The Art of the Graceful Comeback!

I have one.

Once, at a party, some rather strange man began viciously attacking friends of mine (a married couple)....but especially the woman...for not having had children. He actually used the words "You haven't done your duty to your country!"

The husband was too stoned to process what was going on...and my female friend was too stunned and upset by the attack to say anything.

I felt the call.

"I take it YOU have done YOUR duty to your country?", I said to the bellicose man.

"Yes!!" he trumpeted.

"Good! So, was it painful?"

"Painful?" he said.

Well, yes. I assume you meant you had a vasectomy?"

Tempest in a teapot. Both are right. (I can't bake either, heh; bread yes, but I have low practice on desserts. I had a big discussion with myself in the ongoing effort to make a good apple pie this morning (dough having rested overnight, don't get me going). I simply gave up the idea of doing a Freddy Girardet lemon tart along with it. The excuse was too few lemons, which was true, but at base, I don't have the right stuff as a baker. Ray and similar are teachers too.

I say this having rarely watched Martha and having spent many years making fun of her doing what the rest of us were, mostly, and being a self caricature perfectionist in her articles. All that time, she, among others, also made it ok to have opinions, design wise, taste wise, on these kind of things.

I've also only watched Ray for possibly one or one half of one YouTube segment, no way to judge. I learn from the scientific cooks, the just do it cooks, the extremely decorative and ingredient savvy cooks, the arty farties, the foam connoisseurs, and take what I feel like from each of them.

My next pie will be better.

Oh, wait, that was just a comment. Back to consider your question, re graceful comeback.

Thinking ahead, that one will be the winner. (We'll see..)

I guess the implicit side issue is should Martha Stewart have made seemingly unnecessary assessment of Rachel Ray in the first place.

It's widely known that the two aren't in the same league. It would seem that Stewart somehow felt threatened by Rachel Ray so she felt defensive enough to make that statement.

Rachel has had to defend herself from far worse than Martha's statement.

she's pretty savvy with the PR thing.

That is likely true. Consider yourself being her.

Ok, work on it..

She went into snippy, such a bitch thing, but she toned it.

Sorry, but I don't think Stewart (however much I'm not her greatest fan) felt all threatened, at least in the long run, though I agree maybe in the short. Stewart had spent incessive obsessive hours on how to's. Stewart is media savvy, and I can see her being inflamed by Ray as a lame-o antagonist.

I can also see being Stewart and just dissing, or semi dissing. If you look at it, it wasn't that bad.

Again, teapot.

Plus, lot of ok re Ray.

She should be. Do you know her dog doesn't even like or eat Rachel Ray Nutrish for Pets dog food? Her dog eats Eukanuba. But I guess that's beside the point.

the fact that you know that (or think you do) kinda shows her media presence.

the tabloids love her...

I know that from an insiders information. I literally fed her dog on several occasions. She's a VIP client at Biscuits and Bath, my former employer.

ahhh.

anyways. she keeps her name out there.

controversy sells.

(for both of them)


I know more about her than I ever asked to know...

Mz Bunny,

Once again, I humbly bow at your altar.

Eyeing this comment..

why not? I've followed a lot of french chefs over the years, however slovenly I did it - really, you all know me, I just check in from time to time. Those chefs always say what they think. Or, mostly. Someone like MS has to ramp it down, and why?

Ok, still trying to get back to the thread premise.

I'm sure I've bon motted nicely while not being bitcheroo, but I'm having trouble remembering exact quotes.

I think that a comeback doesn't even have to be a comeback in the sense of the word. What Rachael Ray did was evident of this. A come back would be in some way poking back at the person and taking a gab at their character in one fashion or another.

I think a lot of times that if you show the person making the gab at your character that their words have caused little to no effect on you that you have won.

Agree.