappropriate hiring strategies and messaging. It has been mentioned that the staff there now in Singapore is gender diverse. If true, that is a good thing.

Another note, on the issue of Fernet Branca and the poster mentioned in the show, it was very tasteless in our view. Whether companies hire an outside agency to do the PR or not, it is their responsibility, ultimately, to be responsible for that PR and messaging. Perhaps, greater oversight should have taken place. To the company’s credit, after being called out on it, they quickly pulled the ad and apologized. Again, that’s a good thing.

Of course, many purveyors of alcohol (and many other industries) use misogynistic tactics to sell and market their products. So, with these two companies, the idea for us, is not characterize them as “evil.” Perhaps, these were mistakes of naivete – something that can be very problematic and should not be an excuse, however. Constructively, these may be the best places to start in trying to make progress. Certainly, the deliberate and calculated use of misogyny in advertising is a huge issue and must also be addressed.

We look forward to continuing this conversation as well as others. If you have ideas for topics, please use the hashtag “#WIYGWIYB” on social media or drop us a line. Here’s the podcast…

Cheers, You All,
Bryan