I was all set to write a gushing little commentary about Ratatouille starting with, “OMG! Go NOW!”

But then I realized you probably already have. I’m a little late to the table.

But I did see it last night at the Ziegfeld (largest movie theater in NYC), and laughed, cried, etc. So many brilliant details about kitchen life. They even make fun of “a revelation”–I am vindicated!

One offhand line stuck with me–a comment by the one woman cook at the restaurant, saying the kitchen staff is like a pirate crew.

Which now seems wildly obvious, but I don’t think it had occurred to me before. Now I see that the current obsession with life in the pro kitchen is just a subset of the larger “pirate renaissance” (Chuck Klosterman’s term) we’re enjoying at the moment. Anthony Bourdain is the culinary Jack Sparrow.

I guess I should start wearing an eye patch.