Or maybe it's just me. But these days I'm getting more of those who-do-food-bloggers-think-they-are sentiments.
Worse, why do they take the fun out of eating? As you can tell, I'm hoping that typing in large fonts helps bring my point across. Does food blogging take the fun out of eating?
1. To our long-suffering family and friends: Watching that hot plate lose its sizzle right before your very eyes must have made you wonder what you did to deserve such treatment. To us food bloggers, while taking those dozen shots of tofu, do we actually expect that humble piece of beancurd to metamorphosize into an organic soy cube that practices hatha yoga? Om. No.
You still have friends who want to dine with you? Ok read on ...
2. To our friends who aren't as fussy. When you read that we have had a less than impressive meal, do you start to take on some of the blame? Or do you wonder if we were paying more attention to the crumble (and not your grumbles)?
3. To other patrons in the restaurant. Once, I was doing lunch at Tatsuya when I had the misfortune of being seated next to 2 women who maxed out the space of their memory card by taking pictures of themselves alone AND together, with the sushi counter, of the sushi chefs and their food with -pause- camera flash. Hello, the Merlion is (points that way)?!
4. To self. Some of us seem to think that we are the Sons and Daughters of Heaven, bestowed with the golden mandate of critique, with tastebuds too delicate for day-old sashimi and too-rich molten chocolate cakes. Maybe we could learn to downsize our egos, instead of hallucinating that we are Anton Egos in the making.
On a separate note, I no longer trust reviews of invited food tastings. It becomes so meaningless when someone raves about a restaurant, then writes ,”I will not rate this as it was an invited review” or “I can’t give an accurate assessment of the service as it was an invited… ” What bollocks.
Food bloggers, nay! Who the hell do they think they are?
ok, done with my rant.
11 comments:
hahahahaha detailed and accurate write-up of food bloggers. but aren't you kind of scolding yourself too! lol!
aye when's the local review gonna come?
yeap, i'm definitely aware of what i proclaimed.
ha, soon perhaps.
something must have upset you big time! I get what you're saying though..
Wow, this seems to be a heated entry. Take it easy, girl... Food blogs are not worth adding a few lines on your face...
Anyway, back to your point. Can't deny that I felt guilty when I read it and often we have forgotten why we are at the dining place in the first place.
I guessed it is a give and take. When we have good pictures, we are happy and contended but when the food turns cold, that seems to be a punishment for the innocent diners that come with us. Moreover, it not just affects us when we snap pictures but also the neighbouring diners...
I guessed the effort of one is not sufficient but at least you made the first step to knock in this message to fellow bloggers...
You will be surprised Mr. Laurent Benard said this to me a year ago in the email...
"We and customers find disturbing this habit (we did ask our customers), after all peoples come to enjoy food and time spends with friends. It is what I encourage you to do, let the camera aside, enjoy the food and time with your friends at our café or somewhere else."
and 5 other points...
Oh my goodness! Funny thing, I almost never use the flash in my little ultra-compact. If eating with company, I never "bust a food-blogger move", if I plan to do a post(rarely if ever happens with guests, unless they are good friends), I ask permission of my guests first. After all, I'm just a humble little food blogger.
An Owner of a restaurant once emailed this to me:
"I think the food blogs are a great source of serious food writing in town, between the fact that the writers are unpaid and that they have no space limitations, as a reader I get great insights into the bloggers’ experience."
"Let me add this thought: the best possible event that could increase restaurant quality in this town would be the emergence of twenty or so popular, critical, honest, prolific food bloggers, each with unique tastes, persepectives, and budgets, blogging about all their restuarant visits. In an environment like that, all restaurants would be heavily incented to provide great quality and value at least to a certain segment of the eating-out community."
Interesting.....but who the heck do we think we are? No one really....
yay we all feel the same way!
Interesting, a thought provoking piece. Well done! ;) I enjoy reading it.
Cheers
Ping
We suffer for our art, but by this time most people have gotten used to us. Interesting viewpoint though.
I don't know; most of the heated comments come when I say a restaurant isn't good. :)
Invited tastings are fun especially when you're invited to a nice restaurant. In terms of the quality of the review, I'm sure you know whom not to and to trust.
I think I'm still the only person that uses flash when shooting with a compact camera; I have no pretensions about my skills or the camera being a high-end DSLR. :P
Ivan, I don't agree that "we suffer" and "people have gotten used to us". For us, it's fun and entertainment but to others, a menance.
"I'm sure you know whom not to and to trust. " hear hear...hoho
The comment (in Chinese) above this is more or less spam. Intriguing range of Japanese soft porn though. :D
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