Blogs are the New Black

Via Eat Drink One Woman, I read a recent New York Times article about the proliferation of food bloggers. In New York, it seems, the fashion isn't merely to report about the fare and the service (as critically as possible), but to also divulge details about chef appearances, menu changes, and restaurant gossip. The fight against this phenomenon:

"Some restaurateurs are only grudgingly adapting. In a telephone interview, Mr. Hennings, the owner of E. U., said he had no idea who Ms. Freeman was the night she dropped by, but he pegged her as a blogger because she was snapping photos. He said it was unfair to judge a restaurant based on the first half-hour of service by a new chef. 'These blogs can be ridiculously hurtful,' he said.

"But others, like David Chang, owner of Momofuku Noodle Bar and Momofuku Ssam Bar, have embraced the blog world.’It’s instant marketing,' Mr. Chang said. 'They get the notice out there. It’s a more egalitarian thing.'"

While I myself have no ambitions to increase my blog's traffic or to gain elite status as a food blogger extraordinaire, I would like to think my enthusiasm for food has rubbed off on those around me. After all, it's a privilege to be able to share good meals with good friends, and variety is the spice of life, so I'll continue to document my culinary adventures so long as this is enjoyable.