It’s all bullshit folks, and it’s bad for ya.
It almost seems impossible to read a food publication without seeing the word “best” in the title. What does it mean? Who decided that every mainstream media writer is the ultimate authority on what my palate and olfactory senses deem extraordinary? Why aren’t these articles written as opinions? How can I trust your words if they feel like blatant lies to me? Why does food culture accept this grotesque use of the word “best?” Let’s replace “best” with “favorite.”
I read articles or lists and grow frustrated with the writers because they are often biased. A list of high-end or indecorously popular restaurants cannot be the best in every category, nor does celebrity endorsement prove anything. Food is ever-evolving and fluid, so it’s hard to pinpoint with any certainty what is truly phenomenal. Let’s take In-N-Out for example, an excellent California burger establishment with staying power that has been named “best” in several categories. Are they really the best the west coast has to offer? If so, then what is one to think of places like Daglas Drive-in, Hodad’s, The Nugget Bar and Grill, Kahuna Grill, Dogwood Diner, Redrum Burger, and Slater’s 50/50?
I agree that individuals are entitled to their own verbal or written opinion on what they feel is the “best,” as everything is subjective. My issue is not with individuals, however, but with mass media circuits like LA Times Food, LA Weekly, The Daily Meal, Thrillist, BuzzFeed Food, Eater, Huffington Post, dineLA, and others who put out the “best…” articles without any unshakable support. These organizations have built a reputation and brand which causes them to be respected as food authorities, yet I feel they guide us down the wrong paths. I do not want the same regurgitated list presented to me in different forms by different authors.
This dilution of the term “best” has to be a mass undertaking. I understand that it is done for SEO, traffic, and page rank. However, at what point did passion for food get replaced by a desire for more Google results? When I step out of my role as a content creator and influencer and walk in the shoes of Johnnie B. Hungry, I need sources that I can trust to guide me to exceptional experiences, cultures, lifestyles, and culinary prowess. Instead of a list of “101 Best Restaurants in America,” give me a list of 11 restaurants you adore and eat at often or throughout the year. I do not care about “L.A.’s 9 Best April Openings East of La Brea.” Content and content searches begin with us, not the consumer. If we change the way we write, eventually, they will change the way they search.
This battle between marketing and passion is ours. I will stand boldly and lead, will you join me?
Note: The image above is NOT a collage of my “best” foods but of my “favorite” foods and captures, recently.
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