I spend an admittedly ridiculous amount of time behind the scenes thinking and talking about my approach to this blog. It sounds a bit precocious, but transparency and authenticity are extremely important values to me in all aspects of my life, not just here. In talking to people about things I have posted I realized how I approach things (and why) is not always as apparent, especially as my audience has started to grow beyond just friends and family.
For Blog Action Day 2011 I also created a special post which explains in great detail why I choose to post about local, not mass-produced, food.
My approach in a nutshell:
Enthusiasm
The goal of this blog is to guide Victorian's and visitors to good food, not to criticize or to ruin the reputation of hardworking restauranteurs.
I am inspired to write when I eat something amazing. I try not to to write about things that are uninspiring because it is nowhere near as fun. I am inspired, too, by helping people to find the best value - so sometimes inspiration for me also comes from 'this place is okay, but not as great value as this other place over here.'
I always endeavour to be nice while still being honest and fair. This is the reason reviews are generally dish specific and dated - restaurant experiences are rarely static! Any criticism is mostly reluctant, and not anything I wouldn't say about my own cooking (or customer service...!).
I am inspired to write when I eat something amazing. I try not to to write about things that are uninspiring because it is nowhere near as fun. I am inspired, too, by helping people to find the best value - so sometimes inspiration for me also comes from 'this place is okay, but not as great value as this other place over here.'
I always endeavour to be nice while still being honest and fair. This is the reason reviews are generally dish specific and dated - restaurant experiences are rarely static! Any criticism is mostly reluctant, and not anything I wouldn't say about my own cooking (or customer service...!).
Authenticity
Any advertising or links to other content will hopefully reflect the content and interests of readers and never be a conflict of interest. Ads exist to cover a little bit of the cost of reviewing the food, not to be profitable. If you have any concerns about any advertisement please do not hesitate to contact me.
Anonymity
Inspired by Ruth Reichl's amazing biography, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, reviews are unsolicited and anonymous unless otherwise stated. My relative anonymity is starting to shift a little bit - it became impossible to be more of a local food activist without laying claim to things (but I also realized that 99% of restauranteurs don't pay attention nearly as much as a I think they do, and the other 1% figured it out regardless). The unsolicited part, however, does not change, and I have not accept free food in exchange for a post unless it is clearly stated.
