Shut up and be flattered
Following the rant Chef Achatz wrote on Alinea-mosaic about food bloggers ruining the dining experience with taking too many pictures, I went and tweeted some chefs & foodies on twitter to try and get a sense if Chef Achatz’s sentiments were more common than I thought, or if crazy froupies (food groupies) was more of a phenomenon at Alinea.
This is the question I tweeted: do foodies taking piks of every course in ur resto annoy u? would u ban resto photography?
These are some of the replies I got (i will continue to add the responses as they roll in):
- Michael Voltaggio tweeted: just be quick and discreet, I do it too.
- Richard Blais: yes, annoying if the photos go straight to blog, etc. I have trouble enough making my food look good. But I wouldn’t ban it.
- Rick Bayless: Im flattered; no flash tho
- Jamie Lauren: it doesn’t really bother me that much, but I’m in the kitchen…
- Kelly Choi: i can understand why restos don’t want cameras around, they want diners to enjoy & eat food, not make ‘em into sculptures.. ; )
Tyler Florence constantly tweets videos as well as pics. So do countless others. Just to hear about what they ate would be a far cry from actually seeing it. I want to see it and judge for myself. It’s like reading a steamy scene in a romance novel versus watching a porno. And you know what? I enjoy it! (not the porno, seeing what others eat).
I get the sense that photography is not minded, as Achatz himself clarifies in the comments, but when it’s intrusive to the staff or diners it’s an issue. And, I get that, as would everyone. I know Momofuku bans cameras (it works for them), and i’m still wondering if others will follow. I also wonder if its a phenomenon at places with a cult-like following such as Alinea, or just at places that are usually too expensive to dine at regularly. For example, eating at Alinea (w hubby)will cost more than my car payment, not to mention the 3 hour drive from Detroit. So, you can bet your left gluteus maximus & minimus, that i’m taking pictures. I want to remember every detail of it, and it’s not like a hamburger that everyone knows what looks like. Also, it’s like photographing a tourist spot. Not to mention, it would be fun to rub it in everyone elses face online. Let’s be honest, wouldn’t you?
Achatz also likens his frustration to that of a celebrity punching the papazazzi. I believe celebrities and photo-hogs depend on each other. It’s a simbiotic relationship that the celebrities love in the beginning and then hate when they are famous enough they don’t need the extra press. In the same sense, although not as parasitic, us food bloggers help propel restaurants and chefs into the blogosphere. We all know the importance of word of mouth. I really love everything they have done over there but I wonder if Achatz would think differently if alinea was not as popular? Honestly the more I think about it the more uneasy I get. I sense alot of blogger backlash on the horizon as you can read from some of the comments on alinea-mosiac. I bet everyone that has ever taken a picture in Alinea now feels uneasy.
So I say this, to Chef Achatz: You can’t control it unless u ban it, so either ban it (and give digital copies like I proposed to you, or don’t) and get on with life; or don’t ban it and stop whining and accept the free publicity.
And to you few foodie pricks out there that give the rest of us a bad name, the next time you think of taking a picture of someone without asking, or taking a tripod to a restaurant, you can stick it where the sun don’t shine, or you can come over and I’ll do it for you.
What do you think? ban photos in restaurants or not? Did you go to alinea and now feel weird about taking those piks or vid?
always uncut,
mira
