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

[h]

I've been reading your blog since around 2004, maybe earlier. I discovered your blog from your participation in an IMBB (Is my blog burning) event, and have loved it ever since. I liked your style and your pictures, and you really opened my eyes to culture and food in Hawaii; I always looked forward to your new posts.

It's been over 4 years now, and it is unrealistic to expect a person not to change and evolve over that period of time. So you travel a lot more now, and you post about what you ate on your travels. It's still the same style, still the same great photography, so I have no complaints. Keep on traveling, eating and posting!

[Debbie-chan]

Hi Reid:

I agree with everyone who says that it's your blog, your time and money that keeps it going, and you have no obligation to write about anything other than what you choose to write about. (And I agree that the "pretentious" charge is ridiculous.)

While I first came here because I was looking for Honolulu-specific grinds for my mostly annual visits (and got plenty of great recommendations), it's your enthusiasm for a good meal (wherever it may be), manifested through your writing and awesome photography, that keeps me coming back. (Your Fat Duck visit may be my favorite food blog post ever!)

Thanks for all the work you put into sharing your adventures and experiences. I for one, hope you'll continue to feel engaged enough to keep at it.

[jn]

Hi Reid,

I've read your blog for years, and have always enjoyed your thoughts on food. Several of your favorite restaurants are my favorites, and I found them on your blog.

I enjoy hearing about your travels and eating experiences elsewhere. I feel that I get to live and eat vicariously through your wonderful photography and descriptions. I am excited to try these restaurants in my own travels.

So, please do not take these negative comments to heart. Your blog is wonderful and you should write about whatever you want to. And, there are numerous posts of yours on Hawaii food--perhaps the upset commenter could search through your archives or just find a different blog.

[Lori]

Hi Reid,
I really appreciate all the hard work you put into this blog. Keep it up, it's great! :)

[Ashley]

Continue to follow your passion. I can truly relate to your interest in food from around the world, and your enthusiasm for sharing your adventures. You've got great talent for taking pictures and I enjoy reading about your experiences. Based on the other comments, you have a great following...continue to do what you love, and do it your way. Thank you for such an interesting array of postings!

[keona]

I guess the poster was a diehard fan who missed the Hawaiian posts and probabaly used the word "pretentious" erroneously. I for one do miss the Hawaiian posts but I'm also fascinated by travel posts. Do keep up the good work Reid.

[Embla]

I agree somewhat. I've lost interest in this blog and since you've slowed down with your posts and stopped posting about Hawaii restaurants, I only visit once or twice a month (versus everyday, before) with the hope that there'll be a post on a new place in Hawaii. I really enjoyed this blog and it had a solid source of appeal. It drew in readers because of the breadth of restaurants covered and the descriptions of the food. (pictures are nice to look at, but your opinion is more interesting and you've really lagged at that)

The thing about your reviews (or pictures) of Manresa, Fat Duck, etc. is that I've read many other reviews by people whose opinion I would trust more due to their background and experience. I've heard enough about these places to put them on my wish list, but that wish list is also irrelevant to daily life -- whereas your reviews made me excited for lunch break or a weekend dinner out with friends.

The arguments stating that this is your blog are superfluous and sort of an abstraction. Duh, it's your blog, Reid. But there is an inextricable link between reader, writer, and subject when it comes to published work -- and it is often the reader that influences the writer. So yes, this is your blog, but you can either decide between continuing with content-less posts unrelated to Hawaii restaurants, or returning to your original subject matter. Your value, in my humble opinion, please, is in providing Hawaii readers reviews of local eats. It was an area of specialty that no one in England could attain -- whereas many bloggers have made the trip to the Fat Duck, etc. That is to say, if I was looking for a Citizen Cake/Tartine review, I would not even think to look here. I would refer to an SF blog. On the other hand, whenever I hear of a restaurant I've never been to, this is the first website I visit and I through your archives to see what you thought.

The downside is, of course, that your readers would be primarily from Hawaii and someone in Berlin would rather read about the Fat Duck and skip over the plate lunches. It's your decision, and it seems to me that you don't really have time to eat and post like you did before.

This is all in my humble opinion and if I've offended you somewhere, I did not mean it. This is just the opinion of a formerly avid reader of your blog that is bummed that it's not what it used to be. All my friends from high school had found this blog on their own, and while we were on the mainland for college, we would check this site religiously and drool over the places we'd go to when we'd return for winter break. I miss that, that's all.

I'll still continue to visit this site every two or three weeks, and to refer to your archives.. But if I could make one request.. Your photos are great, but I would love to hear what the food was like, what the -experience- was like.

:)?

[goforbroke]

Hello. It's your blog. I enjoy it. A lot. g4b

[Clinton]

Reid,

I'll pop by every now and then to see if you've posted anything new but most of the time it hasn't been updated. I used to love your local reviews of the many places I've missed when I lived back in the islands. Could have used some of your helpful advice on current local places last week when I was in Honolulu. Tried several new places including a hole-in-the-wall place on Maunakea and King Sts. Also some of my old time favorites including Big City Diner, Ono's, and Happy Days in Kaimuki. Still looking for that perfect saimin place which I haven't found yet. Take care Reid and please stick around.

[Carol]

FWIT, I'll continue to visit and read whatever you choose to write, Reid, because I love your blog.

[young]

I do prefer your posts on local joints of Hawaii more than your fine dining posts. I love the unique foods of Hawaii like loco moco. I am just a schlub from Jersey though. Others might not feel the same. Sadly, I have changed the frequency of visits to your blog from once a day to once a week since I have noticed a change in focus. Thanks for letting me vent. Ultimately, it is your blog.

[Okihwn]

Eh Reid,

Get over it. Stop acting like a spoiled brat and just do what you want to do. It's your blog.

[Vanessa]

Hi - I'm new to this blog, but it is great. An easy solution to the Local / Away is to add some location tags to your blog so those who only want to read local can filter those out. Cheers!

[Kehau]

I appreciate your blog and all the work that goes into it. I sure hope you continue blogging whether it be about eateries in Hawaii or elsewhere. Someone else commented about your tag line in your blog heading. They're right! "Onolicious eats from Hawaii & around the world!"

Sidenote, my favorite post was the La Duree one...

[Clinton]

Hi Reid,

Just returned from HNL the other week and had lunch at the Happy Noodle House inside of he Oahu Market on King and Maunakea Streets. After walking around for awhile deciding on where to eat, we chose this place because it was crowded. And since we were not too familiar with Chinatown, we went where the crowds were. Could have used some of your expertise but we gave it the old college try. Very good beef stew won ton noodles and fish jook if I had to give my two cents. The 1/2 roast duck was OK but I've had better especially from Wing Loy take out down the street. Have you ever reviewed any other little hole-in-the-walls in Chinatown yet? Would love to hear some of your personal takes on comfort food.

[Oishii Eats]

Hey Reid...
I haven't visited for a while, so I first want to say congrats on getting the 5D! Woa baby!

Second, follow your stomach! That's what us bloggers are known for.

Jeni

[donna]

Reid,
You can please some people some of the time but not all the people all of the time except me, and you please me all the time. Do what you do best and that is write and enjoy food no matter where that may be.

[I agree]

Hello. Sad to say but it has lost its focus from island fare to include mostly beyond-Hawai'i fare. This gives it some air of arrogance because how many local people can afford to travel to San Francisco, Hong Kong, and/or to the UK? So while your blog has evolved it has also evolved into focusing on food outside of Hawai'i which is sad to see.

[eieio]

Sorry but I gotta agree with Disappointed, Hopeful and Shannon. I keep coming back hoping to find new posts on local eateries but no such luck. It is your blog and you can do whatever the hell you want with it, but the sad truth is you're neglecting your core audience. Your site traffic will reflect that soon enough, I guess.

[Lester]

Jeez. The sense of entitlement that some of the people have around what you post and/or don't post is pretty shocking. If we were paying to see your blog, I guess I'd feel more comfortable in being "disappointed", but your blog should be an expression of yourself, not a service to others.

I, for one, am still hoping to see the Tartine post.

[anonymous]

Just a thought - Due to the nature of blogging, you must receive many negative comments. People behind a computer say many negative things that they would never ordinarily say.

My question is, why did this comment stand out to you? Did it confirm suspicions you already had about yourself?

[J Ohta]

I have been disappointed in your blog lately only because you have severly cut back the frequency of your posrs and what you chose to post has been mostly far from your home and up-scale.
You used to be so prolific in the amount and scope of your posts. I became a fan even though I rarely got to Hawaii.
It seemed to me that you either got burned-out or are shying away from attacks by people who took offence from your reviews. In any case, I hope you bounce back.
I'm still a big fan of your writting.

[Dan]

eieio, I don't see anyone saying "do what I say because I'm entitled to it" so being shocked about the comments seems melodramatic. If Reid suddenly decided to blog about cameras, wouldn't you say something? Of course you would. So consider theirs the comment card you might leave at a restaurant when the experience wasn't what you expected. Nothing more. BTW, I bring up the camera analogy because that's what I'm noticing lately. What used to be a well written blog has become a photo album, and I've been disappointed by that to be quite honest. Yeah the pictures are nice but the words say a lot more, and if you look back at the recent string of posts, the trend has moved to less words more pictures. Finally, I do agree with some of the previous comments. This food blog has turned a corner and has decided to write about restaurants that only "foodies" go to. I'm afraid it's become less attractive to me as a result. I too hope you bounce back and become the "every day" food blog that originally brought me here.

[Sami]

I think that most world travelers appreciate your blogs on food throughout the globe as I do! I found your UK blogs to be extremely interesting and only wished that you had written them before I went to the UK and not after! At the same time I wish that when you are on homebase, that you would blog a little more about local resturants since in the past I've always used your blog as a dining guide for Oahu. But either way I'll continue to read your blog - so blog on!

[guchi]

Howzit Reid,

I have enjoyed your stories over the years and have come back time and time again. Your blog is an invaluable resource for other foodies.

One point of view should not sway from your goal to bring back your opinions and views about today's food where ever it may be.

In my travels, from Okinawa, Cali, Denver, Austin and to D.C., I live by my stomach and look forward to your reviews and hope to use your recommendations in the cities I travel to.

Continue to move forward in the direction you feel is right for you; not for someone else. Life is too short.