art by SilFoe

My inner foodie is so full of happy at this episode.

This episode is a celebration of individuality! Sure, the message “be true to yourself” is by no means new territory for this show, but “Spice Up Your Life” serves it to us with a unique style and several new ingredients.

But before we get into what the episode was really about, I think we need to address the elephant in the room. (And no, I don’t mean the culturally intriguing sign for Tasty Treats.)

Once again, the writers have given us an episode that will probably strike a bad chord with certain people. Like with “Flutter Brutter”, there are going to be people who find this episode strikes a little too close to home for their comfort. And again, if it is doing so because the featured character reflects actual faults in yourself, then it should be uncomfortable, and it is doing so for the right reasons. However, by the same measure, if the discomfort is because of surface similarities and not underlying issues, then it really isn’t about you.

#notallunemployed

Some people could get so wrapped up in seeing a partial similarity – one that is not the core problem which these episodes address – that they miss the real messages. In the case of this episode, I worry many reviewers will allow themselves to be unnecessarily triggered, becoming defensive and missing out on the joys this episode brings.

#notallEQDprereaders

“Spice Up Your Life” does make a very important and pointed commentary on critics, especially those who hold themselves up as Guardians of Standards. But what it does not say is that critics, reviewers and analysts are bad. Nor that everyone who acts tries to regulate quality is being detrimental.

Rather, this episode emphasizes that you are the ultimate judge on whether or not you enjoy something. Nobody else has the right to tell you what you can and cannot like. Not a critic, not your parents, not your friends and not the crowd. Just because a story has thousands of upvotes does not mean you are obligated to like it. Just because a movie is universally panned does not mean you cannot enjoy it. I liked this episode a lot and got a lot out of it. That doesn’t mean you are wrong if you didn’t.

vector by cheezedoodle96

And there are people, particularly critics, who will demand that you follow their opinions. Who will claim that their observations are matters of objective truth, and that anyone who does not agree is wrong. These are the critics that the episode is warning about. And that is why I think one of the strongest choices the episode made was to not have the critic change her mind.

It is unrealistic to believe that your signature dish is going to be wonderful enough to change this kind of person’s mind. They are too invested, and change is simply not on their menu.

As we last see her, walking off… probably to write her blog rant about “popularity vs quality”.

And what is interesting is that the critic makes valid points about subtlety and nuance. There is something to be said for her perspective. The issue is only when that perspective is forced on others.

You are free to have your own interests and your own tastes. Critics and analysts have value. They can help you see things you missed, which in turn can help you improve. They can help you gain a deeper or broader appreciation for something. But they cannot tell you that you shouldn’t enjoy something. (I am reminded of the message from a previous blog: it is okay to like things.) Analysts are there to offer a perspective.

You must be careful that you do not use “expressing your individuality” as a cover for ignoring anything you don’t want to hear. That trap will kill you. Likewise, reviewers must remember that they are here to offer a viewpoint, not dictate preferences and acceptability. Those who hold themselves as Guardians of Standards all too often become Gatekeepers of Only Allowing What I Like.

art by tyuubatu

Like the critic in this episode, many who have fallen into the same self-aggrandizing trap that Zesty Gourmand has will make an appeal to quality. Mind you, there is an argument for quality to be made, but far too many lose sight of the fact that most elements of quality are subjective. And even those objective elements – for example, the proper use of grammar in writing – are often critiqued through non-objective viewpoints.

Keep in mind that strict adherence to the tenets of objective quality do not necessarily produce quality work. Nor does breaking those tenets mean that the final product isn’t of quality. Continuing the example: the reason an author needs to know the rules of grammar isn't so he or she never breaks them, but so the author knows when and how to break them. Charles Dickens used run-on sentences. Shakespeare would end a sentence with a preposition when it suited the writing. Don’t be afraid to add some spice to your use of words.

While this episode’s message centered on not allowing your opinions to be dictated by others, the opposite problem is just as common, if not moreso. Sadly, all too often, people don’t seek out analysts and reviewers for the good they can do. Rather, they are looking just for those who agree with the opinions they have already formed, seeking an echo-chamber. They surround themselves only with those who reinforce their own views, rather than opening their minds to something new. We shouldn’t be like the ponies who let Zesty Gourmand decide what they would enjoy for them, but the episode is also a warning not to be like Zesty Gourmand herself. Be open to new opinions and new experiences.

In short: spice up your life!

art by TheRandomJoyrider

For our pre-hiatus episode, the writers gave us a new map adventure. And with it, we got a very nice explanation as to why we haven’t seen one in a while. Kudos to the writers for that excellent bit of reasoning. (And it was really nice to see Starlight again.)

It really stood out that Starlight Glimmer didn’t have a chair at the table. Unlike the others, she isn’t connected to the Elements of Harmony, and thus to the Cutie Map. Sadly, that would suggest the map cannot choose her for any Plot Quests… the only down note in the promise of more map episodes.

I have to wonder if the glitches that Pinkie Pie called out before the map settled on the Canterlot mission might have been failed quests – missions that they missed because the map wasn’t functional. I wouldn’t be surprised if fanfic writers jump on those ideas. (On the other hoof, Twilight and Twilight in Twilight’s Castle? That last one sounds destined to inspire someone’s clopfic.)

I think it no coincidence that they gave us short bit with Starlight at the beginning of an episode which emphasizes non-conformity. Pinkie Pie’s lines in the (delightfully Bollywood-style) song gave us the true message of the episode long before the finale:

Don't let what others do be your cue

Never rearrange 'cause somepony said you should

Just trust your heart, it will know what to do

I know there are some fans who are upset with Rarity’s portrayal in this episode. Rarity is an artist. She champions creativity and unique design. In the episode “Canterlot Boutique”, she was faced with a nearly identical crisis and had to fight to keep her vision of haute couture (or, at least, bespoke tailoring) instead of conforming to the ready-to-wear mass marketing standard.

However, I can forgive this because there is a level at which Rarity was accurate. If you want to compete, you do have to match or exceed standards, and critics who are doing their proper job will often be the ones to let you know where you fall short. If you are a hotel, and your décor looks like a grandmother’s bedroom, or you refuse to update to flatscreen televisions, your business is going to suffer. If you are a restaurant, an you are serving pre-cooked food warmed in a microwave, you’re going to get trounced by restaurants that use fresh ingredients and cook to order. If you are an internet service provider, only offering DSL isn’t “sticking to your individual style”, it’s just a bad business practice.

If your hotel rooms look like this, these will be the only customers you get.

But while Rarity is clearly presuming that this is the problem, it really isn’t what is going on here. And Pinkie Pie is the one who correctly identifies the critic is the harmful issue.

One thing struck me as odd. In this episode, Pinkie Pie plays the one who is right, and Rarity is the one who is effective. From getting Zesty Gourmand to visit the restaurant to bringing in a full house, Rarity is able to get everything she tries to do accomplished, even if it doesn’t get the results she desires.

Pinkie Pie, on the other hoof, has the story’s moral down, but she may have let her individuality become a detriment. Her inability to curb her own enthusiasm certainly did not help when advertising to the populace of a city like Canterlot. I couldn’t help but notice that, had the two divided up tasks correctly the first time, Pinkie Pie wouldn’t have had one. Her sole contribution would have been to find the friendship problem in the first place.

Additionally, while the episode was full of its own delights, it really didn’t do anything to build the characters of Rarity or Pinkie Pie, nor did it add anything new to their relationship.

I cannot help but imagine how this episode might have been different if the map had been able to sent Rarity and Starlight on the quest. Putting Starlight in the position of having to recognize the conformity problem on Restaurant Row and champion individuality would have been a very personally significant role for her to take on, and the episode could have been an amazing vehicle to establish a relationship between her and Rarity.

I did like how the map sent our ponies on a quest to fix what seemed like a very small-scale friendship problem. Yet, by the end, we see the consequences of fixing this problem ripple out, affecting all of Restaurant Row, and surely as a result, Canterlot itself. And if, as Rarity says, Zesty Gourmand’s word is the “ultimate authority in Canterlot and thus all Equestria”, then helping this father and daughter rekindle their passion could have positive ripples all across the country. Once again, we see just how important friendships are in Equestria, and how much impact even one friendship can have.

As a side note, while I’m not a pony and thus not into eating grass, a dish that calls for marinating overnight in mustard Dijon sounds absolutely packed with flavor. (And I love Dijon mustard.) I couldn’t help but notice that the food that the show depicted was based on actual Indian cuisine. Between this and the dish served in “The Saddle Row Review”, I rather suspect the writing staff now includes a foodie. (Prop designer Mat Herring perhaps?) We even got a Gordon Ramsay pony!

(They didn’t go with his same cutie mark as in the comics, I noticed.)

Sadly, my food-knowledge may be letting me down. If Zesty Gourmand is a ponified version of a real-life food critic, I have no idea who. The only connection that I am drawing is to Anton Ego from one of my favorite movies, Ratatouille.