The Incident
Without naming the event and the names, I happened to be rubbing shoulders with some great ‘bloggers’ some time back…a bunch of kids who think that every restaurant is their ‘baap ka maal’. I am not at all sorry for using such words. Strangely I have started controlling my temper off late against such jerks, I guess that is more than enough for them. These bunch of kids have started degrading the food blogging world. They are disgrace to their family and the whole food blogging fraternity.
So these ‘bloggers’ told the service Incharge that they need every single dish on the menu..(about 24 of them) and the drinks (8 approx ) The restaurant guys obliged. I was watching this tamasha.
The food comes served in many and any plates now because there is already a crowd of customers in waiting. They are made to wait because these ‘food bloggers’ are sitting on their head to be served first.
The episode
So while the plating is ON, a couple of dishes are served in larger plates than the portion size…our “food blogger” friends ask if there is any sauce accompanying the dish. The manager says ‘no, these are stand alone’ in spite of that the jokers (referred hereafter since I cant insult other brothers and sisters of mine from the same fraternity by calling these jokers as food bloggers) insist on him putting “koi bhi colorful sauces” around the portion to make it more clickable. They are hell bent on degrading the Food blogging Industry further with these acts. The manager reluctantly agrees.
Then all the staff together carries the food and drinks outside the restaurant on special orders of these jokers. The food is kept on a large table with the drinks. Staff is asked to leave. The snaps are to be clicked in open sunlight with vehicles zooming past. They are keen to click only snaps and not tasting the food.
Degrading the food blogging world continues
The bunch of crazy jokers (my BP is high by then)spend 15 mins arranging the food as per their need (they argue like pigs over the arrangement just to show how ‘proficient’ they are). They make the owner of the restaurant run inside to fetch forks and stuff. They have no decency in talking, just shouting orders as if they are the only ones who will get the best footfalls to this restaurant with their reviews. The old gentleman obeys every order just to keep the sanity of his place intact.
Once the dishes are arranged, the jokers click pics of the food..they are around the food, on the food, with the food…everything possible, except tasting the food (by now you know why I don’t call them food bloggers) another 40 whole minutes.. Finally they are done.
The food has gone cold by now. So they just pick a morsel or two from each dish (intentionally spoiling the food) and the eating is bcos they are hungry, not because they are reviewing it.
#humblechef closely watches their expressions as they eat.. They are lifeless…there is no expression, no thought process working, trying to decode the dish and its taste or flavor. Is that food blogging?
Then ….they just leave the food. Again ordering the owner “ye sab le ke jao, ho gaya humaara”. Entire food is wasted.
Then they are busy clicking selfies with each other.
The repercussions
The customers and others who were waiting are still struggling to get food due to the bottleneck created while delivering all these 24 dishes and drinks even as an hour has passed…but jokers have nothing to do with it.
The #HumbleChef leaves with an embarrassed face after giving his food feedback to the chef and the Service Manager. He does not have enough courage to walk up to the aged owner of the restaurant and apologise for the behaviour of those jokers. To be honest, I don’t have a face to show him before I leave, because I belong to the same fraternity. I made it a point though, to see which hashtag /handle the restaurant has given in order to put up the review/post.
Till date I have not seen the jokers put any photos on any social media platform. I don’t know if they really put it anywhere. Maybe they just fooled the restaurant or are fooling all our fraternity by posing as “food bloggers”
#foodietweeter has kept his eyes and ears open now for the same bunch. If he see’s them next time in the circuit doing any such dirty stuff, he has full plans of publicly shaming them. The same old UK style popular in the Industry, some people don’t understand politeness. I am sure they will regret the day they meet me next.
Until then.. lets wait for the jokers..
Let us all come together against such ‘food wasting jokers’ who call themselves bloggers. They are anything but ‘food bloggers’ who are degrading the Food Blogging Industry.
Do you happen to have come across any such incidents?
Uttpal k
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It is really disheartening to see such incidents. Being a Food Blogger (or any blogger for that matter) shouldn’t be taken for granted. There’s a lot of responsibility associated with it. And few fools like these are surely degrading the entire community. A much needed post UKji.
Thank you Atul. I hope we all are aware of this new crop and keep our distance from these types.
This is such a shame! I am glad you are calling such jokers’bluff. Why should the entire fraternity bear the brunt of such degrading behaviour. Like you say, for all we know, they may be fakes. That’s even worse. Maybe its time for bloggers from all fields to have some kind of verifiable id.
Yes, Soon we will have to think of a strategy. Maybe make an autonomous body who will give authorisation to bloggers based on some preset parameters. The others can of course freely call themselves as bloggers. The corporates can then choose to engage either with certified/registered bloggers or choose the Jokers. It will then be their choice. At least no one would label the whole fraternity as fake.
Not just the time and resources of the restaurant got wasted, people might get biased with the weird review such people will put up (if they do). Bloggers are sadly credited for their followers, not quality. I’m glad you spoke about this, UK. One would assume a food blogger was interested in the food!
True. This new clan/breed or whatever we call them is dangerous to the whole fraternity. We need serious food bloggers here, not pout faced, selfie taking jokers!
This is atrocious, firstly the food is wasted when many doesn’t get their hunger fulfilled. Secondly calling themselves as bloggers and creating such a donkey show and ruckus in name of blogging.
Good that you have taken a stand, i appreciate you for this boldness. Hope this post reach those dud ‘fake’ bloggers and teach them a lesson. My heart goes out for chef and all who were in these fellows khatirdaari.
Yes, I felt bad for the way they were treated. They definitely did not deserve any of this..
These shameless people call them food bloggers or food sniffers??? How ridiculous was that? It’s better you name them on SM so that other restaurant owners are aware.
I did contemplate that for a while. the only reason i have not named and shamed them publicly is because I am sure my post would have reached them by now. The message is loud and clear. ..”If you are a real food blogger, behave like one. If you are not, the next time we will shame you publicly in whichever restaurant you misbehave.”
This is really sad.
I reviewed one restaurant ( first and last) we did click pics but ate as well !
Although it’s Sad that they order it all and then, just click and banish all the food! Pathetic.
Yes…wasting food is unpardonable…
While I haven’t come across this myself, there was an incident on social media last week also i believe where restaurants finally got irritated with a guy who was I think a ‘relatively’ popular Zomato reviewer. That man would call them up and demand free food for his family when he arrives. They posted screen shots of his demands and it was embarrassing.
The thing is we all get humiliated by this – people assume all of us do the same thing. I’m not even a food blogger but i got comments from friends asking if this was what I do too. That hurt.
Yes Doc, this is so humiliating. We will soon have to come together and decide a course of action. This will ensure such creeps are removed from the fraternity permanently.
Utpal aside from the behaviour and spoilung their own name these people wasted that much food ?That breaks my heart.I am sure God is watching and will tale care.Ultimately if these people behave like this their karma will catch up.Absolutely loved the post .Keep these rral.stories going!
Yes Amrita. Since I run a NGO, I know how difficult it is for the needy to get two morsels a day. what I witnessed was an utterly shameful act.
Thank you for dropping by Doc. 🙂
This is a shameful act. And sad at the same time. A few ‘elements’ spoil the name of the complete fraternity.
The sooner people realize that, the better. Or else the good bunch will have to stop introducing themselves as bloggers.
Absolutely Ankit. A few elements spoil the complete fraternity
This is very bad and I was not aware of all this until you shared. Definitely, these bloggers are spoiling name for the whole fraternity. Food blogging is not about being rude and mean. Hope people understand this soon.
Yes, i also hope that nt just the Fraternity but the brands too boycott such “bloggers” and get us back our good old days of healthy blogging.
It’s really saddening to see such a disrespect to foods and it’s beyond my comprehension that what were they trying to prove by such behaviours!!!
Forceful Authority, tremendous arrogance and wrong attitude. I could not see anything positive in them.
This is shameful and these are the free food sniffers found in every city.
Really sad to see this state of Food reviewing in restaurants…
Wow ! A bold post which may not be liked by many. Well, that was the first reaction to whatever you have described. I feel the problem is also with the owner or the PR sometimes who don’t seem to identify the right people. Many time I feel that in the name of getting more people, they don’t correctly hand-pick people.
Also when it comes to blogging, the scene has become so bad that everyone calls themselves bloggers as the restaurants would call them.
Anyways, the behaviour of the bloggers you were with at the restaurant is really not right. I hope they mend their way. Infact, I think you should have a word or two with few and just tell them to be careful. Thanks for sharing the frank write-up 🙂
Ye Nameesh. Those kids are not the only one to be blamed. restaurants and PR have a major role to play in this. if the brands would not force the PR to get numbers, then thye PR would probably get bloggers to do such activity. Its is because of the brand/restaurant pressure to get quantum, is where the quality sense is lost. Yes you are right, many instagrammers and Twitterati who are technically influencers have started calling themselves as bloggers. They have missed stepping on the microblogging step too and have self elevated themselves as Bloggers even without a regular blog, leave alone a dedicated blog.
That’s so disgusting behaviour from jerks. Calling them as Bloggers is shame for Bloggers industry. Glad you raise your voice out and highlight this. As a Blogger it’s our responsibilities to rule out these jokers.
Yes, Just doing my bit. Eventually it is upon all of us to identify such kids them and sternly ask them to stay away from spoiling the Industry and wasting food this way. I am sure no hardcore food blogger would be doing that.
This is very disheartening to know. Wasting any kind of food is bad and here the people who call themselves food bloggers are doing such things. Few of them are spoiling the whole fraternity of food bloggers.
Yes Geethica. I can only Pity them.. 🙂
Cannot believe that after all the shenanigans they didn’t even eat the food. They just sent it back. What did they achieve if they have not even posted the pictures yet? These are not part of our fraternity but just wannabes.
As per stats, one person dies every 10 seconds on this earth. So anyone wasting food is commiting a grave crime according to me. So for me these are criminals. Straight and simple.