Everyone's Got to Eat

Food blogs are a great example of how blogging and traditional journalism have evolved in their relationship to each other. Though people like to present traditional journalism and weblogging as if they're in opposition to one another, they really fulfill complementary goals -- especially in niche subjects. And everyone has to eat food, so this is an area where amateurs really have a lot to add to the coverage offered by professional journalists, due to their enthusiasm and excitement.

The most recent example is Steve Plotnicki's post on his TypePad blog, Opinionated About Dining. Steve was dining at Craft, a popular upscale restaurant in New York City, after having commented on Chef/Owner Tom Colicchio's work on his blog in the past. Amazingly, Colicchio recognized Steve from his blog:

What happened next was a seminal moment for me, because two minutes later, none other than Tom Colicchio himself appeared at our table (I'd met him a few times at Gramercy Tavern), and he was loaded for bear. “I have four pages of your comments that I downloaded from the Internet. I am going to go up to my office to get them and I want to go over them with you.� Not only was it an amazing scene to watch, but it was an amazing display of the power of the Internet. Here I was, Joe Shmoe, never had a piece about food published anywhere, and Colicchio wanted to ask me about my comments. Okay, so I’m not giving myself enough credit for making comments that obviously hit close to home for Tom, but who was I to have my criticisms taken seriously? That interaction has a lot to do with why I am here writing on this platform today. After all, if I could say things that got under Colicchio’s skin, and which he didn’t dismiss as the writings of some nutjob, maybe this Plotnicki guy actually knows something about food and dining out.

A blogger who's similar to me is likely to have a perspective on what I'd like in a restaurant than most traditional critics would. And it's exciting that somebody who's like me could have an impact on a professional in that industry, just because he's taken the time to write about a restaurant he cares about.

But not only did a renowned chef like Colicchio recognized the work of a blogger, is taking the time to read blogs, but he's also valuing the feedback -- very much like he'd value a press review. While I'm first to argue that there will always be a place for professional critics, it's incredibly satisfying to see this particular niche of blogging flourish and become as influential as it deserves to be.

(Thanks to A Full Belly for the link to Steve's post.)