A few weeks ago, we all had our say regarding our thoughts and feelings about the Taste. Many of you agreed with me and my not-so-enthusiastic opinion about it. Notably one of my regular commenters, Anon2, who I know with certainty to be a very firm Taste fan, took up the pro-Taste challenge.
Now, let me pose a question to one and all. Suppose you, and only you, were asked for specific things that the organisers could do to make Taste 2008 a much better event than it has been in previous years - what would you actually suggest? What do you think is tangibly do-able? Here, in Hobart, now?
Come on! We can't just diss the event and not have something positive to replace it with, or ideas to bring it to a standard where we might actually want to attend it.
It would be more useful to give some feedback pertaining to the actual product of the Taste – the food and wine experience. What/who was good and what made it/them better than the rest? What/who was missing? Is the event too big, too long, too ambitious? Should you have to pay to go to the Taste (providing revenue to improve the product)? What are your practical thoughts on the venue?
Ultimately, I want to know why, how and where this event fails, given that some of the organizers and selection committee are prominent local foodies and therefore should be as aware of the disappointing aspects as much as you people are.
Sir Grumpy, and others. You were quite vocal regarding the 'crap' aspect of Taste. Can I ask the question that if YOU were King or Queen of Hobart, what would you do to make the Taste experience something we would all like to go to?
Sunday, 13 January 2008
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31 comments:
Bulldoze the shed, make a parkland with the land and leave it the @#!% alone! How many food festivals does a small state need!
Food Nazi!
Hi Food Nazi - that's not good enough! I already KNOW you hate it! Assuming it's going to keep going, and will add to what you say is already enough food festivals in Tassie, what would you do to make it so even YOU might be tempted to go along?
SEATING!! (not everyone comes with a group to "bags" tables)
Really random idea, a booklet that you can pick up BEFORE taste or as you walk in with what everyone is offering foodwise and with prices. It could also note potential allergens for those of us with allergies. This may help the traffic flow WITHIN the shed. Thats the big thing, people wandering around looking at stuff and there is no logical flow.
Designated queueing areas for the more popular stalls.
Quite area that isn't assulted by random and vague and loud music.
Sorry for the long list Rita, but I desperately want to like taste, and these seem to be logical steps to make things better.
Ditching those stalls who don't really contribute to the food scene in Tassie I mean Fish Frenzy..? I don't think deep friend imported & processed seafood is really showcasing the fantastic produce and cuturally diverse food scene we have in Tasmania.
Blunstones? I mean sure they are a major sponsor as well but that area could be used for alot more seating. Let's not mention the link between footwear and food?
Perhaps it could be an option to consider leasing some of the car parking space that's next to the taste? could provide for more room for seating and extra stalls.
Just my two cents.
Off the topic but did anyone else read Graham Phillips review of Dome in todays merc. In it he complained about the manager not getting back to him regarding a querie & at the time of writing he had been waiting a whole 18 hours!
I know of several people who haev tried to contact Mr Phillips & he hasn't bothered to respond at all.
Pot calling the kettle black.
1. Stop being so precious about the Taste - admit that it has problems and don't get personally offended.
2. Keep the shed, as is. Sure it needs a minor tidy up but it's a fantastic piece of architecture and defines the waterfront as a working port rather than a tourist trap (i.e Darling Harbour).
3. Stalls - More cooking to order, less pre-prepared/bain marie foods.
4. Variety - more tasting plates from PRODUCERS, less second outlets for waterfront restaurants (Fish Frenzy et al).
5. Keep the heart of the Taste in the shed - add other areas for more casual picnic style eating (CSIRO grounds, Battery Point Boat Park, Parliament lawns).
6. More toilets! The more there are the cleaner they stay.
7. Stop treating it as a PR vechile for the Aldermen of the day.
8. Encourage chefs insted of restaurants to have stalls - let the stall represent what the chef wants to do with our local produce, rather than an established restaurant brand. Award innovation rather than popularity/mediocrity.
Good on you Rita for being positive and proactive about this!
I actually love the taste, but I'm sure that it's mostly to do with the social aspect rather than the food quality - I use it as an excuse to catch up with friends over a bottle (or several) of wine in the sun. I usually end up going at least once every day. But the main way I think it needs improving is to get some decent fresh food alternatives - everything seems to be fried or battered or just plain fatty... I'm talking MORE VEGETABLES. After a week of eating at the taste, I really felt like i was about to get scurvy...
Perhaps the problems with the taste are indicative of the general problem in Tas, that we export most of our Grade A quality ingredients and keep the lesser quality stuff in the state. I'd love to see a Government that proactively supports our hospitality/ service industries and keeps our quality produce in the state... but that's a whole different rant.
Hi lovely Rita
Yes, I want to acknowledge again my liking for the Taste as a highlight of my year. I suspect that whatever changes were made, short of new location and/or restricting stalls to top-end gourmet with matching prices, those who dislike large numbers of people in holiday mood would still fail to find the 'environment' accommodating to their comfort zone.
HOWEVER, even I am not blind to the need for improvements if the event is to continue successfully into the future. So, I will make a few humble observations and reflections.
1) I am certainly not greatly enamoured to the shed itself and NEVER eat in there. I don't think it has any genuine heritage or architectural virtue and would be happy to see it go. I DO NOT think that it would be necessary to replace it with yet another large and ugly modern structure out of keeping with the waterfront's heritage buildings. FOOD NAZI may not have been too wide of the mark when he suggested demolition and parkland! An intriguing idea, not mine, was suggested to me by a cab driver on our way there this year. Demolish building, establish parkland (real / artificial or mix) with appropriate walkways. Design a flexible, movable structure based on pylons, framing, seating and sail cloth, to accommodate large numbers. Some other permanent structures for cooking etc with state of art electrical and plumbing would also be needed. All designs would be need to be easily and quickly adaptable to other purposes during rest of the year. I suspect such a design would be FAR cheaper than building yet another large permanent building. WHATEVER, any future for the TASTE must retain the location at the waterfront and not spread out and become diffuse around different locations.
2)The TASTE should always essentially be a party and not attempt to be a restaurant experience. There is always a need to improve standards of comfort and seating. Regarding noise from music. Dividing event into smaller, partially sound insulated location for performers, with larger, music free, eating area may be a solution.
3) I DO think that the stalls should generally continue to emphasise the Tasmanian wine connection and foods that are not compromised by sitting and waiting in warming trays for customers. I personally have no problems with FISH FRENZY. There have to be some 'kiddy friendly' foods or their will be no families there!!! Their food is of generally excellent quality and freshness and IS Tasmanian product.
Cheers
Anon2
Thank you all for your very worthwhile contributions to this post.
I was going to have my say as well, but my suggestions were pretty much as expressed by Forde.
Maybe someone might take up a few of your eminent suggestions for Taste 2008. We live in hope!
Rita,
Good to see on Friday nite, sorry you couldn't stay to hear my set. I kept trying to hurry the boys up but they all insisted on playing big long sets. I didn't get offstage until 1am. Lordy.
That's all rock and roll. ;)
A
There are some good ideas out there.
I would like to make the point that the Taste has such a broad appeal & that it means different things to many people. Some punters are happy with Fish & chips whilst other like myself see it as an opportunity to try something new. Tourists on the other hand will probably be seeking a food experience unique to Tasmania. A few have complained at the standard of food & particularly being put off by Baine-maries. Unfortunately catering to large numbers requires serving food this way in a lot of cases to it is almost unavoidable.
Leo wrote a while back that the event needs to be marketed with a bit more sophistication & razzle dazzle. To a point I agree but I would be interested to see what proportion of Taste attendees are tourists & locals. By the comments on Ritas blog I’d say that heaps are local & look forward to it every year. So a slick marketing campaign & its cost increase might alienate its core attendees whilst making the event more expensive. This might provide all the impetus for those who want to see a entry price initiated which I feel will dramatically reduce numbers. It will also make it more ‘exclusive’.
At present it may be a flawed concept but it is very egalitarian & in a world that in becoming more the haves & have nots, its good to see a real cross section of punters enjoying it for differing reasons but enjoying it all the same.
Like Rita, i didn't bother with the Taste this year. Which is a pity, because there are elements of it that showcase magnificent food and wine. And I agree that even Fish Frenzy has its place, but still roll my eyes at the crowds in front of it. Like Tassie gal, I hate having to (1)"bag" a seat, (2)guard it while your fellow tasters wander off to do the circuit, (3)fend off jabs in the back from people queueing at the stall behind your table (4) try and find your own food and get back to your table before your friends have finished and then (5) someone giving you the evileye because you don't relinquish your seat the minute you have finished the last bite. In past years we have either fried in the sun, or nearly got blown away.
All of these hates are underlined by the sheer inadequacy of the venue. The shed itself is the problem. Removing the shed does not and should not mean moving the Taste. There are many bits of permanent and movable infrastructure that could be used on that site, collaboratively by HCC AND State govt - hosting not only the Taste but many other events. When not eventing, it can open up the glorious waterfront as public open space. NOT carparking, and NOT another swilling trough for those who believe Salamanca's only use is to get pissed as quickly and as cheaply as possible while roaming with a herd.
I would also be happy to pay a per head charge, quite separate from food, to have some reserved seating at times other than New Years Eve.
That's all. :)
Clearly great minds think alike Rita!
I don't think you can say the event failed, Rita.
Attendances seemed healthy, and everyone with an``interest'' raved about it.
I stayed well away.
I also don't think I can suggest any ``improvements'' Rita. I CAN just diss it and walk away.
For me it is the opposite of anything I want out of a food experience.
So, nothing I say will have any relevance. Those who go can pitch in on seating, prices, etc etc.
I won't EVER be going, even if free Theakston's was being poured, so it wouldn't be relevant for me to say.
I wish it would go away, so do some poor cafe-restaurant owners around town and in North Hobart who struggle while it is on.
Do they do foam at Taste?
Gobbler & Kitty - very thoughtful pieces - thank you.
Forde - clearly!
Sir Tasteless - you clearly really DO hate it - but I heard about a proposal for a foam stand there for Taste 2008. It will include such taste sensations as:
cray foam
cheese foam
smoked atlantic salmon foam
oyster foam
apple foam
pepperberry foam
Lee Christmas Pork foam
olive oil foam
Gunns walnut foam
and so the list could go on...!!
Well - it IS called Taste of Tas!
OK, we'll rename it Foams of Tas - just for you! (Now I'm being childish - sorry!)
Interesting stuff. Quite apart from issues around the type and quality of the produce of the Taste (I agree that it does to an extent be all things to all people), the major issue is the venue. To suggest that the shed is still part of a working port is farcical. Go across to Macquarie Wharf if you want to see a working port. All PW1 is used for is 10 days for ToT (that's less than 3% of the days in a year) and the rest of the time a car park.
Let's move on from 1940's industrialism (if you really want a trip down memory lane go and get misty-eyed over at PW2) and remove PW1. Use ingenuity and creativity to redesign the area allowing for multiple uses including ToT and public open space, while showcasing our Salamanca heritage. Start by rationalising the roads and parking in the area.
This is exactly what the Sullivan's Cove Waterfront Authority is supposed to be doing, but all we have seen in the last 2 and a half years is fiddling at the edges- to a cynic like me it is clearly apparent they are "holding out" on PW1 area to maximise the Govt's sale proceeds in the future. Maybe it's time to ask/demand them to declare their hand on this precinct?
MB
Yes, Forde gave me a chuckle when he descibed the shed as a fantastic piece of architecture.
Must be one of those who think the ``architecturally'' designed boxes we often see given awards in the papers are beautiful.
I agree with tassiegal's suggestions, but even if it changes, I would only go once a year as I feel for all the cafe/restaurants that struggle while the taste is on.
It's not my problem that you are all architectural philistines. It's not about it 'being' a working port. It is about the history of being a working port. I fail to see how having a big empty box on the waterfront is a bad thing, it's perfect multi-use space. You just have to look at the failure of Mawson's place to see why putting in 'public space' is just a pointless experiment in Utopian idealism. People need 'things and events' not space. Awesome building, a tidy up is all it needs. Think of all the Georgian/Deco/etc/etc buildings that have been knocked down because they weren't trendy at the time!
The reason Mawson Place doesn't work, Forde, old chum, is that it is ANOTHER UGLY HARD-SURFACED area.
Some grass, a tree or two for shade, a water feature bubbling away perhaps. Instead we got a ``working area'' interpretation again...and people have voted with their lack of feet.
MAWSON AND the SHED are the SAME problem. You don't get it. Open space ain't the problem it's what you DO with that space.
Why not devote the space to a theme park based on icons of Tasmania! The attractions could include:
Quick growing Tall timber forest-to be harvested yearly, pulped on site & turned into bogroll.
Mini salmon ponds where the fish are harvested daily & mulched into seafood extender.
A giant Blunstone boot, a really huge one able to fit the growing army of people who cant afford public housing, to live in.
A Cadburys chocolate fountain that will bring out the Augustus Gloop in all of us.
An avenue of heroes promenade, paying homage to all of Tasmania's captains of industry who have made a dollar out of her natural resources
Any more thoughts?
I still believe that the "foodies" world includes a lot of people who, for quite understandable reasons, will never enjoy any large scale event, whatever improvements are introduced. Considering the rather extreme responses to Rita's initial review of the 2007 Taste, they also enjoy dumping on such an event. I found the results very entertaining and enlightening to read and don't think that those who expressed their liking for the event were being either 'precious' or 'getting offended' by criticisms of the event(Forde Montgomery). I am heartened by the generally more sober responses and constructive ideas to Rita's latest comments on the Taste. By the way, I do agree with Sophie that we need MORE VEGETABLES at the Taste. Also interesting to see the different opinions of the SHED.
Anon2
Sir Phylis Stein you prove my point in relation to Utopian Idealism. No matter what, the people that call for 'open space' will never be quite happy with what they get, it will always have problems for them. Mawsons place failed because their is nothing there, much as there would be nothing there if the shed was pulled down and grass put in (btw David Walsh has already proposed this and it got knocked back). There is already grass and shade on the Salamanca lawns, even car parking is better than pointless replication.
Anon2 on the other hand 'enjoy dumping on the event' proves my point regarding people getting upset at constructive criticisms.
Forde, the shed is ugly, Mawson is ugly and barren. In a generally cool-temperate climate it is particularly wise to avoid concrete and grey and especially grey concrete.
Even in warmer climes concrete unpainted is awful.
We want somthing ATTRACTIVE and welcoming.
I don't like the taste because big crowds and mayhem are not my thing.
That's why I said it would be pointless for me to offer my two-bob's worth about the food, tables etc.
But since you press on, I reiterate,: The shed is Ugly; Mawson is Ugly.
As the last annonymous said, foodies gerally don't like mass events like Taste.
Utopian Idealism...what's wrong with that, apart from the fact some bugger would actually use it to slight those of us who kind of like BEAUTY.
I think it's funny that Forde montgomery believes that my use of the phrase 'dumping on the event' indicates that I'm offended by criticism. It's simply an observation of what happened. I positively enjoy our banter and disagreements on our 'hobby horses'. There are far more important issues in life to get iritated or offended by.
Anon2
Sorry anon2 but the whole tone of your post showed an underlying dislike for criticism - declaring all knockers as 'foodies,' declaring the responses extreem, etc, etc. I find it funny that you try to deny it.
Princess wharf is good architecture as is Mawsons place. Put in a couple of cafes/bars/restaurants in the ground floor of the marine bldg and Mawsons place would spring to life. If you want to knock something down try either the Sheraton or Zero Davey.
Citing more ugly can't save Mawson and Princes (not Princess) Forde.
I suspect you are an architect or a town planner.
Out of step with everybody else and so sure your opinion is not opinion but truth.
I don't like those places, Mawson, Princes....others may. But if you want to make Mawson more popular, you have to bend to mainstream tastes.
That may offend elitists but it's just the way of things.
Loads (shedloads of people like Taste). Good on them, but most of those also think it could be better in SOME Ways. That's what we should try for.
I doubt if your elitist views would be of any help.
As a non-goer, neither would mine.
Sorry, forde montgomery, but 'foodies' is simply a nice descriptive term for people who are interested in food. I consider myself one of those. I fear you 'gild the lily' somewhat in ascribing too much emotional weight and judgement to comments made simply for the sake of carrying forward a discussion. Lighten up!
Anon2
Yes, Forde, lighten up. Or maybe there's a town planners' blog you can join in on.
Or an architects' one.
Go Gobbler!!
Kzee
I have enjoyed this exchange, thanks Rita for getting it going!
Forde, I have to disagree with your words:
"Put in a couple of cafes/bars/restaurants in the ground floor of the marine bldg and Mawsons place would spring to life." In relation to Mawson place.
If you take Melb Docklands as an example, developers have done exactly this & it seems to be the practice of every person erecting a building these days, bung in a cafe or restaurant to giv ethe place a heartbeat. However it dosn't mean that it will be successful & as a result many of these cafes have closed or are frequently changing hands.
I actually dont mind the shed as it were but apart from my piss taking suggestion I feel a public space would be more beneficial to everyone.
Just my thoughts.
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