Has the absence of food writers from this board helped stimulate discussion?

[bam bam]

Let's face facts, we were pretty stagnant in the six months or so before the changeover at TOB. It seemed to coincide with the arrival of some minor league food writers who were a very disagreeable sort. Clearly, we are back to posting about our experiences good and bad and having a much better discussion without the cacophony of agenda driven opinion.

[jeff h]

i gotta google 'cacophony' before i can comment.

[bam bam]

I am not surprised.

[café au lait]

dictionary.com for any vocabulary challenged posters

[jeff h]

ok, got it....so whats the question again?

[Alex]

I do not miss the food writers. I think that the people that post in this forum serve my purpose of keeping me informed as to the local food scene. I do not dine out often, but when I do I tend to keep the recommendations of the posters here in mind. That is all I really need.

I also like the cooking tips in this forum as well. I am more interested in hearing what other regular people have to say, than in what a paid writer/critic has to say.

[Jesse]

I think it has, and if this board aint evidence I don't know what is. Their agendas were clear and always seemed to poke into a good thread, ruining it usually.

[Isabella Maja]

Let's face facts, we were pretty stagnant in the six months or so before the changeover at TOB.

I concur. In fact, I acknowledge I've been in a food funk.
A few days ago after participating on this board I could feel some of that lifting. I began to think about what restaurants that I haven't been to yet that I might like to try. Excitement about the prospects started to surface.
This hasn't happened in quite some time.


It seemed to coincide with the arrival of some minor league food writers who were a very disagreeable sort.

I'm going to leave them out of it.

But I will say I was pretty tired of all the disagreeableness on TOB. I'm not saying you have to agree with my opinions to make me happy or vice versa. Just tired of the "Mama, he touched me, Mama, she said this or Mama, she said that" mentality.

So much defensiveness that too up so much space . . . puts a bad taste in
one's mouth. Hard to enjoy food that way!



Clearly, we are back to posting about our experiences good and bad and having a much better discussion.

Clearly! I do hope the tone of this board stays light & fun.
It gets to be really tedious & boring when it gets heavy & significant.

I did try a new place yesterday that I learned of on one of the food boards. Not remembering which one, but it was mentioned here. I want to give it another shot, then I'll write a report on my experiences.

Thanks Bam for starting this thread, good observations!

[JudiB]

I guess that's true. I know that I for one always hesitated to discuss a restaurant, because the 'experts' usually told me why my opinion was wrong.

I mean c'mon.... why is one person an "expert".

Heck, I've been eating my whole life, that makes ME the expert on what I like!

hahahaha... I crack myself UP :D

Like Isa said, it was a general air of unpleasantness over there since the beginning of time. I've always believed that the forum folks reflect the administrators, though. It just got worse with every format change, and the lack of help and the escalation of the frustration of the moderators got too much for me.

[GuySajerForgottenSoldier]

Let the experts continue their plodding and piddling ways on that inferior board. NO restaurants are well served by word of keyboard, much better than one pinhead's opinion.

[Suzy Wong]

YES.

I also agree there is a much lighter and more welcoming air about this forum.

It seems on TOB, there were those who wrapped a tablecloth around their neck and elected themselves "food critic" and each one had the same MO, if you don't agree with me, you are wrong and I will hold my breath until you say sorry.

Can you see Marcelle Bienvenu engaing in such a cat fight? NO, because she is actually a p-r-o-f-e-s-s-i-o-n-a-l.

[Tchoupitoulas]

I don't think it's made any difference at all. Personally, I don't give much credence to critics anyway, I know what I like. And I don't like being told what's good and what's not.

Now if they want to stick to a quick rundown of what they ate and where, without trying to be the FIRST to know everything about everyone (and be sure to let us all know about it), I'd appreciate and respect them more.

[PNG]

As I have mentioned before, I am more of a realist than a defender of the faith in regards to restaurants. If I am served horrible food, I say so. It is fun listening to shills telling me how magnificent and world class some of that horrible food is. Shills can be entertaining though. I turned on the radio yesterday while tf was on. I had left that radio on that station from when I had listened to him a couple of weeks ago just to see what he was saying. If you remember, I posted on the other forum about him slamming chains, then having a commercial for a chain restaurant come on as he was doing so, then back to speaking badly of chains; Zea's in the case of that commercial. I had the radio on his show for one minute yesterday. Someone was asking which restaurant served the best hamburger in the New Orleans area in tf's daughter's opinion...............The answer...............Zea's. I had a good laugh on that bit of shilling!

[The Bear]

So I guess I am chopped liver.

[JudiB]

PNG, I noticed on other forums that it isn't PC to say, 'well, I had a crappy meal at Commander's, and crappy service on top of that!'

LOL... for some reason, it became accepted, (espoused by the critics) that we are supposed to say "Awwww... they had a bad night". And go back repeatedly, (spending your parent's legacy in the process), until you have a GOOD experience... and then post THAT.

Hello?

Excuse me, but if I've paid my money for whatever "end" of restaurant, (highend, middle, etc)... then the place better be clean, and the food good or I ain't goin' back.

[JudiB]

So I guess I am chopped liver.

You know Bear.... you are so universally LIKED and respected, that I personally forgot that you're a critic!! LOL.... and may I be the first to say, I love your reviews and pictures, PLEASE keep them coming.

So that begs the question.... why are Bear's reviews so well accepted?

I'll tell you why I like them. They aren't arrogant. He never tells me NOT to go someplace, rather, he'll suggest a few dishes that I might like. He focuses on the positive, and while he doesn't stint on the negative, he writes it in a professional, detached manner. Not pushing it in my face, or something.

PS chopped liver is the basis for beautiful pate'. :)

[BTG]

I don't know that I contribute it to a lack of food writers or not. Like others have said, it just appears that this place is more relaxed and has alot less mud slinging, so people feel more inclined to post.

It had been at least a year since TOB had been enjoyable.

Don't ruin this folks. :)

[PNG]

I don't know that I contribute it to a lack of food writers or not. Like others have said, it just appears that this place is more relaxed and has alot less mud slinging, so people feel more inclined to post.

It had been at least a year since TOB had been enjoyable.

Don't ruin this folks. :)

Dang!

P.S. I love chopped liver.

[foodieCon]

Forum Communities like TOB, NolaEats.com, NolaForum.com and Mr. Lake's are all built around the people who make up the community. It's not all about the software or the admins(though it is nice to know who is at the helm in my opinion).

Like it or not, TOB along with all the other boards are driven by the people who post there and subsuquently by the people who don't. This is what makes a community live or die. The community will decide the fate of all of these boards. No admin can make people go to their board. vBulletin can't make a community great. It's the people of the community.

The demise of TOB wasn't brought upon that board by just three people. It was brought upon it by the people who made up the community or now, lack thereof. Given that this place has alot less overhead it will be easier to run than say a place like TOB. Just like any of the other boards in our community.

As for the topic above, compared to TOB, this place is more stimulating at the moment, but I'm not so sure I believe its all that stimulating. I mean, there is barely a post a day in the recipe section, and maybe 5 new posts a day in the food section. that's hardly stimulating in the grand scheme of things. Granted, this is probably more than what's going on in most other forums, but if this place is what it is suppose to be, where I see at most times, 20 to 30 people logged on during the day, but no plethora of posts?? (I know, I needa life, but I have alot of down time during the day.)

Just my two cents worth. and Bear, keep up the good work. :)

[Tchoupitoulas]

So I guess I am chopped liver.

No Bear, you are a "connoisseur", a "commentator"...you are certainly not a "critic"....and that's the way we like you!

Chopped liver is another thread entirely....

[globe9]

Well according to Lorin over at TOB, she said a friend sent her some of the stuff being posted on THIS board and it's apparently the same-old "nastiness and making everything personal" She then goes on to say, "...when you can't really talk about food and dining, you go to what you know best, bashing people."

Now, I read these boards everyday. Exactly where on the food forum are people bashing each other? And exactly why can't I or anyone else here really talk about food and dining? B/c we're not "critics" and I use that term loosely...I'm glad I made the choice to come over here. There are only 3 or 4 posters over there and I suspect some of them are the same people posting under different screennames.

She then goes on to state that the claims of how frequent and scintillating the posts are over here couldn't be farther from the truth---according to her "friend". Now, I don't know about scintillating, but the posts on TOB were never scintillating either, but I find some of the threads very interesting and a good read. There are also certainly a lot more posts on here with a variety of posters adding to the thread and not just Lorin, Trab, Feng and Admin.

[Alex]

"Now, I read these boards everyday. Exactly where on the food forum are people bashing each other?"

----------------------------------

I have seen no bashing on this board and find it to be a lot more relaxed then many other boards. There has been some good natured ribbing here and there, but little to no bashing at all. I am enjoying these forums and I hope that whoever built this site keeps it going.

[PNG]

I called Choweb a tf, but she brought that on herself.

[DanD]

This board is 100 times better than the other one and part of that is attributed to the lack of a know-it-all food writer/celebrity/journalist/critic.

I think the free discussion and information being exchanged is informative, interesting, and I have not seen any of the nastiness described above.

TF then Lorin...I think they drug the board down.

[Suzy Wong]

I am editing my post, not because I am pretending I didn't say what I, I admit it, (and I am sure someone saved it) BUT

I don't want to be negative.

I am sure feelings were hurt or offense taken, on all sides.

I hope everyone is happy where they are posting now, life's too short to be miserable even on an internet forum

[foodieCon]

um, isn't this who thread a bash on people like Lorin?? lol.

And Globe9 and Dan, aren't ya'll both guilty of making snide little comments in your exiting posts on TOB?

I'm for giving it all a rest, stop talking about TOB all together. Once that's done, if Lorin, Trab, and the admins over there keep talking about it, then it's just them, isn't it?

[globe9]

um, isn't this who thread a bash on people like Lorin?? lol.

And Globe9 and Dan, aren't ya'll both guilty of making snide little comments in your exiting posts on TOB?

I'm for giving it all a rest, stop talking about TOB all together. Once that's done, if Lorin, Trab, and the admins over there keep talking about it, then it's just them, isn't it?


The only "snide" comment, if it could even be called that, was stating that there didn't seem to be many posters on TOB and that I wouldn't be posting there any longer... after being accused of having a false email address and then being taken to task for not being properly appreciative of all the "help" I received from Admin. I don't think that comment was snide, but maybe you perceived it that way.

[Tchoupitoulas]

How 'bout them Saints?

[Alex]

How 'bout them Saints?

They got a new tight end ya know :)

[Tchoupitoulas]

I didn't see a THING wrong with their tight ends.

[foodieCon]

The only "snide" comment, if it could even be called that, was stating that there didn't seem to be many posters on TOB and that I wouldn't be posting there any longer... after being accused of having a false email address and then being taken to task for not being properly appreciative of all the "help" I received from Admin. I don't think that comment was snide, but maybe you perceived it that way.

Isn't it all about perception anyway.

and yes, it was a snide little comment and you know it.

[bam bam]

Just for clarification, my original post had nothing to do with Lorin. In fact, I am a big fan of her work. I was thinking more along the lines of a few others.

And Bear, the fact you are not omnipresent on the New Orleans food scene, adds to your credibility. You come in for a few days, eat well, tell us about it. You are not trying to be friends with these people nor hit them up for advertising. It is obvious that commercial considerations do not play a role in your review at all.

[foodieCon]

That's a good clarification to make. I figured you lumped her in there as well. But it's easy to see how one might make that assumption, right? So I take it you mean TF and TM? they were really the only other two, right?

[bam bam]

I am not naming names but there were a few others as well.

[The Bear]

Just for the record I do not think I have that much influence and was just yanking bam bam's chain a bit :D

[Isabella Maja]

So I guess I am chopped liver.

Nah . . . Liver Cheese. :D



Seriously, we really don't think of you as a food critic.
Bam said it best.

[globe9]

Isn't it all about perception anyway.

and yes, it was a snide little comment and you know it.

I know it, do I? Whatever FoodieCon, then it was a snide comment since you said it was. I really fail to see how my comment about there being no posters over there(there aren't many) and my staying here was snide AFTER being accused of things over there and then failing to fall on my knees and thank the Admin.

I think that other board SUCKS!!!! ---there's a comment for ya LOL

How 'bout them Saints!

[foodieCon]

I know it, do I? Whatever FoodieCon, then it was a snide comment since you said it was. I really fail to see how my comment about there being no posters over there(there aren't many) and my staying here was snide AFTER being accused of things over there and then failing to fall on my knees and thank the Admin.

I think that other board SUCKS!!!! ---there's a comment for ya LOL

How 'bout them Saints!



awww Globe, you really got me there. lol I think I'm gonna cry. ;)