Um, that's not how "wannabe chefs" make the dish, that's how actual chefs make the dish, in actual restaurants, in actual France (and yes, here in the States too). It is traditionally how it's cooked and it serves a purpose. The cheese around the edges first melts, then bubbles, then browns, then hardens around the edges not only holding in the hottest fucking soup to every come out of an oven from spilling all over the place but mostly developing into a wonderfully delicious new layer of flavor; it enhances the dish. French Onion Soup is my all-time favorite soup and hands down my favorite part of that soup is the cheese that has stuck to the sides.