tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post114000258537575552..comments2023-05-19T08:57:10.354-07:00Comments on Gourmetish: Thursday will be Cheese Sandwich DayUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140574998795465552006-02-21T18:23:00.000-08:002006-02-21T18:23:00.000-08:00Elizabeth, I was just thinking that I probably SHO...Elizabeth, I was just thinking that I probably SHOULDN'T write a letter to the editor because I'm ADD and my thoughts fly everywhere. I'm not sure I'm the best person to explain why PW wrote a poorly phrased article and why we[bloggers]disagree.Gourmetishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16877094108953550712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140574872964150942006-02-21T18:21:00.000-08:002006-02-21T18:21:00.000-08:00I just read Eddie's post at Deep End Diving about ...I just read Eddie's post at Deep End Diving about the whole Cheese Sandwich controversy. He has a brilliant post about it. Here's one of my comments on his site:<BR/><BR/>One more point. Today I realized that I am interested in reading about a fancy gourmet meal that someone made for dinner last night but those type of blogs are not very useful for me. I'm young, poor and cannot afford to cook that way or eat out at extremely expensive restaurants. Most of my readers feel the same way. Therefore the whole phrase "cheese sandwich blogs" does not translate as "boring" because most of us need new ways to make a cheese sandwich since we don't have the money to go out and eat truffles and foie gras for dinner. <BR/><BR/>I do, however, agree with PW that we need to raise the stakes and make a statement. That's why your blog is so entertaining. You DEFINITELY raise the stakes and you have a central theme. I try to do that too but in a different way. My focus is on making the ordinary gourmetish and not settling for a bad meal while exploring new tastes and menus. I think PW meant to say that a blog should be useful but instead he implied (or bluntly stated) that the every-day (ex: "what I ate for lunch") is boring and automatically not useful. That is where I completely disagree.Gourmetishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16877094108953550712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140494566234353012006-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:002006-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:00Elizabeth, Thanks for the comments. I probably s...Elizabeth, Thanks for the comments. I probably should write a letter to the editor. I'm definitely going to think about it. However, I'm hoping PW has already read all of our posts and reconsidered his choice of words.Gourmetishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16877094108953550712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140442339020245272006-02-20T05:32:00.000-08:002006-02-20T05:32:00.000-08:00I hope you wrote a letter to the editors of "Food ...I hope you wrote a letter to the editors of "Food & Drink". I'm sure they'd very much like to hear that you love their magazine but are disappointed with Wells' article basically instructing food bloggers to cease, desist and leave the writing to the professionals.<BR/><BR/>I'm quite certain that my blog falls very neatly into Wells' "cheese sandwich" category. And you know what? I don't care.<BR/><BR/>However, if Wells <I>had</I> quoted something from my site, I would have been amazed and excited that he even found my blog. The only thing I would have been really hurt about was that he didn't name the source so <I>his</I> regular readers could take a look for themselves to see what he was droning on about.<BR/><BR/>-ElizabethElizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08818302133113874649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140154560830546622006-02-16T21:36:00.000-08:002006-02-16T21:36:00.000-08:00Brendon, thank you so much, I really appreciate t...Brendon, thank you so much, I really appreciate the compliments. This is all new to me (blogging) and it's great not to be discouraged by the article but rather be encouraged by fellow foodies.<BR/><BR/>I know exactly what you mean about caring more about what peers think rather than "professionals". Don't you just love the phrase "foie gras on toast points"? It cracks me up because often times I'm bored by that kind of writing rather than honest-to-goodness everyday people who just LOVE food and cooking.<BR/><BR/>Btw, do you think PW has seen or heard of the Cheese Sandwich Controversy?Gourmetishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16877094108953550712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140153690367376422006-02-16T21:21:00.000-08:002006-02-16T21:21:00.000-08:00Kady - I agree with you. Just because bloggers ar...Kady - I agree with you. Just because bloggers aren't professional, doesn't mean that they lack passion or interest. And, as we've recently learned, just because a writer is a professional doesn't mean that he (or she) understands food blogs. I think your blog is great, and even more importantly, I admire the honesty of it. Frankly, I don't care what Pete Wells thinks about my blog. But if Kalyn said that it had problems, that would carry alot of weight. In your case, it looks like people who actually write food blogs share my impression, and it's a good one of your blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140075212041411332006-02-15T23:33:00.000-08:002006-02-15T23:33:00.000-08:00"MANY MANY people have websites for family and fri..."MANY MANY people have websites for family and friends that are still available for public viewing but should not be judged as if they are professional publications."<BR/><BR/>I disagree on that point. The moment you make something available to the public you have to accept that people can read your stuff and critize you. If you don't want to be critized, there are enough easy ways to communicate with other people without making it available to the public. If you don't want to be critized don't make your writings public. <BR/>And to answer the point of "why wouldn't you want to read about someone's personal experience with cooking". I like to read someone's personal experience with cooking but I often see after a while in some blogs that people start writing less and less about cooking but more about themself and the whole blog sometimes starts to become a substitute for their visit to their psychiatrist.<BR/>Overall I can't understand why so many bloggers don't show more self confidence in their abilities and stop whining about the F&W article.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140065448321786122006-02-15T20:50:00.000-08:002006-02-15T20:50:00.000-08:00Did you mean to say "that should not exlude them f...Did you mean to say "that should not exlude them for criticism about their writing abilities"? I completley disagree if you meant to say "not". MANY MANY people have websites for family and friends that are still available for public viewing but should not be judged as if they are professional publications. If you don't want to read bad blogs--don't read them. That's really all there is to it. Besides, why wouldn't you want to read about someone's personal experience with cooking? It's a way to learn from others. I don't know about you but I'm able to learn from others' mistakes and appreciate when people share their mistakes with me.<BR/><BR/>I think this is more of a debate of freedom of speech, the internet, and what makes a website interesting rather than Mr. Wells actual comment about blogs. I think this topic should probably be put to rest soon so that we can all get back to cooking. With that said, I'll be posting something soon.Gourmetishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16877094108953550712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140058726312256642006-02-15T18:58:00.000-08:002006-02-15T18:58:00.000-08:00Everybody has a different opinion of course but to...Everybody has a different opinion of course but to answer your question about "One example is a quote about a woman's pumpkin cookies being cakey and that she didn't realize that they are supposed to be cakey. What's wrong with her saying that?" - In my opinion it is terrible boring. I read food blogs to read about food and not about every feeling or experience somebody has during his/her cooking experience. <BR/>And you are saying that most of the bloggers are not professionals. That is correct but that should exclude them for critizism about their writing abilities. If people are afarid of this they should write on the net but have their diary at homeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140049294252756032006-02-15T16:21:00.000-08:002006-02-15T16:21:00.000-08:00Good point, Deb. He doesn't deserve to have his p...Good point, Deb. He doesn't deserve to have his phrase coined. I was just annoyed that a writer in one of my favorite publications would write such a poorly written article. I'm over it now. Although I will still be eating a cheese sandwich tomorrow and telling you all about it! hehe. Thanks for your comment and compliments. Much appreciated.<BR/><BR/>Thanks, Kalyn. I was really pissed that he took your quote of of context because you have a fantastic blog and by quoting you he was implying that you have a "c-s blog" which is NOT TRUE. You have an intelligent, useful, and delightful blog. Keep up the good work!Gourmetishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16877094108953550712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140023166326703582006-02-15T09:06:00.000-08:002006-02-15T09:06:00.000-08:00Kady,You're doing a fine job. You take good pictur...Kady,<BR/><BR/>You're doing a fine job. You take good pictures and provide interesting descriptions about what you do.<BR/><BR/>Please don't immortalize Pete Wells any more than he has been by coining the term "cheese sandwich blog." <BR/><BR/>Let us not, as a community of food bloggers, stoop to categorizing ourselves in any unflattering way. We are doing what we enjoy, and if someone doesn't like it, that's their issue. <BR/><BR/>I love cheese sandwiches and the blogs that talk about them (and all the other stuff they talk about too).<BR/><BR/>All the best,<BR/>DebDeb Schiffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00930921557637227921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140011224680179902006-02-15T05:47:00.000-08:002006-02-15T05:47:00.000-08:00Great post. Can't wait to see your sandwich.Great post. Can't wait to see your sandwich.Kalyn Dennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02499065771517548587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19960533.post-1140005012535727742006-02-15T04:03:00.000-08:002006-02-15T04:03:00.000-08:00I think the thing that makes blogs memorable and e...I think the thing that makes blogs memorable and enjoyable to read is when a blogger's personality comes through in the writing. So a restaurant review or comment about what he/she ate for lunch CAN actually be interesting if written with humor and personal flair. That's not an easy thing to do (I'm definitely not there yet) but Wells should have made that point rather than making a generalization that most blogs are stupid and boring.Gourmetishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16877094108953550712noreply@blogger.com