Interesting Aside about the Honolulu Advertiser

I check the Advertister's website almost daily. In addition to reading (occassionally) interesting articles about news and everyday life in Hawaii, I REALLY enjoy finding out about local restaurants. It's been my experience that Hawaii has some of the yummiest and most unique cuisine in the world. So, you'll understand my chagrin when I clicked on the restaurants section last week only to find the newest review to be of T.G.I. Friday's!

Horror!

Anyway, posted below is an email that I sent to the reviewer and the horrific response that he sent me!

I think the below exchange may provide some insight into the way things work down at the Advertiser's office.

Subject: T.G.I. Friday's? C'mon...

Aloha,

As most who've had the opportunity to visit your great state, I love Hawaii. I love the culture, the climate, the people, the landscape, the music, and, in particular, the cuisine. Hawaii has great restaurants, many of which are locally owned and unique to the islands. Living in London, England, I enjoy reading about such restaurants in online version of the Advertiser. I was, however, greatly dismayed and a bit disappointed to find that, from an archipeligo of gastronomic delights, the restaurant you chose to review was, sadly, T.G.I Friday's. I suggest doing yourself a favour, digging a little bit deeper, and discovering all the yummie food that surrounds you, and sharing some of these discoveries with your readers.

Mahalo,
Chris Osburn

Subject: Re: T.G.I. Friday's? C'mon...

Thanks for writing, Chris.

Your ignorance of the way a newspaper works is evident in your letter above. TGI Fridays is a huge and successful enterprise and that fascinates a lot of people. My exploration into what makes them so good at what they do was embraced by everyone except yourself, at least in the emails I have received.

I review everything; low end, high end places, and occasionally a chain restaurant like TGI Fridays. Do yourself a favor and open up to the world around you.

Keep reading the Advertiser!

Matthew Gray
Honolulu Advertiser Restaurant Reviewer
[email protected]
...making the world a better place...to eat.

See many of my Restaurant Reviews at
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/current/en/dining

This saga shall continue.

Tiki Chris

[ Edited by: tiki chris on 2002-08-12 02:59 ]

That's just hilarious!! Tears welled up in my eyes with mirth after reading that astonishing response. Talk about missing the point!

C'mon Chris, open your eyes, buy a Big Mac, drink a cold Bud!

Trader Woody

Atta Boy Chris

Would'nt you just like to slap the poi out of someone like that!

Trustar

What an ass! Your letter was well written, complimentary, had a friendly tone, and made a good point. His reply was really rude. You must have hit a nerve. Maybe a few dozen of us should poke at that nerve with some more e-mails to "Chef Matthew".

Aloha,

I love people who love my home! I like the way you started the article. You got the Aloha in your blood!
This Haole at the newspaper on the other hand Is the reason other Haole's that come to the islands get a bad rep and get beat down by local boys like me. I don't do that anymore though, I just say " DAM Haoles put your camera down and watch where your going! haha". that guy leaves a bad taste in my mouth. As we say here "No Worries"!!! He's just ignorant to the Aloha spirit! That's what my mom would always say.

Live Aloha!
Gecko

Yeah I'd like to smack him in his BIG pompus head with a Humuhumunukunukuapua`a :evil:

[ Edited by: tikimug on 2002-08-10 12:42 ]

...I just say " DAM Haoles put your camera down and watch where your going! haha".

Believe me, if I ever go to Hawaii I'll do my best to keep Kodak in business.
I'll want to remember every minute of my visit. Is there a way to do this without being obnoxious to the locals? I certainly wouldn't want to appear like a dumb tourist, but I want pictures, too!

The first paying job I ever had in journalism was standing on a street corner for two hours counting the number of commuters in cars for the Honolulu Advertiser. They were doing a story on traffic congestion. This was totally boring, so I just averaged the number of people I saw during the first ten minutes and fudged the rest of the research. That's how newspapers really work!

Aloha Biotron,

Take as many pictures as you want brah! Just don't take them while you are DRIVING!
The driver is pointing to the passenger what to take a picture of while swerving in my lane. Have a little Aloha when u get here, forget that you're in crazy California and do what u came here to do...relax, slo down,
Marinate! Like us locals, we like move slo brah!

Live Aloha

I actually agree with Matthew Gray and think is smark alek response was quite justified! Just look at the guy's record - he generally focuses on the local homegrown stuff, and even points out in his article that he doesn't often write about mainland-based chain restaurants. If you're going to take your time (and your target's time) to criticize someone, at least have a worthwhile point.
Needlessly criticizing people isn't aloha in my book.

On 2002-08-10 22:45, kahukini wrote:
Just look at the guy's record . . . If you're going to take your time (and your target's time) to criticize someone, at least have a worthwhile point.
Needlessly criticizing people isn't aloha in my book.

Looking at the guy's record I see that, in the past month, Chef Matt has reviewed two chain restaurants (T.G.I. Friday's & Roy's).

Considering that I usually read Chef Matt's articles within a day of being posted on the website, I feel as though I am quite familiar with his style, choice of establishments, and to a lesser extent the reasoning behind why he reviews as he does.

Based upon my observation of Chef Matt's record, I wouldn't go so far as to say that "he generally focuses on the local homegrown stuff," at least not the "homegrown stuff." However, please feel free to read through his articles and come to your own conclusions.

In my humble opinion, Chef Matt has in the near past done a decent job of picking establishments. However, I wouldn't say he's done that great of a job actually reviewing them. I just wonder why he chose to review T.G.I. Friday's. It seems like a lack of inspiration to me, which surprised me because there seems to be a lot of great eating establishments around Honolulu.

So you see, Kahukini, as a regular reader of Chef Matt's articles, I did look at the guy's record and think it was time I drop him a line of constructive critism.

In closing, although I am a bit distressed by the tone of your post, I wholeheartedly agree with your statement that "needlessly criticizing people" isn't "aloha." How true!

Tiki Chris

[ Edited by: Tiki Chris on 2002-08-11 01:35 ]

When people ask me how I can despise the christian church and other oppressive belief systems and still logically be an old-skool personal freedom liberal, I respond that "yes I am intolerant, of intolerance itself."
It's not always a logical fallacy to engage in an act you find erroneous!

On 2002-08-11 08:28, kahukini wrote:
It's not always a logical fallacy to engage in an act you find erroneous!

Thanks for the friendly advice.

Take it easy,
:drink:
Chris

[ Edited by: Tiki Chris on 2002-08-11 14:55 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Chris on 2002-08-11 14:56 ]

On 2002-08-10 04:10, Trader Woody wrote:

C'mon Chris, open your eyes, buy a Big Mac, drink a cold Bud!

Trader Woody

Actually, I should probably just kick back, pop open a Miller High Life & crank up some Buffet!!!!!

Or maybe I'll just slip on down to the Hard Rock Cafe & chill for awhile.

:wink:

[ Edited by: Tiki Chris on 2002-08-11 15:00 ]

OK,
I think I have this down. It's like this. A critic publishes a critique, he is then criticized for his critique. Someone else then,criticizes the criticisms of the critique, (he also criticizes JESUS!!!!.) Now I'm going to criticize the criticisms of the criticisms of the critique.
My criticism:
Your criticism is too critical.
I would appreciate any criticism.
Thank you,
Al