Just Happy to be Mentioned
The new NYT food critic Sam Sifton didn’t answer our question from yesterday, but in answering somebody elses did mention that he doesn’t trust the opinions posted on Midtown Lunch and other sites (but likes the photos and information.) It’s ok. I don’t trust bloggers either!
Posted by Zach Brooks at 8:30 am, August 6th, 2009 under Asides.
29 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
29 Comments
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Sorry to be so pedantic, but I don’t think he was singling out Midtown Lunch. Sifton says, “I don’t know that I trust the opinion of that guy who loved the sandwiches at Xie Xie and wrote about it on his blog, or Yelp, or Eater, or Midtown Lunch. (Why prevaricate? I don’t trust his opinion.)”
I take that as Sifton referring to guy who wrote on his blog, eater, yelp, and midtown lunch each as separate entities. When Sifton refers to “his,” he’s referring to the blogger, but I guess people are getting confused because midtown lunch is zach’s.
Frankly, I don’t take offense to what he said about not blindly trusting other people’s opinion. I’m exactly the same. I like to read up on a place before I visit, but of course form my own opinion, as he should as well.
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“Expert” food criticism is kind of ridiculous when you think about it. The only important thing about food is whether it tastes good. I refuse to believe that any “intellectual” discussion of food can enhance its taste. This is in contrast to other types of criticism (e.g. movie criticism, which is also dying), in which the product is consumed by higher level brain activity rather than lower level pleasure centers.
Experts are probably most useful for assessing high-class restaurants like Per Se and Jean Georges, simply because normal people (or even most wealthy people) do not have extensive experience eating at such places.
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I didn’t take sam’s response as an attack on midtownlunch, in fact I think zach is look at it the right way. Sam did say he planned on “joining that discussion”. That’s what food is to me, I don’t take anyone’s review to be gospel truth. I trust some people more than others when it comes to food because we’ve liked the same things in the past, but I view the whole thing as a discussion, no matter the medium.
You have to appreciate what each person brings to the table. This site is about a very specific area and price range, written by a person who clearly has an affinity for certain types of food. I like that Zach is fair about all his reviews, but the man favors fatty pork over greens (and who doesn’t). Sam covers a broader area, broader price range, and broader audience.
Point being, I’m willing to give Sam a fair chance and suspend judgement until we see more from him. I also don’t mind his writing style, no need for him to apologize for being articulate.
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@Chris: I actually think you have the right interpretation there. There’s been more than a few times where I looked for a place to eat on chowhound or something, and see the same place mentioned over and over. I go try it, it turns out it sucks, I check chowhound again to see what’s up. Turns out it was the same guy posting in different threads recommending the same place over and over. Fuck that guy.
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I was about come on here and call him a pompous douchebag, but ya’ll beat me to it :-D
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The sloppy blowjob that Ed Levine administered to Sifton on Serious Eats is rivaled only but the ones Zach occasionally performs on Ed
There’s just so much hot sticky man love in the food blog community
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I think Sifton is speaking of “anonymous” bloggers in general and I agree with him. Anyone can register at Yelp or Midtown Lunch and declare their brother-in-law’s shitty halal stand the greatest thing out there. How would you know?
Hell, Zach could be in the pocket of half the stands in Midtown–how do you really know he isn’t?
I think you can only trust someone when you’re an active part of the community–and you really only decide to join a community when you feel you can trust people in it. There has to be a leap of faith somewhere.
I’ve taken that leap of faith and have reaped the rewards. I would guess everyone posting here has done the same. And for every poster here there are hundreds more lurkers who also belong to this community.
I think someone who has chosen NOT to engage with the community (like Sifton) has no choice but not to trust anybody.
His loss.
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@turaho:
What? Did you read the article? He says very clearly
“For myself, I look forward to joining that discussion.”
I kinda don’t trust the opinions of a guy who is capable of deluding himself into thinking that weighing in at 220 is “average”. At least the fatties here own up to it, if not revel in it.
“… I am an average-looking fellow, of average height and weight. But do check back in six months. I’ll be hitting the gym in addition to the restaurants. Also the hairstylist. (In heels and makeup I run about 220.)”