Tuesday, August 05, 2008

The Scariest Food Gatekeeper on the Web in Richmond

The past week has shown how quickly online comments can escalate into finger-pointing and personal attacks, polarized groups and childish taunting (in chronological order, see here, here, here and now right HERE!). Things cooled down as quickly as they heated up, but I can't help but feel a degree of spillover trepidation about my variety of truth telling and the potential for hostile feedback from multiple angles. And even though I really don't wanna participate in any kind of blogging popularity contest or gossipy bullsh*t in general, I know that it can't feel good to be on the receiving end.

So, I'm posting this as a reminder to think before I "speak," but in the end, I'm not gonna hold my tongue if I have something to say. If it gets people talking, well, that was kinda the point.

On to the real presence on the web to worry about:


This bad boy (or girl? about 2" across) was waiting for me on Saturday morning when I went into my tomato garden to pick the ripe fruits before a road trip. There were upwards of twelve tomatoes being guarded by this spider.


I got all the tomatoes, thanks.

ps: Does anyone know where I can buy some spinach plants? I don't wanna start from seed.

3 comments:

  1. ugh, did you feel as if you were sitting at a high school lunch cafeteria table also? so i have two of these "bad boys" - you have pictured. they give me the heebs just looking at them.

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  2. Even though the mud was flying, I actually felt a little torn. Having the goal of occasional meals out at non-chain eateries WITH baby Jasper in tow, it was hard not to feel slightly attacked. Also, I don't know how to respond to the "self important blog" bit. I guess it depends on the tone of your posts. But regardless, free speech is not something we forgo so our city can play host to a really high restaurant per capita ratio. In fact, I think measured criticism is a necessary component to constant improvement and high quality dining options. And then there's the education of consumers. We matter. It doesn't behoove restauranteurs if we're drooling in our food for lack of a discerning palate. Information leads to intrigue and enthusiasm, which leads to exploration of the enticing dishes on local menus.

    Shit. I wasn't supposed to go off in this direction. Okay. The spiders are intimidating, but their bite isn't actually dangerous to humans. Maybe that's a good allegory for this whole shebang, useful to both perspectives.

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  3. I thought the spiders were a Nietzche reference to his "tarantula" diatribe, which is appropriate in this situation.

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