Disappointed?

I received the following comment after publishing my post on Manresa.  I have contemplated this comment more than anything else over the last few days and I have decided to post this while I consider the response.  The remainder of my posts on San Francisco -- Tartine Bakery and Citizen Cake -- are on hold.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm a little disappointed that my favorite Hawaii food blog has sorta lost its roots.  I read this blog every day to know about Hawaii eats, but now it seems it's taken a pretentious air and has decided to blog about food everywhere else BUT.  Yeah, I know there was a post several months back about "losing my appetite" but with the semi-comeback of recent blogs from abroad, I'm not so sure I'm interested any longer.  I'm really hoping you get back to making this a blog about Hawaii grindz once again.  - Disappointed

Comments

[MissingDaKine]

Loved Hawai'i. Miss it terribly. I revel in reading your foodie thoughts.

You write about whatever the hell you want, food or not. It is your blog and if anyone does not like it they can stop reading it or create their own dang blog.

[MissingDaKine]

PS How about everyone out there complaining there are not enough words start their own blog and see how hard it is to wax poetic for hundreds or thousands of words on a daily or weekly basis. Let us all know where your blogs are so we can stop in daily and make sure you are forever faithful in using only words, never any pictures, that take up valuable word space. You will have to keep on topic, or you have to start another blog for that new specific topic. No stray thoughts or tangents please. Since all you complainers seem to have never tried it, or you would know...or you would be posting a link to your own blogs. It is hard work to be creative and fresh on a regular basis. You aren't paying for this so keep your complaints to yourself. We as humans do not get enough encouragement often enough. Think of blogging as a place to do your karmic "be kind" place, like letting someone out in traffic, happily. This blog is an outlet for someone to post about things they enjoy not so it can become work for them or a chore to "get through". You people who criticize this blog, and probably others, and probably enjoy spreading gloom, are just like the people who do not like a certain TV show, hate that others love it no matter waht and yet you still watch it and complain about it. DON'T WATCH IT! As for something you no longer like on the web... DON'T READ IT! It really is that easy.

[Jo]

Dear Reid, I'm sorry I'm so late in coming across this posting. Please allow me to give you my perspective of blogging.

I blog because I love to write, manipulate words, convey complex images with script. My words are a photograph of my mind.

Some find that photograph interesting enough that even without saying a thing for months at a time, I discover that they are actually waiting for another peek. These people are few and far between, yet precious in my heart because they give sustenance to my artistic spirit.

Yet, even if they were not there, if the computer did not exist, if I had no way of scribing the bubbling fountain within my mind, I would be happy because I would simply discover another way of allowing myself to "be" outside of my skin.

Point is, blog for yourself and others will enjoy what they wish to enjoy and dislike what they wish to dislike. By choosing to allow comments, you make the oh so loving decision to interact with your audience. On the other hands, it allows you to be hurt, disturbed, damaged, angered, frustrated, insert negative adjective (these are adjectives aren't they?) here.

Negs are ok, but don't allow them to make doubt yourself or the quality of your outpouring. There are far more people who admire the quality and beauty of what you create than who find it disagreeable. Besides, I'm dying to know what you thought of Citizen Cake!

With love and admiration,
Jo

P.S. Remember, you are the one who inspired me!

[cheryl]

It's hard being famous huh?! I love this blog and all of it's posts from Hawaii and abroad. I currently live in CA and so it's awesome to read your reviews from your vacations here. I can see how people want to keep reading about Hawaii - I personally come here to do all my research for those who ask me, "where should I go eat in Hawaii????" But realistically people, you can't keep a foodie down and this one's gotta travel and I'm glad you did! Once you get back home, you'll be posting again about new Hawaii eateries or updates to the classics. (has Morimoto gotten there yet? He told me at a signing he'd be there last May!) I hope posters who love Hawaii food can love all kine good food from all over, y'know?! Food is this person's passion so let's be open-minded and let this person take us where we can't go, be it Hawaii or abroad. I personally have a link to this website with a note that says, "Hawaii", and just because of vacation posts or whatever, doesn't mean I'm going to change that note because this is one darn good website for Hawaii eats that people SHOULD bookmark as a Hawaii reference. But give the guy a break - let him go where he needs to go and appreciate all that he's already done for the local Hawaii foodie community.

[justfoodnow]

Dear Dissapointed,

Clearly you are no foodie. Food today is a growing evolving art. If one does not include anything else on ones blog, it would bore senseless! You do an injustice to the food of Hawaii if you want to be such a purist. In food there is a renaissance - had there not been such a thing there would have been none of the food available.

Do you really want to tell me that you want to exclude every single foreign food from your cookery. There is no olive oil in Hawaii, most of the things available in your country comes from elsewhere and thus not authentic anyway.

Think about it. Do you think tomatoes come from Hawaii?

Think again. This is an excellent blog.

[Athena]

I think what makes this blog unique and compelling is its local focus. So many people have reviewed restaurants in the Bay Area and beyond, and to add one more dilutes the power of this blog. I think that the wonderful narratives focusing on the local specialties and gourmet eats of Hawaii really transports me as a reader to that place, which is what I truly want.

[Mike]

I live on Oahu, and to be honest I stopped coming so much when the focus went so strongly abroad. I agree with what Embla wrote; "Disappointed" also had a point, but maybe it was lost in the feeling like 'why should Reid be rich enough to go globetrotting to expensive restaurants while everyone else in Hawai'i nei is getting fired, layed off, and slammed by rising gas and food prices?'

Like it or not, OnoKineGrindz became a local institution for its quality reviews of local food that could be trusted to dish the real dish - an honest guy using his own money to eat and review restaurants in your own back yard. Every inter-island trip or night out was preceded by looking about what you had to say. TBPH, why would I really care about somewhere I will likely never go (until I get rich)? The 'usefulness' level dropped incredibly.

Of course, some people just write blogs about their dumb cats and don't care about page views or anything. Blogging is part public service, part personal web site. It will always be up to you what you post, but it will always be up to your readers if they will be interested.

[milgwimper]

Reid,

It is your blog, and I never thought this blog was only about Hawaiian food. HUGZ I just cry because you were so close to where I used to live. *sniff*

[Shocked]

If you're on a trip, why not blog about the places you eat? Maybe to help sort out mainland from local you could add a subcategory to your archives "by location" pulldown menu like Oahu, Maui, Big Island, West Coast, other. Your blog is great! Don't let anyone make you think otherwise.

[milgwimper]

Heyla Reid,

hmmm I don't know where my other post went but I wanted to let you know I love your blog. Blogs change over time, but your blog is very inspiring. It is your blog and so do what you desire. I and some other folks here love reading about your adventures from around the world, so please keep doing the wonderful job of blogging. I would never have "met" such wonderful people if not for your blog. HUGZ :)

[Walter Rhee]

Reid,
It's your blog. People should be thankful that you are writing and sharing (i.e. giving your time, effort, and $$ spent at eateries), without asking any compensation in return. Keep up the good work. Ignore the negative losers. It's not their blog nor their life. It's your blog and your life. You can do whatever you want with it. If some don't like it, too bad. All they have to do is not read your blog or do their own research in what they want. Duh!

Respectfully yours,

Walter

[Jeanie]

You are the best. Do what you want. this is your blog! You are the best kind of foodie. I enjoyed reading about Manresa as much as the izakaya.

[Alaololi]

Ono Kine is where YOU find it, Reid. You keep looking, I'll keep tracking. Mahalo nui loa.