Platter Full Of Snarks

Food crictis and restaurants feed off each other but a free mail is blackmail

- Lachmi Deb Roy

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defence of the ‘new’. The world is often unkind to new talent...

Anton Ego, Ratatouille (2007)

Restaurant food never tasted so good before the five-star ratings, user reviews, blogs/ vlogs, and photos of a rictus-stricken smile in front of a suicidal pile of plates were pasted and posted on the internet wall. Well, a lot of us will disagree and rightfully so. How could reviews and pictures of a platter of technicolour kababs slathered with ghee draw us into a new, boho, uptown eatery? They do. And many of us scroll through those posts before placing our order. We make an influenced choice—not swayed by word of mouth, neither by the write-up of an erudite food critic in the weekend section. We follow what the “food influencers” are rating/reviewing/posting.

Who are these people? They are everybody. Anyone who eats food is a critic/influencer/blogger these days. They are mostly freelancers. A mix of total newbies, for whom food not only palliates hunger but their self­absorbing narcissism as well, such as ‘likes’ and upvotes on social media. There are semi­novice foodies and some competent pros. And there are snarkologists compulsively critiquing every morsel they chomp or swallow whole.