The latest Blog on Mien by First Pasta has drawn some concerns from readers from a particular forum. The concern was that since I was invited to take pictures, the food is somehow different from what a normal customer will be served.
I agree that this is a problem and I try to get around it by doing a few things.
1. By providing the disclosure at the end of the blog so that you know that a particular review was pre-arranged.
2. By providing links to other sources so that you can see what others say.
3. By allowing anyone to comment on the food. So if you feel differently, please write your comments to warn others. But please use constructive criticisms and avoid expletives.
4. By providing updates when I find that there is an overwhelming disparity between my review and the majority of readers.
I hope that by doing this, you will have enough information to make up your own opinion on the food. When there is no disclosure statement, you can assume that the photoshoot was done without prior arrangements with the stallowners.
The second most commonly asked Question
Another question that is most frequently asked is, “How come most of your ratings are 4 or above?”
To which I say:
1. These stalls are mostly recommended stalls by other forummers. At this stage, there are so many popular stalls in Singapore that other people rave about that I have a list that will last for quite a while!
2. People don’t realise that I don’t blog EVERYTHING I eat. I have many stalls’ pictures which I have decided not to post because it will be a waste of your time and your calories and I don’t like my work to affect the livelihood of others.
3. Nowadays I seldom eat alone as I always have other foodies joining me. My rating is also dependent on what the others think of the food.
4. The only time I would give a poor rating is when the stall is really famous but I find the food to be so so. I have to be careful here because it might just be a one off, so I usually state clearly what might have gone wrong that day.
At the end of the day, all I am trying to do is just to show you my pictures of the food that I consider worth eating. Taste is very subjective and sometimes the food is inconsistent. So the best thing to do is to go try the food yourself and write your review in the comments section! Everyone will benefit from it!
