Plato once said ‘Wonder is the feeling of the philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.’
Food is vexing. It isn’t even clear what it is. It belongs to the world of economics, ecology, and culture. It involves vegetables, livestock, chemists, wholesalers, refrigerators, fertilizer, fish, grocers, chefs and cooks. I’m sure I left something out.
The obstacle is disentangling food from the web of production, distribution, and consumption. It is too often stripped from its unique food qualities and instead seen as a contextualized object, social networking, or part of nature. So I’ll try and keep my reviews stimulating—something to digest over a glass of port.
DinnerSlut promotes and shares ideas about restaurants; it’s a rave party featuring the best eateries, turning dreadful experiences into lessons, and saving others from suffering through another dismal dining nightmare.
I forewarn an establishment about an upcoming review. I don’t disguise myself, like other reviewers, instead I”m upfront about who I am and what I look like. Yelp reviews are helpful for finding the weak links of an eatery before ordering food. That leads into an honest discussion with management or a food server about what I’m hoping to avoid and my expectations.
My restaurant critiques aren’t secrets until they are published, instead, I take the time to offer praises where they are deserved and suggest beneficial tweaks before leaving the eatery. Once the review is posted, readers are welcome to leave their experiences in the comment box. The end result—a ‘win-win’ situation.