As younger Singaporeans are growing up with increasing amounts of free time and money, a lot of these adult-adolescents are turning into ardent culture samplers.
Technology-enabled and -emboldened, with nothing more than a camera, keypad and an internet connection, they imagine themselves at the forefront of things.
Egged on by a small following, a little self-belief then gets translated into a full-blown delusion.
And not before long, those with a chip on their shoulder, in particular, will venture into low-brow enterprises of food-blogging and reviewing, often times, waxing lyrical about nothing in particular.
And this they do with unwarranted and unqualified aplomb. Like the leisurely Victorian class of yore, they keep up with appearances but contribute to nothing.
The point is: Sick and tired of the cottage industry of local food bloggers shooting their mouths off?
Well, at least one guy is:
It’s not really my style to write lengthy Facebook posts, but this issue hits pretty close to home, and I feel that I…
Posted by Qi Fan Pah on Sunday, 10 April 2016
Last week, Qi Fan Pah, whose name is Pah Qifan because Facebook likes to do the surname at the end thing, decided enough was enough.
He decided to stick one back to Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow, a local food blog that gave a scathing review of some pastries from Tiong Bahru Bakery.
His reason for doing so? Not only because Pah has a vested interest in the cutthroat food and beverage industry in Singapore having recently joined it, but also to point out there are reviews and there are reviews.
Succinctly put, this was what the back-and-forth between F&B practitioner and the blog was about:
Qi Fan Pah: The food blogger has to show more professionalism in his delivery of his critique.
Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow: Blogging is not my profession. I don’t get paid, so I can speak my mind. My blog is my space.
Qi Fan Pah: You can say what you want without being crass. Aspiring chefs should not be deterred but encouraged.
What can F&B practitioners do?
Food blogs, ultimately, are really just oblique ways for food bloggers to write and promote themselves and affirm their own sense of uniqueness and establish their status on the totem pole, as much as it can be about the food reviewed.
Which leaves us with a solution.
If the F&B industry can be reviewed because competition is tough and there are so many players around, there is also a critical mass of food bloggers out there outdoing one another, who are, thus, waiting to be reviewed as well.
This is the meta review-the-reviewer approach.
The premise is nothing new, since Uber drivers are already able to rate passengers, making things pretty much a two-way street.
All that is needed is anyone enterprising enough to create an app/ review site, since the technology and impetus is there.
And all we have to keep in mind is this main difference between food bloggers and F&B practitioners: Food bloggers don’t have skin in the game.
Real entrepreneurs do.
So it is time food bloggers get their skin in the game too.
Here is the Facebook post from above, in case you can’t see it:
It’s not really my style to write lengthy Facebook posts, but this issue hits pretty close to home, and I feel that I have a responsibility as an aspiring chef to talk about this.
The way our generation approaches food is extremely unique. Singaporean Millennials are blessed with both the vibrant food scene and the relevant know-how behind technology to experience food in a multi-sensory manner. Eating now goes beyond plainly a physical act. Our actions of documenting food with Instagram photos, Snapchat videos, and massive bouts of online sharing are different approaches of how we come to appreciate what’s on the table in front of us.
Especially so in the local context, the rise of food bloggers is extremely influential in shaping our opinions about food in Singapore. Personally, I am extremely reliant on websites such as Burpple or Daniel Food Diary in sourcing for my next meal to be conquered. I believe that food blogging and sharing of new food trends on social media all contribute to keeping this industry on its toes. From the consumers’ perspective, we get the chance to see what we can get before physically going down to the restaurant ourselves. From the perspective of someone who has officially joined this industry shortly over a year ago, it helps concentrate our passion. It provides a constant barrage of information readily available to perhaps the next 14 year old, baking for the first time and not knowing that such information is going to inspire him to become a pastry chef in the future.
The power of food blogging should thus never be underestimated. And it pains me when I see food bloggers abusing this power that they wield, not just with their opinions about the meal that they had, but their choice of words while sharing in a manner that degrades the whole experience of approaching food outside of the physical realm.
I came across this post by Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow, and I thought that the review came across a little strong with regards to the tone used (i.e. ‘WTF, ‘so f up’, etc). I understand that the site regards honesty as one of its top priorities, but honestly? There are more professional ways in giving a bad review. For instance,
1. ‘The lemon curd tasted as though there were too much gelatine used, resulting in a gummy texture.’
2. ‘The sweetness level of the chocolate tart was contradictory to its name, which clearly stated that dark chocolate was used. The difference in sweetness level experienced was hence jarring.’
I believe that with a follower count of 20.3k, Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow has a responsibility in the reviews that they post. I respect how they insist on posting honest feedback with regards to the food that they have eaten, but there is a line distinguishing feedback and pure shaming of the brand. The danger of the Internet is that we, as users, always assume that we can post whatever we want because of our freedom of speech. In this case, the choice of words is questionable when sharing about the textures or flavours of a dessert. Having professionalism (which is different from being a professional) in the delivery of your message is not a responsibility per se, but expected of a food blogger as reputable as Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow. Readers may demand credibility, but those who have been in this game for this long should know of the power behind their choice of words used.
Food blogging has the ability to motivate chefs and restaurant owners to improve on their art. But it is a tool that should not be abused. As I’ve said, this is just my ‘two cents’. I look forward to hearing your views.
(Disclaimer: I would like to clarify that I did use to work for Tiong Bahru Bakery, and that I am not speaking up for the quality of the respective pastries mentioned in this post as I have not tried them for a really long time.)
Related article:
Veteran S’porean chef-restaurateur Jimmy Chok openly declares he hates food bloggers
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