The Bear is one of the best shows streaming on Hulu right now. It tells the story of a Chicago-based eatery, and a family at the center trying to navigate the trials and tribulations of running a restaurant while also dealing with a tragedy. The FX series is a critical darling, with many food industry professionals saying it was hard to watch due to its painful accuracy. Some cast members of The Bear even learned actual cooking and baking skills for the show. However, one professional chef is calling “BS” on the realistic nature of the series, comparing it to how Prince Harry feels about The Crown.
Despite never seeing The Bear, New York chef Mark Strausman feels like the series is an exaggerated version of the real restaurant industry. Stausman said he has heard enough about the show to form an opinion, and he thinks the Chicago-based show is a dramatization of real restaurants, exaggerated for audience enjoyment. He said his feelings are much like Prince Harry’s thoughts on the popular Netflix series about the Royal Family. The chef said to Insider:
Did you hear what Prince Harry said about 'The Crown?'
In all fairness, Prince Harry had seen The Crown before he commented on the Emmy-winning show. Having lived many of the experiences depicted in the drama, he noted differences in what he witnessed happen, versus what Netflix shows on screen. He said of the series on The Late Late Show with James Corden:
It's fictional. But it's loosely based on the truth. Of course it’s not strictly accurate. It gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that. I'm way more comfortable with 'The Crown' than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife, or myself.
The Bear is also a work of fiction, uses all fictional characters, and is not based on real people. However, visuals implemented in the show emulate the chaos of a disorganized restaurant environment, and the language used amongst employees when under pressure. It isn’t exactly a flattering portrait of restaurants, and it shows a pretty toxic workplace, which has famously been a stereotype of the food industry for years. Strausman seemed to find this particular aspect of the show to be objectionable, saying:
I mean, listen, Hollywood is there to make money. Hollywood is there to write stories that people want to watch. It's not a historic event, but that's not the restaurant business. Certainly not my restaurant. We treat people with respect in the kitchen. We have HR. So that's all dramatic television fiction, and we love great fiction.
While Strausman’s kitchens in New York may be a respectful environment, other restaurant professionals who have worked in the business felt a kinship to the attitudes and tension portrayed in The Bear. The Insider article notes that fine dining chefs like Genevieve Yam and Jane Brendlinger both found the depiction of the toxic culture in high-end eateries to be a somewhat accurate, and often triggering portrayal, even if some elements were exaggerated. Every kitchen is different, and while The Bear might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is certainly resonating with many people with experience working within restaurants.
You can see for yourself what The Bear gets right and wrong by catching The Bear's upcoming third season with a Hulu subscription and . There are so many reasons to give the FX dramedy a try, so make sure to watch the first two seasons.
