He’d been a star. A famous gourmand whose impeccable taste made him a celebrity. But time had moved on.
To stay relevant, he listened to his remaining fans. They told him it was the public who was wrong, seduced by foreign influencers and trendy cuisine.
He started pushing traditional fare and comfort food. It wasn’t political, he said, just good taste. The new tastemakers faded from the spotlight and he was on top again.
But it was a hollow victory. His favorite restaurants had closed. The markets stopped carrying fresh and interesting ingredients.
The spice had gone from the world.

“<div class=’fn’> Chef’s hat</div>” by David Ring is marked with CC0 1.0.

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Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0