No More Invites, Please

Almost as quickly as this blog had started accepting invitations to food tasting sessions, has it now decided to step away from all these invited sessions for good. In some ways you could say that I feel more relieved now, because I have always been hesitant about doing these invites especially after all that I have been observing in the local food blogging scene. For sure, it has been very flattering at the start to have been invited for these tastings as I thought it was a clear recognition of my blogging efforts, and it was also from these sessions that I found personal favourites in BLIC and Grand Hyatt's Oasis.


Unlike many other bloggers though, I dare say I was not easily buoyed by such flattery, and neither was I that desperate for free food. In fact, many other things came to my mind and it was only a matter of time before I was very sure this was not the direction that this blog should take. Amongst the myriad of considerations, three factors in particular played significant roles in influencing my decision.

Firstly, the notion of integrity in this blog is immensely important to me. While I know that I could defend some of these tastings as innocuous introductions to my readers, nevertheless I am aware that it would not be as easy if I were to start being very critical about some of the things I eat. As some have remarked before, it would be a great disservice to my readers if I cannot bring myself to be completely honest about my experience and if I'm obliged instead to be lenient.

I do know of some bloggers who are conceited enough (perhaps as a result of their "popularity" that they gather prematurely from the number of comments and blog hits that they get) to think that they can attend these tasting sessions and choose not to blog about it if they so choose to do so. Personally, I can't bring myself to do that because it shows disrespect to any chef who had tried to make an effort, and moreover I never believed in having a free lunch. Also, such bloggers are deluded to think that they are gourmets of the highest order (just by having a food blog for heaven's sake!), which is further exacerbated by those who continually dine in the most pretentious of places possible and then scorn everything else.

Which brings me to my second point on pride and fame. You can say that I have been increasingly disillusioned, if not disgusted as well, by some of the food bloggers who continually appear to be competing with one another for food tastings, whether it is by dishing out their namecards like sales pamphlets or by offering to do these tastings openly on their blogs. Even some girls on the night streets are more discreet. I have also heard stories of bloggers calling up the management like spoilt and pampered brats if they have been asked to abide by the restaurant's policy of "no photography", and all I can say is, I don't want to be like these people. This is just a food blog to share with you my own food experiences, and not as a platform for me to earn fame and start acting like a pathetic prima donna. I know I am better than this.

Finally, what has been very important to me is you readers. Since the start of 2010, the readership of this blog has somehow more than doubled and continues to increase by the day (bless you people!), and while I am honestly flattered, it also means that I now feel even more accountable for what I write. Inasmuch as this may be a personal blog and tastes are after all subjective, I do want to try my best to be as honest and as accurate as possible in my entries. This I believe can be helped by paying for my own food (so I can truly assess if it is indeed worth the money) as well as not having to be restrained by any obligations, moral or whatsoever.

I do wish to assert that nothing in this post should be taken as a personal attack on anybody, or neither does it mean that I am looking to severe ties with any of my fellow bloggers who are still very much intent on going for these food tastings. This decision to stop participating in such sessions is mine and mine alone, and has been determined by own principles. I am sure different bloggers must have had their own agendas when they started their food blogs, and thus I do not wish to impose my own values on others.

Essentially, this blog is for me to share my love for food and the joy of eating. It has never been for fame, fortune or free food, and I am very glad that I've finally decided to make a strong stand for what I believe in. Of course, I still do welcome any information from restaurants and eateries about their in-house offers, promotions and specialties, just like everyone else. I don't see why I should be treated any differently just because I have a DSLR camera and a blog.

And so, this is the direction that this blog will take. I can't say this is a "new" direction, because it's just keeping to what this blog believes in and what it has always set out to do: to share the love.

Cheers :)