food blogs

The books to have come out of 2009 started from food blogs. And if you think there will be a mass repeat, well, you are right. But if you were inspired by the movie Julie and Julia, in which a moonlighting blogger cooks herself through Julia Child’s Master of French Cooking, but ou do Joy of Cooking instead, well, good luck. Publishers are looking for fresh, but tested.

But unfortunately, last year’s trend has spun a whole slew of new food blogs. I’m not against having more information out there. I’m against having misinformation out there.

Interview with Sarah.

What you say comes with responsibility. Just because you love food and are passionate enough to send hours of your day writing about what you had.

Come on, it’s about what you had, and what you’ve experienced, and putting yourself out there as an authority, yes? Answer is yes. But with this comes responsibility.

This is not your outlet to power trip.

You don’t slam a restaurant for seating you by the loo, especially if there are no other tables available or if you hadn’t made a reservation.

There are so many knee-jerk food blog, and tweets, that makes me wonder how any restaurateur makes it.

There is a magazine, and I won’t say which one, that sends interns to review for their publication. This intern is most likely still in school, enjoys food but its anyone’s guess how much they are reference and compare other restaurants like the one they are reviewing. This intern was sent to review a new Japanese restaurant in Causeway Bay where she reported the food was small portioned and very expensive. The restaurant shut two months after this review came out after the owners poured their life savings into it. To this day I regret ever have sent this intern and will, as a personal policy, never send anyone new to this game to review a restaurant.

Food, I understand is a very, very, extremely personal thing. That’s having an opinion. Food is a very universal thing. That’s having a reported opinion. The dishes are referenced, it is not just a matter of taste.

You really do need the references to formulate an opinion. But we all have an opinion, we all eat. That’s a universal fact.

Food, ultimately is about personal enjoyment.

I know I’ve just spent an entire column selling you on our food reviews.

We don’t take free meals, but now I understand that more than anything.

I can always tell if this is someone’s first attempt at reviewing. Young (and I just mean new to this game) reviewers have a tendancy to trash a place. Key give aways: no facts, no references, no history, no context. It’s basically a rant piece on himself and what he thought of his taste sensations.

Unfortunately, the media doesn’t have time to revisit places after they’ve fully opened. This is where blogs can shine.

Forget the book deals, that should be the end result after a blog well done (and having lots of followers), not the goal.

Questions to ask: Why are you praising them? Why are you really trashing them? Okay, agreed, if they weren’t such money hungry restaurateurs, they wouldn’t have squeezed an extra table by the loo, but ask yourself if this is a personal grip, or if you’ve personalize this, rather than see it as a super packed restaurant and thye managed to squeeze you in. Another words, Think before you publish.

Here’s a trick, on and offline. Nobody likes to be called out that their wrong. That the all-consuming project, their baby, which took years and all their savings, is wrong. The public will judge. Once you put pen to paper, and publishing it, you are no longer the public. That’s doesn’t make sense. Ask yourself why. Ask yourself, what is your motivation. Too get free food- ennh. Wrong answer.

What is the goal ultimately? To make recommendations, yes. To be wined and dined for free. If you are still considering saying yes. You are doing a disservice to the public.

How much power does a food blog hold?

What people don’t understand is that many of these blog writers are romanced by restaurateurs. They get seated in VIP suites, meals are taken care of, wines are free-flowing. Special chef’s menus are created that would normally not be available to the public.

I was invited by Xiu Long Bao to dine on the private floor of Yung Kee. These guys are treated like princes. You think he is blogging about the roast goose you are eating downstairs?

They are romanced by press relations, and why not they are influencial and they have numbers to prove it. But what many food bloggers do not reveal is their true nature of things. Many are marketers, advertisers, press agents. But under the veil of anonymous, they never have to reveal themselves while pushing their agenda.

But, it is freedom of speech, the little we have.

I’m not saying the latest bad guys are food blog, there are a lot of talented people out there who commit to these blogs because they truly feel they had an experience and want to share it. But there are plenty who do this for personal gain.

You just need to read between the lines and realize who is who.