Fun With Carbs

I feel like I repeat myself a lot on this topic. But some situation always triggers this debate – whether an article in the media or a series of endless emails from PR companies – and I end up discussing it all over again.

Unlike other bloggers, I do not accept freebies. That means no products for review, no “comped” meals at restaurants, no gift certificates for future dining experiences as a “thank you” for writing about a restaurant, no trips, no free alcohol. I state this clearly on the “About Me” section of my blog, yet I still get weekly emails from food product companies and public relations representatives.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate the offer, people. But you’re putting me in a super-awkward spot. At the moment, I have a very close relationship with a mainstream media outlet as a regular contributing food writer and blogger, and  I need to abide by their ethical guidelines. And it is wildly uncomfortable to insist on paying for a meal that a chef or restaurant owner intended to serve as a courtesy. I do this dance about three times a month.

But even without that relationship, I would continue to follow these practices. I’m still paying for that j-school education, after all, where my professors consistently preached the importance of staying impartial and unbiased. As I’ve stated previously, one of my professor maintained that it was unethical to take anything more than a bottle of water. A statement that strong will stick with you, especially now that I’m teaching journalism myself.

I immediately weighed in when well-known food writer, editor and writing coach Dianne Jacob wrote a blog entry about “sponsored posts” before Christmas. She, like me, believes in a strict no-freebie rule. But she heard from several bloggers who disagreed on some level. Typically, these were the ones who had participated in some kind of sponsored setup.

Bloggers, I know it’s up to you to decide whether to accept freebies or sponsorship. And it’s fully within your right to do so, as long as you disclose according to FTC guidelines. But I have read wayyyy too many overly positive and frankly, cloying reviews of restaurants, products and services based on samples, handouts, invitations and payment. Trust me, it’s okay to dislike something publicly once in a while. Your readers will take you much more seriously.

That said, there are some bloggers that take no prisoners – Dave of Dave’s Cupboard and his daughter, a contributor, are never afraid to say a sample product sucks beyond belief. And Dave makes that very clear on his “terms of use.” He’s told me that he thinks companies appreciate his honesty. But I think bloggers like this are rare. It’s a natural instinct to want to please someone that did you a favor. And bloggers want to continue to work with said restaurants or agencies that will keep sending them products or invites.

I’m sure we’ll continue to see more debate over this topic in 2011, especially as food bloggers gain more relevance and readership. But in the meantime, I’m still going to cringe at overly ingratiating posts. You can do better.

Credit: Flickr user idovermani

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a great New Year’s Eve celebration. Our friends roasted an 8-pound beef tenderloin to perfect rareness, and we had a lot of champagne, which fueled our resulting dance party. Our cheese plate, with three selections from Colchester’s Cato Corner Farm (Vivace, Aged Bloomsday and Brigid’s Abbey) was a huge hit. The last chunk of Kerrygold Dubliner Stout disappeared at…about…3:30 a.m.

I haven’t made any concrete New Year’s resolutions, because I think the whole daunting “resolution” notion sets people up to fail. That said, I’m planning to eat better and exercise more. But I’m still a food writer. By nature of what I do, it’s hard to stick to a “diet,” per se, so I’m going to make healthier choices on my “off” times and make a concerted effort to get more exercise into my week. So far, I’m doing pretty well – I came up with a delicious sauteed kale recipe and I’ve gotten quite fond of my new Zumba for Wii game.

Work-wise, I aim to keep pushing for better, more high-profile assignments. But beyond that, I’d like to see where this freelance career will take me. Last year was full of more success and recognition than I could have dreamed for, so it’s pretty exciting to see what might greet me this year.

The ’11′ on the year means that I’m facing a big birthday on July 9. Sigh. But listen, I’m planning on doing this one up big. Travel if I can swing it, and at the very least, one hell of a meal. Anyone know of any good 1981 vintage wines??

I stopped by Whole Foods in West Hartford yesterday to start building my New Year’s Eve cheese plate. When I got home, I emailed my list of choices to the party host. She read the list to her husband, and later recounted the following conversation:

Mrs. Host: “Sottocenere aged truffle cheese…”

Mr. Host: “TRUFFLES?!?!  I fucking LOVE truffles!”

Mrs. Host: “Gorgonzola dolce…”

Mr. Host: “Ohhhh wow, gorgonzola is delicious.”

Mrs. Host: “And in tribute to her Irish hosts, Leeanne got Kerrygold Dubliner with Irish Stout.”

Mr. Host: “Are you fucking kidding me?  They make such a thing?!?!  Jesus, what an incredible lineup.  WOW…..”

Happy New Year, everyone.

Some brilliant, brilliant soul has tapped into my brain waves and distilled all my gripes about horrendous restaurant websites into this pithy, perfect Tumblr blog:  Never Said About Restaurant Websites.

(I’m so pissed I didn’t think of this.)

My favorite entries:
“I love downloading PDFs. Even if the menu is totally out of date, it’s worth the thrill.” - Absolutely no one.
“I prefer instantly outdated ‘pizazz’ over the ability to make a reservation.” -  No carbon-based life form.
“A website taking forever to load because of too-big images and dopey animations is a status symbol and I’ll dine at an establishment with nothing less!” – No human being ever

Badly-designed restaurant websites are a minor annoyance to your average user, who might be doing a little reconnaissance before a weekend night out or special occasions. But when you’re a dining writer, and your ENTIRE workday consists of surfing restaurant sites for listings, menu items and other information useful to your daily work, then horrible sites make you more than a little bit stabby.

And no one can quite figure out why this industry typically boasts some of the worst web presences in history. It’s entirely one thing if a restaurant owner attempted to build a Geocities-era site with blinking GIF files all on their own. But in my own experience, most restaurateurs don’t have the first clue where to start, so they farm that task out to designers/developers.

People who should know what they’re doing. People who should be following best practices, but instead create the least user-friendly products possible. No HTML pages. Multiple PDFs, all over 1MB. Splash pages that take a full 60 seconds to load. Sites designed entirely in Flash, so they’re not viewable on most smartphones. Useful information like addresses, phone numbers and hours embedded into JPEG files (so there’s no way to copy and paste.) Bottom line, a bunch of useless shit that does nothing but frustrate visitors.

NSARW does a good deed, though, by offering tips on “How to make a less horrible restaurant website.” And yes, it really can be that easy. At the absolute minimum, restaurants should create a Facebook fan page with the bare-bones, basic need-to-knows, and maybe menu scans uploaded as JPEGs.

It’s 2011. Time to do better.

Okay, I admit. New Year’s Eves past have not been about the food for me.

Sure, there’s always been food at whatever party we’ve attended or hosted. Usually some sort of potluck meatballs, calzones, buffalo wings and other caloric fiesta fare intended to absorb heavy alcohol intake. Certainly, food that serves its purpose during the second wave of hunger post-midnight.

This year, our friends have decided to throw a “classy” NYE affair, with suggested semiformal dress and a dinner party with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and upscale dishes. They’re planning accompanying wine selections, and there will be plenty of champagne.

I’ve elected to bring the cheese, and you’d better believe there will be Cato Corner Farm on that plate. We’re planning to get there first thing Friday morning to get the best selections. Crossing my fingers for Aged Bloomsday.

I really wish we had a fantastic fromagerie like Caseus – or my friend Amy’s favorite, 109 Cheese Shop – closer to Hartford. But hey, maybe that’s my calling.

As this is my final New Year’s Eve in my twenties, a part of me wants to party like it’s 2003. But I don’t feel like having a five-day hangover. It sucks getting old.