Judge — April 21, 1928 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "A Pat On The Back Is Worth Two Mikes" This cartoon satirizes **food critics** and their influence. The scene depicts a formal dining club where critics sit at an elevated table, while a one-armed waiter stands before them. The caption reads: "The broken-armed member of the critics' club—who finally starved to death." The joke is dark: a critic with only one arm cannot both eat AND give approving "pats on the back" to restaurants/chefs—the currency of critical praise. Without the ability to deliver this symbolic gesture, he receives no good food and literally starves. The satire mocks how restaurant owners cater exclusively to critics' whims, suggesting critics wield disproportionate power through praise rather than merit, and that this system is absurdly distorted.