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The Bear is truly great television. The episodes run between 30 and 40 minutes, they are shot in a wonderfully cinematic way and the writing is just chef's kiss. It’s also a very stressful watch. It follows a young chef, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, who has to leave the world of fine dining to return to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop. Personalities clash and tempers flare around very sharp knives and searing hot pans. If you’ve not seen it, you may want to check it out before reading our lead; there are some references to the plot lines of the second season. But if the world of professional kitchens is of interest, perhaps just read on anyway.
Our reviewer, Rebbecca Scott, knows this world all too well having spent the last seven years interviewing chefs about their experiences (not to mention her family’s restaurant). She felt the show’s two seasons do a great job of capturing the beauty in passionate cooking but also the destruction that can lead to toxic working environments and terrible mental health issues among chefs.
Also, check out our curtain raiser on the world’s biggest arts festival, and more on Donald Trump’s legal travails.
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FX Network
Rebecca Scott, Cardiff University
My research on chefs’ mental health shows restaurants valorise isolation, abuse and violence – but The Bear avoids idealising this obsessive mindset.
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An artistic impression of the various dinosaur species that once roamed the Roma Valley.
Akhil Rampersadh
Miengah Abrahams, University of Cape Town
Fossilised tracks of a group of plant-eating dinosaurs have been found in Lesotho’s Roma Valley for the first time.
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Helle Arensbak/ EPA
Kim Goodwin, The University of Melbourne
Three former dancers have taken legal action against Lizzo, levelling allegations of sexual harassment and the creation of a hostile work environment.
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Matthew Patterson, University of Oxford
Parts of Argentina and the Chilean Andes experienced some of their highest temperatures on record.
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Evodius Waziri Rutta, Queen's University, Ontario
Measures to address tensions between wildlife and humans are critical for Tanzania.
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Henry Giroux, McMaster University
The 2024 U.S. presidential election should be about more than Donald Trump’s legal travails. It should be a choice between democracy and the further criminalization of American politics.
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Rachel Chambers, University of Connecticut; David Birchall, London South Bank University
A new EU law would require thousands of multinational companies, including many based in the US, to look for signs of human rights abuses in their supply chains.
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Margaret Sibley, University of Washington
The COVID-19 pandemic may have played a considerable role in the uptick of adults being treated for ADHD. But more data is needed to determine whether the trends will continue.
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James Layton, University of the West of Scotland
There will be almost 3,000 shows playing at this year’s Fringe, which can feel a little daunting, especially for the first timer. Here’s how to get it right.
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Su'ad Abdul Khabeer, University of Michigan
A scholar explains how a concept that appeared in Nation of Islam literature nearly a century ago essentially defines hip-hop’s consciousness today.
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