There certainly seem to be some feathers flying over at Hobart Restaurant Snitch's blog site, judging by the comments on her most recent review of Marque IV.
This relatively controversial blogger, Shelley, really is putting the cat amongst the pigeons with her restaurant reviews. Her most recent one on Marque IV has just about drawn blood!
I'm finding her reviews quite confronting, and in-your-face. I wonder how long she can maintain the rage she appears to have?
Friday, 1 August 2008
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31 comments:
Hi Rita,
Saw you link to this site a couple of days ago & have read the posts but I thought it was someone taking the mickey.
Having read the last two from my neck of the woods I'm sure its not now.
I have just posted an invitaion to shelly to give us another go.
Why are you even responding to this person, the more attention she gets the more empowered she becomes!
Anon 10.47 you may be right.
From my own side of the fence I don't realy get the whole picture emerging.
On the one hand we have comments about expensive grog, expensive food, delusional chefs, under-performance etc. Well you often get what you pay for and this self admitted bitch does not like to pay for it but appears to want top quality for little outlay.
To be honest, I think perhaps she is the delusional one with a warped vision of the industry.
Its fine to criticise, even encourageable, but these comments seem macabre and unbalanced. I'll go one step further, I believe Shelley to be the author of half of her own responses.
Cartouche
At least im prepared to say it like it is rita. Unlike you.
Yes Shelly, Rita is a softie, a self confessed one at that. Look at the agony she went through over her review of Split. But I think she must like you . Why else would you be at the top of her blog list.
Personally, I find your blog so wonderfully awful I have to visit it every day, straight after I read Rita's blog.
Curly - Thank you for your defence of me, but I must explain that whoever has added another post to their blogsite rises to the top of my Blog List. It's not in any preferred order - hence Shelley being currently at the top of my list (because she was the most recent to post of all my listed bloggers). When any of my listed bloggers adds a new post to their blogsite, they then will rise to the top of my Blog List, so if Gobbler does one this morning, his blogsite link will be found at the top of the list.
Yes, this woman is agro, yes, she goes about it in completely the wrong way. However, finally someone is saying bad things about the places that we are all too scared to say bad things about because everytime someone does there is a massive backlash from all the regulars. I have been reading back issues (?) of this blog site and though I think this site is great, thought provoking and useful there is a bias toward certain places and the usual suspects wont let a bad word be said about their favourites. It is good to have somewhere where a different point of view is expressed and valid.
Just a hobart diner
here here, hobart diner
personally i see no real harm in the snitch, its really just one persons perspective... as is this site... that is what a blog is all about, is it not?
we all have opinions, voice them if you will.. but who are we to say someone's view is worthless?
nobody is forced to read the snitch, if you don't like it, avoid viewing it... common sense right?
personally i approve, i feel the more "hobart food" blogs we have the greater perspective we have.
g
silver fairy, come home, all is lost.
Freedom of the press is a wonderful thing. If you don't like a service, complain in your own language. But, if you are playing by those rules, be clever enough to know that unsubstantiated innuendo is libellous.
Thanks all, for your contribution to this.
In particular I agree 100% with what Just a Hobart Diner says, and also g. There IS a bias towards certain places here on this blog, and "the usual suspects won't let a bad word be said about their favourites".
I don't, and can't defend myself against that, because, as I've stated countless times on this blog, my firm belief is that the opinions on this blog are merely those of me. One sole person on this earth. They matter not one iota, and shouldn't sway anyone. Everyone needs to make up their own mind about these things.
The difference here is that I publicly share my own thoughts and opinions, and leave them open to scrutiny and public debate - which happens continually. As in everything in life, some people agree, and others disagree, and that's fine. If I didn't want anyone to disagree, I wouldn't broadcast these opinions.
I too think it's good to have another voice on the blogging scene, expressing opinions that many might think, but not express. At least it's out there for debate anyway, even if you DO disagree.
I like it, there is nothing wrong with being a bit harsh and quite frankly many places around Hobart could do with bad reviews.
However it all comes down to how closely the authors tastes mirror your own. Shelly can tear strips off as many of the states top restaurants as she wishes however when your favourite bar is 'the Metz' then I for one give you absolutly no credence at all! How can you attack Marque IV but then praise the Metz? Madness!
I agree with 'just looking..', there is a difference between critique and libel. Perhaps that's why the post on Pear Ridge has been reviewed from Shelley's blog.
Get over yourselves.
Obviously its the restaurateurs, cafe owners & chefs are the ones getting shitty with Shellys opinion.
Some of us are tired of being shouted down if we dare say anything negative.
I love her blog.
I agree with you Forde Montgomery, if the Snitch’s favourite bar is Metz then she has no credibility. I went there once, never to return, it was a very gross experience. On her blog site she says the reason she likes Metz is because she got a lucky shag from one of the grease-ball waiters. Let’s hope that’s true.
Personally Rita, I prefer to read criticism from someone who I know to be qualified to give it.
We have no idea if this Bitch/Snitch has any legitimate claim to being an expert on food as we do not know her - she hides behind the artificially contrived comic-book character she has chosen for her online self. But her mandate for only finding the negative suggests that she is only interested in being sensational rather than instructive. So all we have to go on are her �reviews�, which are uniformly lacking in objectivity, intellect and knowledge of her subject. When combined with her preference for the negative and her venomous way of expressing her feelings, it leaves the reader struggling to respect her views, regardless of how titillating they might be.
She would no doubt defend herself by claiming hers are the views of an off-the-street customer but she would be deluding herself. She has chosen to be nothing more than an entertainer from who we have come to expect a bit of obtuse and boorish behaviour. She is a court jester, brightly clad and noisy, here only to offend, attract attention and illicit a reaction. She is like the loud, abusive drunk at a party, the one who gets louder as more and more people turn their backs on her, until finally she leaves, oblivious to her own behaviour.
I think her blog (and I read it often) is as entertaining as yours is informative Rita, but do not let anyone be fooled that this is 'reviewing'. It is not balanced, it is not informed and it is not honest. This blogger prefers to deliver moronic personal insults rather than intelligent dialogue, comforted by the protection of her anonymity and the knowledge that she is attracting attention to herself.
A couple of thoughts:
Thanks to the digital revolution the ability to broadcast drivel while maintaining a cloak of anonymity has never been easier. Libel lawyers will have a field day.
Critique is one thing but spite and vitriol is another. Treat people with the respect and decency that you would like to be treated yourself.
Why is everyone assuming "Shelley" is a female? My guess it's a disaffected male chef in their late 20's, early 30's, who believes his prodigious talents have never gained the respect they deserve. What a wanker.
MB
Good on ya Anon 8.57! Looks like you have her measure. Couldn't have put it better myself!
Anon 9.11 I think who ever it is they enough problems without you adding gender reassignment to their list!
I think Shelly is making it up from menus.
No one gets around that much in such a short time. They'd have to be on the road all the time.
Or else it's a bunch of them having a laff.
Didn't Hobart Restaurant Bitch say she'd be back with not a good word to say about anyone?
And the blog format of Snitch is the same as Bitch. Hello.....
The thought occured to me to Sir G.
I also agree with anon 8:57.
I do check out her comments but find it hard to take seriously any comment made.
But the more the merrier I suppose as long as we all make our own minds up as to where she's coming from.
I know Rita to be an informed and reliable source of info, we may not always agree, and I will still check out somewhere for myself, but I do appreciate this blog so much.
It seems to me that the lawyers are at work on shelley, judging by the removal of the Pear Ridge review. If I was libeled by her, I would be ringing Pear Ridge for the name of their legal firm immediately.
The last time I looked which was one minute ago the Pear Ridge review was still on Shelly's site. What's more I believe her review was spot on.
What state are you in mehitabel? And are you saying it's unhygienic too?
Yep she was spot on with Pear Ridge! The problem for them is if they want to sue then they have to prove that Shelly was wrong!
No, she has to prove that she is right.
I'm definitely going to Pear Ridge now. I haven't heard a bad word about it. A family friend has been a few times and never had a problem.
I'll make my own mind up, it's one of my few remaining pleasures! (I am kidding).
I support them for having the balls to take a rubbish paddock and do something with it.
It may not be my style of building but they've landscaped and made it pleasant.
Come on people, let's support our team.
I won't be pushed into hasty judgments by anyone. So there.
Pear Ridge, I'm on my way. (They'll be SO chuffed).
Oh sir G don't do it...I went there with family and it was the WORST dining experience we have EVER had...it was dreadful they forgot to get drinks in fact they forgot to even ask if we wanted them,(I still cant believe..they were very busy) the soup was like dirty dish water the pie was inedible and had a serve of the oldest most over cooked chips ever. It was embarrasing to be calling them part of the hospitality trade.I know this is very harsh but it seems I have heard same story from at least 4 other couples.
Oh, fluffy...now I can't resist!
But thankyou for your heads up.
SPAMMER GO AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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