Idle thought -- sommeliers versus waiters

Looking at the adverts going down the escalator to the metro I saw one for a wine book written by someone billed as a 'master sommelier'.

Which provoked the idle thought -- how come sommeliers write books about wine when waiters do not write books about food?

How come chefs write about food and yet winemakers do not write books about wine?

How come sommeliers can aspire to being 'masters' yet I never heard of a 'master waiter'?

Peter, ever thought of being a butler? Then you will be master of everything!!
Seasons Greetings!!

Peter, ever thought of being a butler?

Is this a job offer??? (milord?)

Ah, but waiters have written books about...waiting(?).

There are at least two that I remember within the last several years.

One that was pretty well written and entertaining was by a woman who had waited tables in some pretty good places.

As you would imagine, there is usually a great deal of attention paid to what customers are like (and how terrible they can be and what terrible tippers they are ).

I recall one excerpt where the young lady talked about bumping into one of her 'regulars'----a man she waited on repeatedly at her restaurant---and she gleefully (and then somewhat ruefully) described his inability to recognize her. Couldn't place her for anything. She recognized him though.

Gosh, Peter. You know the answers.

Sommeliers are professionals trained not just in the service of wine, but in the wines themselves and how they pair with food. A sommelier can practice that talent at any restaurant that cares for its wine program.

A waiter does not have to be expert in food to serve it. Only in better restaurants are waiters trained directly by the chef to be able to accurately describe the dishes on the menu.

A master waiter exists, but under a different name. Head waiter or captain.

None of the above jobs require the ability to actually prepare the food being served, which is the chef's job.

How come chefs write about food and yet winemakers do not write books about wine?

Some winemakers do write about wine. Owen Bird wrote a terrible book called Rheingold. Terrible might be a harsh word as he did have a few healthy points to make. I would call it redundant and chock full of typographical errors. Nicolas Joly has written at least two books on Biodynamics.