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The Power of Food Blogging
a couple of months ago when i dined at eleven madison park (the new chef is one of my faves), my dining companion tongue-in-cheekly blurted out "she's a food critic" to our waiter. even though i quickly said "no i'm not !" , and i had no camera and took no notes, halfway through our meal the chef daniel humm came out to our table to say hello.
3 months prior to that, when i dined there with another companion who had called ahead to pre-arrange a 13 course tasting menu to go with some special wines he had brought, the chef did not come out to say hello to us even though this was a much more expensive meal.
chefs and restauranteurs are aware of the power of public opinion to impact the success or failure of their restaurant, whether from a paid writer or an unpaid blogger, it's part marketing, self preservation and common sense. let's face it, most people with jobs treat their bosses who sign their paychecks with more respect than their co-workers , so the concept of "VIP's" exist everywhere in life, not just in a pricy restaurant.
go bloggers !!
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Recent Comments | Response to Comments
The Food Bully
non-foodies just don't understand foodies. so when i eat with friends , especially if i'm on a date, i'll explain to people that the definition of a "foodie" is someone who is obsessed with food, and that they should not take anything i say personally. this seems to work. sometimes.
The Power of Food Blogging
a couple of months ago when i dined at eleven madison park (the new chef is one of my faves), my dining companion tongue-in-cheekly blurted out "she's a food critic" to our waiter. even though i quickly said "no i'm not !" , and i had no camera and took no notes, halfway through our meal the chef daniel humm came out to our table to say hello.
3 months prior to that, when i dined there with another companion who had called ahead to pre-arrange a 13 course tasting menu to go with some special wines he had brought, the chef did not come out to say hello to us even though this was a much more expensive meal.
chefs and restauranteurs are aware of the power of public opinion to impact the success or failure of their restaurant, whether from a paid writer or an unpaid blogger, it's part marketing, self preservation and common sense. let's face it, most people with jobs treat their bosses who sign their paychecks with more respect than their co-workers , so the concept of "VIP's" exist everywhere in life, not just in a pricy restaurant.
go bloggers !!
The Power of Food Blogging
In activity to the inquire into of whether or not accepting freebies compromises journalistic integrity, I rest assured de facto depends. In this essay, Adam is strikingly not giving Le Cirque a lambent review. To me, this legend appears uncompromising; Adam hackneyed the free lunch meal, yet placid told us what was on his mind.
The Power of Food Blogging
Just what the world needs, 100,000 amateur food critics...OMG! Scarey. If you want to be a critic why not declare open season on all computer companies who haven't perfected a computer to be compatible with MS. What about retail stores who repackage returned (often faulty) merchandise and sell it as new. Consumer goods that don't work or fall apart within a short time. What about lousy service in stores and government offices. Why pick on restaurants. If you really want to know something about restaurants get a job in one for a few months, then lets hear your "critique." When you're "critiquing," restaurants, ask yourself what kind of job your doing when you're at work...Man...make me soooo crazy...Why does EVERYONE wanna be food critique. Go have another hamburger. Then get a life.
The Power of Food Blogging
If you are reviewing a restaurant I don't really think it right to take a free meal. In any other profession that would get you fired. Did you know that you were called a “a world-class mooch" by and article in the NY Mag?
The Food Bully
Can't we spin being a Food Bully in a positive way? Like, let's just say that Food Bullies like us are only thinking of the happiness of our friends and family members. We just want THEM to experience the wonder of eating great food, like we do! (I have a friend who I bully a fair amount and I've actually gotten her to try a few new foods that she likes). Yahoo!
The Food Bully
Adam, this is brilliantly written!
The Food Bully
oh my, I have never heard of Equal in wine. That is....scary. I put Equal in my tea and oatmeal...but never in coffee and certainly NEVER in wine. Or Sprite...although that's probably a variation on homemade wine coolers.
I guess I've been a bit of a "food snob" over the years but the fact that I don't push or boss others into my choices may save me from being a "food bully". A few months ago I discovered what it felt like to be on the receiving end of food bullying and it was NOT fun. I was actually offended....I went on a business trip with friends and we stayed at family of one of the gals. one night we wanted to cook the host couple's a nice dinner as a thank you (the guy didn't like to eat out and was tired). So we three guests headed to Wild Oats (similar to Whole Foods) to buy our ingredients...we tossed around some ideas and no one seemed to like mine. Mine were kind of simple/casual gourmet...the two of them only liked their ideas - lemon chicken, salad, and sourdough bread. Finally I offered to make a couple of appetizers and buy the wine (I do know my wines) - but then they wanted to know what kind of appetizers? So I even had to have that approved by them. It was a very strange experience and I realized how it must feel to be on the other end of food bullying. It ended up NOT being a great meal either...just basic and the chicken was overcooked...but the wine tasted mighty fine!
In restaurants my husband always selects items that are more basic than the ones I choose. And I don't mind - its what he enjoys. And he doesn't bother me about what I want to order. We rarely share dishes because of this.
The Food Bully
Hi I'm Killer and I'm a Food Bully - I thought I was alone until I read Kitchen Confidential and found out what an A**hole Bordain was too. I also berated my Mother at an early age for cooking the "Same Food" on a blatheringly boring monthly rotation schedule (3rd Wednesday of the month it must be Chicken Bla-De-Blah Caserole with mashed potatoes and green beens and a green salad). At least until she clipped some horrid recipe from Family Circle and a new dish like "Creamed Corn Critters" or "Spam Dandies" (I'm not making these up) would magically appear in the roster. Nonetheless, we ate well day in and day out.
I've had to learn that most people like what they were raised on, even if it was Peanut Butter and Poop. So I'm learning, late in life that the importance of cooking for friends is the word "FOR". Spam Dandy Anyone?
The Food Bully
The Pinochet of Pejerreyes!
This could go on and on..
The Food Bully
From the New York Times article on Jim Harrison: "Mr. Harrison, a self-described “food bully,” has very particular ideas about cooking. He thinks rosemary should be banned. He has no use for huge restaurant-style ranges: “Why should I spend $7,000 for a stove when I could spend $7,000 on food?” And he doesn’t believe that game, birds especially, should be tarted up with elaborate sauces. “As the French say, game birds taste best at the point of the gun,” he said."
The Food Bully
@Seriouspoorcook: LOVE it! Yes. There is always SPAM.
The Food Bully
A Food Bully Haiku
Food Bullies Abound
Telling you what not to eat
And then there is SPAM
The Food Bully
I've got a drink bully for you. Never once has my Dad ordered "Irish Coffee" at a restaurant and not sent it back to the kitchen almost immediately. He simply refuses to lower himself to explaining the problem with the inauthentic drink. Those poor confused waiters...
The Power of Food Blogging
You go! It is refreshing to see that "ordinary people" can have a voice in deciding what is great dining and what is not. If only fashion were as responsive! Bloggers are not just amateur reviewers. They provide information not only for foodies, but to real people who are just learning the joys (and the power) of good food. There are enough culinary resources out there that intimidate and discourage readers from having fun with food and thus developing healthy eating habits, using food to draw families and friends together. I will be checking back often to see how you are stirring things up!
Deborah Dowd
http://play-with-food.blogspot.com/
The Food Bully
*adores people with good taste who are food bullies* If people know more about food/music/films/animation (ad infinitum) than I do, why should I argue?
The Food Bully
Oh my GOD I'm a food bully too and I didn't know it til now! I do allllll those things. Oh Lord, how embarrassing. But hey, I take my culinary experiences seriously, and I guess I just want everyone else to, as well. (by the way, my MIL adds Equal to her wine too!) I thought she was the only one. She is THE world's best MIL, so I would never say anything, but it does crack me up. By the way, ThatGirl, peanut butter and mustard is a divine sandwich. :)
The Food Bully
If you think adding Equal to wine is bad, my ENTIRE FAMILY mixes their wine with Sprite, making me feel like an alcoholic. I'm a bit of a food snob too but I usually just keep it to myself or complain about people behind their backs (hehe) So you're probably better than I am :P
The Food Bully
I certainly recognize myself in the descriptions you gave of the various instances when people are hell-bent on ruining an excellent dish or ingredient with some extraneous addition that they just have to add to a perfect product (be it my father-in-law calling for hot sauce to douse the most exquisite dishes or a friend who need to have all meats "well-done" (I am talking shoe leather done!).
There are reasons why a traditional approach to food is best (why put cheese in seafood pasta?) and I cannot help myself preaching to the unconverted when they egregiously destroy what is best about a particular dish (de gustibus EST disputandum!). Another pet peeve is persons who never try something different - yes, I get preachy in that instance too and many of the most intense marital arguments that I endured where triggered by my missionary zeal to preach the gospel of trying new foods.
The Food Bully
Adam, you need to do what I do in these situations, which is to take prodigious amounts of tranquilizers. And then you will be fine.
Its very traumatic to be around people who don't give food respect.
The Power of Food Blogging
Both your experiences just go to show what can be so frustrating for diners--those who are deemed "special" i.e. food bloggers, with their increasing power over the life and death of a restaurant, get special treatment. It doesn't matter that everyone in that restaurant is paying an exorbitant amount for their dinner, only those who are of interest are treated well. It just reinforces to me how much I want to avoid restaurants like that.
The Power of Food Blogging
Unfortunately, you were outed..something a good reviewer never wants. The folks @ Le Cirque knew it and they "worked" you.
You are so good at the graphics ( kind of a Robert Crumb of the food blogger world- a complement). That's an area no one does as well as you. Mexican novela meets Warhol meets foodie, cool stuff!
Folks like Schrambling and Michael Bauer are still incognito. And no one has ever seen Kim Pierce from the Dallas Morning News ( dont even know if Kim is a girl or a guy). Now that's under the radar.
But you are an entertaining fellow! Keep the fun coming.
The Power of Food Blogging
You raise a good point, csl. There are governance and transparency issues that need to be thought out carefully. For our site (http://nycnosh.com), we try to remain as anonymous as possible and to keep the photography quick and done in a way that disturbs nobody. That said, we've been asked a few times about who we were and whether or not we plan to write about the food we're eating, and of course the only ethical answer is 'yes.' So we try to return to a restaurant without the camera to determine if we can spot a difference in service or food. We'll also chat with people sitting near us sometimes, just for a bit of reference, and on the rare occasions when a chef has sent us something unusual just to impress us, it becomes apparent pretty quickly.
The Power of Food Blogging
I think an article about the new power of food bloggers might want to consider what responsibility accompanies that new power, and I don't think that Adam has. What happens when his low profile, which had been a large part of what made his blog so charming and interesting, is no more? Should he pretend that nothing has changed? Should he accept free meals from Alain Ducasse and Sirio Maccioni without much (or any) soul-searching? Should he, like Shelley of Pink House, accept (almost ask for) post-review gifts without disclosing this to his readers? I guess it's fun to find that bloggers have power, but less fun to discover that maybe this should change how they go about their work.
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non-foodies just don't understand foodies. so when i eat with friends , especially if i'm on a date, i'll explain to people that the definition of a "foodie" is someone who is obsessed with food, and that they should not take anything i say personally. this seems to work. sometimes.