Poets Watching TV: Binging with Babish's Andrew Rea Knows Imitation Is Not the Sincerest Form of Flattery
The star of the popular YouTube cooking show recreates dishes found on film, in video games, and on TV. But once his experiment in imitation is over, he moves on to something much more artful.
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We really love the old adage which tells us that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” But don’t forget the critical, biting back end of that same quote, bequeathed to us by the great Oscar Wilde:
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”
It seems that Andrew Rea of YouTube fame senses this, and has broken free from the confines of his infinitely watchable recipe recreation gimmick to brand cookware, lifestyle content, and lift up other food media types. But his movement from imitation to innovation even within the space of a brief 5-to-10-minute video can teach us all something about the benefits and limitations of imitation when it comes to creative work.