Letter to the Editor- Critiquing the Critic
In last week’s edition of “The Voice” both Berrigan’s and Steph’s Subs shops were compared in a sub showdown. While the two businesses were evaluated on their pros and cons, some remarks were unfair and somewhat biased.
First of all, how could two people with any common sense base their judgment on two completely different items on the menu? To make a fair and accurate decision, why wouldn’t a so called “food critic” order the same item from the menu? By the “food critic’s” unrealistic grading system, the whole evaluation of the shops were marred by inconsistency. Maybe the “food critic” and his sidekick should focus less on the ambiance of the establishments and more on ordering the same sub. If one’s job is to write reviews that could be damaging to certain businesses, that person should consider putting some thought into how to judge the businesses.
Often, when a buffalo chicken sub is soggy that is because of the sauce applied, not the bread quality. Berrigan’s cheese steak would not have the same kind of problem since there is no sauce on it to cause the bread to get mushy. When it comes to lighting Berrigan’s, how can you judge them? It is a smaller shop that does not have as much space for lighting and not as much window space to let light in. It is unfair to judge them for this because there is nothing they can really do. Also what college cares about lights? Try and find something a little more important like say cleanliness, or something else that we the reader may actually care about/relate to.
This is not the first time that an unfair review happened. Bloomin Bagels was judged by the “food critic” in the same arrogant/ignorant manor. Lastly, I believe that “The Voice” should sit down this critic and tell him what the purpose of reviewing is all about. They should make him watch some Food Network shows to see how efficient reviewers inform the public. This critic is trying to be more like the Simon Cowell of the college newspaper staff and not actually trying to help the public discover the local eateries. I like the idea of the food critic because more people will learn about the surrounding establishments but this kind of judgment is not beneficial to any of the parties.
