For Esquire's December 2015 Food issue, I've written a piece on the craft of food critiquing and how it has changed with the influx of food bloggers. Has the proliferation of food bloggers and Yelp-type reviewers diminished the "power" of the traditional food critic? Included in this piece are opinions by my friends Amy Van (food editor, cookbook author, and food stylist, Singapore), André Terrail (La Tour D'Argent, France), Norman Hartono (Tunglok Group, Singapore), Celine Asril (food writer, Singapore), Cheryl Tiu (editor, Philippines), Kenny Leong (wine critic).
ESQUIRE - A Thousand Words by Victoria Cheng
Death of the Food Critic - December 2015
In my head, I could see the beginnings of a joke set up.
"A dining critic for the paper, a French restaurateur,
and a food blogger walk into a bar..."
I have to inhale slowly, the air is so thick, it catches in
my throat. It's a lazy languid evening. The haze is dense, hovering like low
cobwebs along the street lit Mohamed Sultan Road. Pen in mouth, notebook in
hand, I'm reflecting on the conversations about restaurant critiquing I've had with
close restaurateur and media friends over the week. I can imagine the five of
us sitting here on the wicker armchairs, wine or whisky in hand, opining about
the value of a food critic.
Has the proliferation of food bloggers and Yelp-type
reviewers diminished the "power" of the traditional food critic? I
would ask everyone earnestly albeit pompously tilting a freshly poured dram.
"To some extent, but food critics are far from extinct,"
his enunciation is French, but not insufferable like the Steve Martin rendition
of Pink Panther's exaggerated French; instead, his diction is punctured with
crisp European English tones.
"The traditional food critic's knowledge of food,
trends, and most importantly products is much appreciated by some readers who
ultimately 'select' the food critic they will read," continues André
Terrail, who in recent years inherited from his father, Paris' oldest and
finest French restaurant, La Tour D'Argent.
After adjusting his Los Angeles cap in contemplation, Norman
Hartono, a general manager in Singapore's largest leading Chinese restaurant
group, TungLok, would then part with some interesting insight, "The truth
is, to restaurant operators, the words of food writers for publications bear
more weight than a blogger who became famous overnight. Professional writers
are trained, they are experts in this field."
"Blogs are more popular, but not necessarily more
credible," Amy Van would solemnly add. She was formerly my editor and
mentor at Appetite magazine. She
would unquestionably be drinking vino in my invented scenario.
But isn't popularity a form of power, I ask. She continues to explain that online search
is the main source of reviews for an average person. But since there's no
filter for who can enter the business of critiquing anymore, bloggers come from
a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Indeed, popularity is about high
viewership, even without legitimate content. It unfortunately means there's
greater critique power by those who aren't responsible with their words.
"But there are some bloggers who work hard on their
craft, some who are or were even journalists before," Norman would say
pointedly at myself and Cheryl Tiu, one of the Philippines' most renowned food
journalists who has also started a blog in recent times. Similar in age and
disposition towards social media, she would be sitting next to me, and probably
tweeted a few times together during this conversation. "The pros is that food
critics-turned-bloggers can report their analysis straight from the gut onto
Twitter/Instagram/Facebook, instead of going through a vetting process by an
editor; but the con is that these tend to have less depth, less detailed
perspective that correspond to the actual restaurant experience," André
counters.
Celine Asril, an articulate Singapore-based food writer
disagrees, "I don't think self-proclaimed critics have diminished the
power of traditional critics, instead I think they've made traditional critics
a breed that is more elusive." Celine is a rare specimen in the writing
industry herself, opting to remain as anonymous as possible in order to avoid
the inevitible special treatment if she is easily recognized.
André rationalizes, "Very few remain critics remain
anonymous, because it's hard to maintain and it's expensive. It's a shame,
because it's the only way to remain totally objective."
...While others trumpet their presence for self-important privileges.
There have been well-known cases, such as a former S. Pellegrino Best
Restaurant panelist and now chairperson who printed her critic title on heavily
distributed business cards (article); and bloggers who demand complimentary meals, or else (article).
It's important to make a distinction between self-entitled posers and
those who are asking for a favor, the two restaurateurs agree. "Official reviews
should be kept objective, but for special occasions, I actually encourage not
just writers, but any customer to feel free to make requests for an exceptional
experience. Good hospitality extends to every single person who walks through
the door," clarifies Norman.
I admire Miss Asril's integrity, having observed her efforts
over the years to keep her relationships with restaurant owners at a
professional distance, in order to keep her writing as objective as an opinion
piece can be. It reminds me of the last generation of great food critics such
as Frank Bruni or Ruth Reichl, some of whom have gone almost comical lengths to
keep their identities hidden. Elusive breed, indeed.
The irony of the topic isn't lost on me either, as a food
journalist turned media presenter. In light of an increasing public presence,
I've moved on from restaurant reviewing to sharing the stories behind the
industry instead--like the one you're reading one right now. It sits on my
conscience better, and I do find these angles more fascinating.
"I used to correct people when they would call me
blogger, as I was publisher, editor and journalist, who happens to have a blog,"
says the petite Chinese-Filipina, nearly echoing my own thoughts, "But you
know what today, I realize, some of them don't even really know the distinction
between writer/editor/blogger, and the mislabeling is sometimes out of
ignorance or innocence." It's starting to not matter anymore.
Even some of the fiercely old school critics have adjusted
with the times. François Simon, France's acerbic food critic whom some compare
to the character of Anton Ego in the 2007 animated film Ratatouille, expanded his media repertoire with a vlog series. The
Straits Times food critic, Wong Ah Yoke's photo is published above his columns.
Some might argue in this day of mean-spirited keyboard jockeys and trolls,
showing your identity also enforces accountability for your words.
"What reviewers don't realize is that their thoughtless
1-star criticism that was actually caused from having some personal issues
before they arrived, rather than a seriously bad experience caused by the
restaurant itself, can cost someone their job, their livelihood--they have no
idea how stressed how a restaurant gets over one review that these people took
5 minutes to carelessly churn out." vents Norman.
How about the bloggers who make you pay for an appearance
and a review--not even being listed as an advertorial-- it is a paid "objective
review"? I'd ask while refilling glasses.
It is now time to bring up the inevitable name for Asia's best or
infamously known food blogger, Brad Lau of Ladyironchef. There's mixed
reception to the mere mention of his name. Some maintain that his first big
push to popular viewership is the fiasco a few years ago, when he allegedly
made a "do-you-know-who-I-am" type statement to a waitstaff who
explained that their complimentary meal was for two persons, not four (article by Yahoo, article by Camemberu).
"I didn't even know that was possible to charge for a
review!" The Paris-based André seems amused that such a transaction
exists. He's also drinking wine, a
chilled Sancerre, most likely.
"Maybe we should all just become food bloggers,"
Amy laments jokingly at first, before confiding seriously, "I could be
jaded, but it isn't so different than magazines these days." She's talking
about the unofficial expectation of editorial writers to mention advertisers; in
the era of dying print magazines and low budgets, sales teams are pressuring
editorial staff to write positive reviews for customers. For those of us who
are a little old school about editorial ethics, I can tell you it feels like a
part of ourself dies each time we buckled under the pressure.
Norman then surprises some of us, frankly stating that he
values opinions from certain bloggers such as Ladyironchef, who isn't favored
by many of Singapore's restaurant brand managers, "At our restaurant
Lokkee, Brad gave a lot of great suggestions with the direction we should go in,
and offered ideas for dishes inspired by food he saw in Hong Kong."
Go on, we're listening.
"We travel to get new ideas and concepts, and his job
is to travel and discover new ideas and concepts. When he shares his opinion
with us, it's helpful."
Amy then elaborates, if you're taking payment or are highly
popular, it's a responsibility to educate yourself on food and writing, to
provide an informed and preferably objective statement. Considering this point,
it could be said that many "professional" food writers in Singapore,
even from food publications, are not reliable as critics.
We know by now, it is anyone with influence's responsibility
to both readers and to the subject to know your craft, to research before
reporting. One of our five finally states candidly, "The truth is, there's
no place for food writers in Singapore. There's no demand to read magazines,
it's all digital now with sensationalist headers or listings. Quality writing
isn't motivated. There's no trained food critic with a chef background anymore,
they're rare."
Celine astutely concludes, "The food writing scene has
changed - as writers and journalists, our nature is to adapt. Standards have
changed, but it boils down to who the writer feels they're responsible to:
their clients, readers, or themselves."
Perhaps the proliferation of self-styled critics isn't such
a bad thing for the dining landscape as a whole. As everyone fights harder to
be heard above the cacophony, nature has a way of weeding out the good from the
bad.
Now, about that punchline, "A dining critic for the
paper, a French restaurateur, and a food blogger walk into a bar..."