http://blog.russelnod.com/2008/03/31/good-reviews-bad-reviews/ Covering the food scene in western Massachusetts, from its farms to its kitchens to its restaurants. Tue, 6 Jan 2009 05:39:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 http://blog.russelnod.com/2008/03/31/good-reviews-bad-reviews/#comment-621 Rosalie Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:00:51 +0000 http://blog.russelnod.com/2008/03/31/good-reviews-bad-reviews/#comment-621 "Being witty at someone’s expense is fun for the moment, but in print it lives past the moment . . . ." AMEN! I wish all reviewers -- and not only of restaurants -- would read these words before they sat down to write. The anonymity of print tempts writers to forget that the people involved in a project -- a restaurant, a play, a building -- were trying hard to do something good. Being told that you've failed is bad enough; the snarky, contemptuous voice of many reviews is cruel and unnecessary. “Being witty at someone’s expense is fun for the moment, but in print it lives past the moment . . . .” AMEN! I wish all reviewers — and not only of restaurants — would read these words before they sat down to write. The anonymity of print tempts writers to forget that the people involved in a project — a restaurant, a play, a building — were trying hard to do something good. Being told that you’ve failed is bad enough; the snarky, contemptuous voice of many reviews is cruel and unnecessary.

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