Posts Tagged ‘short’
Phil Lees going postal
It’s a storm in a teacup. Phil Lees over at Last Appetite has thrown down his ethical gauntlet stating, “I’ve decided to go postal on any food bloggers accepting free shit from public relations folk.” Going postal means he is going to nofollow any links to your blog and mark on his list of Australian food blogs with a dollar sign if you have accepted “cash or other incentives” for comment.
It’s an interesting point he’s raising and there is some good conversation in the comments, some people are offended others are applauding. It’s interesting because Phil is one of the only paid food bloggers in Australia, a point he is very happy to make. So to some extent it’s all a bit of the pot calling the kettle somewhere between grey and black.
Personally, I believe the rule of full disclosure on blogs works and those who don’t disclose should be named and shamed. Readers deserve to know conflicts of interest and be allowed to make up their own opinion. I’m sure this is exactly how Phil sees what he is doing, an exercise in disclosure.
At the end of the day, its one man and his blog and a dollar sign and a nofollow link probably aren’t going to make a difference to any of the affected blogs. Each blogger has their own appeal to their readers and this isn’t going to change that.
In the interest of full disclosure, someone has paid me to use so many cliches in a blog post.
Vinography in Australia
One of my favourite wine bloggers, Alder Yarrow, is currently in Australia checking out a few of our wine regions (the trip is sponsored by Wine Australia and Tourism Australia). I’ve long been a fan of his writing, the focus on people and place is something I believe is sorely missing in the traditional wine media and I’m really excited that it is Australia’s turn. From his Twitter account and inital post, it seems he started in the Yarra Valley, has been to Heathcote, Beechworth, King Valley, Mclaren Vale and is now in the Barossa Valley.
If you are interested in his adventures in Australian wine, I will keep the following list up to date.
- Yarra Yering (my favourite Yarra Valley wines)
- Castagna Winery – Beechworth
- Artisans of the Barossa Valley
Confused Governor General doesn’t know what to do with Wine
Update: I have just published the full list of wine in the Governor General’s wine cellar.
An article in The Age today discusses the problem that Governor General Quentin Bryce (who doesn’t drink often) and her teetotalling husband have with their inheritance of a pretty amazing wine cellar. The article suggests that they are thinking about selling it, donating some of it to charity or something else. They also don’t want to serve it to guests because they don’t want to be seen to be extravagant.
Personally, I don’t see the problem here. Let me put it this way. Wine is meant to be drunk. If you don’t want to serve a nice bottle of wine to your guests then don’t. You are only going to come across looking cheap and promoting the idea to your international guests that Australian wine is cheap and shit. Doesn’t sound like something most people would do, given the choice.
This wine isn’t going to go bad, in fact it’s only going to get better. It’s not yours to sell, but it is yours to drink. Stop whinging like a kid that can’t spend your inheritance fast enough. Either enjoy it, or leave it for the next person.
Abbotsford Farmers Market tomorrow
The monthly Abbotsford Farmers Market is on tomorrow at the Abbotsford Convent (and the Collingwood Children’s Farm). I know the produce is great (especially the dude that sells vac packed meat) and I do I find it entertaining watching all the 30 something new parent’s wearing their ultra cool colourful sneakers but it’s a bit far across town to make the trip that early. There are however a few foodie types going pretty early (around 9:30).