Comments on: Food Writer Busted on Free Wedding Meal http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Pithy snippets about food writing Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:57:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: diannejacob http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8583 diannejacob Thu, 08 Jul 2010 22:50:39 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8583 If you did write about it in a favorable way, you could say it the same way you said it here, and what's wrong with that? This sounds perfectly reasonable. I wouldn't infer from it that I could write a note to his wife and therefore expect a freebie. If you did write about it in a favorable way, you could say it the same way you said it here, and what’s wrong with that? This sounds perfectly reasonable. I wouldn’t infer from it that I could write a note to his wife and therefore expect a freebie.

]]> By: Cheryl http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8580 Cheryl Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:01:04 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8580 Hmm. We've just returned from vacation and had a fantastic dinner at a restaurant in TO. The owner/chef happens to be the husband of a food writer I know only through email and blogs. We had hoped to meet her for drinks while we were at the restaurant, but it wasn't meant to be. We did, however meet her husband and he was generous in providing us with dessert and one drink. However, I had/have no intention of writing about this. So a hearty thanks and great appreciation of his kind and generous hosting was all that was required. But, if I had planned on blogging about it you can bet I would have struggled with identifying his generosity. Not because I wouldn't want to acknowledge it, but because I wouldn't want to set up expectations for someone else who might think to drop the writer a note. Hmm. We’ve just returned from vacation and had a fantastic dinner at a restaurant in TO. The owner/chef happens to be the husband of a food writer I know only through email and blogs. We had hoped to meet her for drinks while we were at the restaurant, but it wasn’t meant to be. We did, however meet her husband and he was generous in providing us with dessert and one drink. However, I had/have no intention of writing about this. So a hearty thanks and great appreciation of his kind and generous hosting was all that was required. But, if I had planned on blogging about it you can bet I would have struggled with identifying his generosity. Not because I wouldn’t want to acknowledge it, but because I wouldn’t want to set up expectations for someone else who might think to drop the writer a note.

]]> By: diannejacob http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8533 diannejacob Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:57:15 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8533 I don't think it was worth firing him over it. And certainly he's had to deal with all the discussion, including on this site, so he's probably suffered enough. I don’t think it was worth firing him over it. And certainly he’s had to deal with all the discussion, including on this site, so he’s probably suffered enough.

]]> By: diannejacob http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8532 diannejacob Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:56:00 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8532 Right. I guess it made him uncomfortable to say so. But look what's happened. Better to just get it out there in a straight-forward way. Right. I guess it made him uncomfortable to say so. But look what’s happened. Better to just get it out there in a straight-forward way.

]]> By: Carla http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8531 Carla Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:23:37 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8531 The first misstep he made was in asking "friends" to cater his event. He does wield some power in his position with Time and it is possible that some of the purveyors at his wedding felt pressure to comply with his request. It would be different if they all offered up front. The second misstep was in using his wedding as fodder for his column and then the biggee, not disclosing the freebies. I'm amazed he still has a job. The first misstep he made was in asking “friends” to cater his event. He does wield some power in his position with Time and it is possible that some of the purveyors at his wedding felt pressure to comply with his request. It would be different if they all offered up front. The second misstep was in using his wedding as fodder for his column and then the biggee, not disclosing the freebies. I’m amazed he still has a job.

]]> By: Layne http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8527 Layne Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:49:06 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8527 Dianne, thanks for raising these questions. You hit it with this line: "Whenever you’re being treated in a way that’s not identical to the way your readers would be treated, you have to fess up." As food writers, we have a responsibility for propagating pleasure - and if our pleasure is somehow enhanced by a relationship with a chef or purveyor, then we owe it to our readers to disclose that. The idea isn't new: If a restaurant picks up on the fact that I'm writing about them and goes out of its way to serve me something wonderful and I write about how wonderful it was and readers go and it's not so wonderful...What happens? I've lost credibility with readers. I've broken an implicit trust. Dianne, thanks for raising these questions. You hit it with this line: “Whenever you’re being treated in a way that’s not identical to the way your readers would be treated, you have to fess up.” As food writers, we have a responsibility for propagating pleasure – and if our pleasure is somehow enhanced by a relationship with a chef or purveyor, then we owe it to our readers to disclose that. The idea isn’t new: If a restaurant picks up on the fact that I’m writing about them and goes out of its way to serve me something wonderful and I write about how wonderful it was and readers go and it’s not so wonderful…What happens? I’ve lost credibility with readers. I’ve broken an implicit trust.

]]> By: MM Pack http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8522 MM Pack Sat, 03 Jul 2010 04:15:09 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8522 Uh uh, nope, I would not, because I try not to take advantage of friends or anyone else. And if a food writer did ask with reciprocation implied or not, that's just wrong On the other hand, I can easily see a cook/chef offering food as a wedding present to a friend--that's just what food people do. But as your post states, it's an ambiguous, sticky situation to be avoided; it's just part of the responsibility of being an ethical food writer. Uh uh, nope, I would not, because I try not to take advantage of friends or anyone else. And if a food writer did ask with reciprocation implied or not, that’s just wrong

On the other hand, I can easily see a cook/chef offering food as a wedding present to a friend–that’s just what food people do. But as your post states, it’s an ambiguous, sticky situation to be avoided; it’s just part of the responsibility of being an ethical food writer.

]]> By: Karen http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8521 Karen Sat, 03 Jul 2010 03:23:53 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8521 Wonder how many columns/blogs he'll be doing in the future? Can you imagine what he'd come up with for the birth of the first baby? Wonder how many columns/blogs he’ll be doing in the future? Can you imagine what he’d come up with for the birth of the first baby?

]]> By: diannejacob http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8519 diannejacob Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:12:06 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8519 It's not just that his friends gave him gifts. It's about the size of the gifts. It's one thing to give the guy $100 worth of table linens from the Pottery Barn, where he is registered. It's another to give him several hundred dollars worth of free food to feed all his wedding guests. And since he said he asked them, they probably didn't feel that they could say no. It’s not just that his friends gave him gifts. It’s about the size of the gifts. It’s one thing to give the guy $100 worth of table linens from the Pottery Barn, where he is registered. It’s another to give him several hundred dollars worth of free food to feed all his wedding guests. And since he said he asked them, they probably didn’t feel that they could say no.

]]> By: diannejacob http://diannej.com/blog/2010/07/food-writer-busted-on-free-wedding-meal/comment-page-1/#comment-8518 diannejacob Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:10:09 +0000 http://diannej.com/blog/?p=3845#comment-8518 Thanks for this terrific link to Alan Richman, one of my favorite food writers. Indeed, he handled it deftly, and with humor, which is customary. Thanks for this terrific link to Alan Richman, one of my favorite food writers. Indeed, he handled it deftly, and with humor, which is customary.

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