amateur hour...

probably not at all what you were thinking, but i get the best ideas right before i go to bed at night. for example last night i had the best idea for a blog post all about being a food critic, but by the time i woke up...i have no freaking clue what i thought up the night before!

maybe something a little like this:
how does one go about becoming an official food critic? i've read some a million reviews and yes they are insightful and sometimes entertaining, but what makes them an expert? i'm going to go on out there and say i have a pretty keen mouth when it comes to food. i can thank my dad for having a very experimental and global themed hand in the kitchen, which only expanded my love of all things food. so, why can't i be a food critic? i love food! i'm not afraid to sample anything, at least just once (except for anything with eyes still attached, anything formerly soft and cuddly (such as veal or lamb), or anything that uses organs from a body). the hubby has learned that i'll venture out to try a new restaurant based off of some review i found in some obscure magazine.

i've come to an understanding that expert critics (those who are paid for their opinions) usually don't have the typical taste buds of us common folk, and will rate a restaurant much higher or lower than it probably should be. so, this is why i look for real critics, like myself, in obscure local magazines or websites like Trip Advisor that allow regular people to post their thoughts on pretty much anything. case in point: we went to a restaurant while on vacation over the summer based on the recommendation of a friend. it was a horrible experience, and if i would have read the reviews, i would have known better than to go there in the first place. yes, my friend did suggest it, and she was mortified that we had such an awful time, but we should have listened to the other 13 people who said it was going to be a waste of time and money. now, that being said (and now being the 14th person on that site to say don't go to this place), i firmly believe that i'm a very capable food critic.

so, if you have a question about a place...i've probably been there and i'll probably tell you in all honestly if it's worth the hassle of trying yourself. and i'm not ashamed to say i like a few chain restaurants, but once they start messing with the menu or changing up ingredients, i'm out of there....