Marketplace Story on Food Bloggers: Helpful or Disruptive?

{Confit de Cuisse de Canard: Crispy duck leg confit served with thyme skillet potatoes ~ Cafe Champagne ~ Seattle, WA ~ July 2009}

I'm an NPR junkie. I'm constantly sharing stories I hear during the day and I don't blame any of my victims for tuning out or ignoring my emails since I do share quite often. I think the stories I hear during my daily listening are way more relevant and contain more analysis than the local news. I think the news on the tube is usually littered with the latest celebrity scandal or something else that I rather not devote my time paying attention to.

So I was delighted when Marketplace did a story about food bloggers? Hey I'm a food blogger! What do they have to say about people like me?

The gist I got from the story is that there are mixed reviews about food bloggers. Some restaurateurs love the free publicity and others regard our kind with disdain as we don't have professionally trained palates. I'm not surprised by this story. I've experienced some proprietors who are excited  that I'm snapping away pictures when they learn I plan to blog about my visit and others that cringe at the knowledge that I am a blogger.

Really, I don't do this blog for the owner. I do this for myself and anyone who cares to stop by this site.  I agree with the blogger featured in the story, just focus on the food! If good food is coming out of a place, there's nothing to worry about as the people will keep coming back. I'm just a chick with an opinion on what I think is good... and bad food. I don't see the harm in sharing my thoughts. Is it really any different than if a friend called me up asking me about a recipe or a restaurant? Other than the fact that this blog is out there for everybody to read? I blog for pleasure, no real $ incentive, and try to keep my reviews fair and transparent about my actual experiences and thoughts.

I know what I like to eat... do I have to wait for a professional photographer and food writer to snap pictures and tell me what I should like? I don't think so!


The following link is a transcript of the story.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/06/04/pm-are-food-bloggers-helpful-or-disruptive/