The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com Thursday, December 8, 2011
LOl[G IN, Let s Eat
r
weekend
essentials
Dec. 8 to 11
ON STAGE
It might be best to tem-
per expectations of Lea
Michele, but nonethe-
less one should antici-
pate some golden pipes
at the Walgreen Drama
Center this Saturday.
The Women's Glee
Club will be performing
the works of Porpora,
Ramsey and Hyokki,
among others. Come to
the Stamps Auditorium
at 8 p.m. for a twilight
serenade - tickets are
$5 for students and $15
general admission.
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CONCERT
It's not an easy thing
to make it in the music
world, and at that, to
ascend the ranks of
Austin's music scene.
However, the Wheeler
Brothers are on their
way to doing just that
after releasing their
debut "Portraits." The
five-piece folk-rock out-
fit features three titular
brothers and they will te
hitting The Ark this Sun-
day - doors open at 7
p.m., show starts at 7:30
p.m. Tickets from $15.
How the new media landscape is
transforming Ann Arbor's foodie culture
by Kayla Upadhyaya, Daily Arts Writer
countless restaurants in Ann Arbor, one of amateur reviewers who share their food opinions taurants. It's difficult to find information on Zagat's
may not realize his or her dish choice with others, and ithas opened up dialogue between website and even the annual print edition of the
may have been critiqued by a number businesses and their customers. Zagat Survey isn't all that thorough.
of resources. Some Ann Arbor favorites Anyone can contribute reviews to Yelp and read Yelp covers more than 400 restaurants in the
have been placed in the spotlight, like last year the information or search for places to go. Though Ann Arbor area. The only Ann Arbor establishment
when Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger and Tios Mexi- the site features reviews on a range of establish- featured in the 2011 edition of Zagat is Zingerman's
can Cafe were featured on Travel Channel's "Man v. ments, it focuses substantially on reviewing restau- Delicatessen, and the blurb is merely a strung-
Food." But there are so many food favorites offered rants and places to eat. together amalgamation of short quotes about the
in Ann Arbor that not every restaurant receives the Yelp differs from Zagat, a website born from the restaurant.
attention it may deserve. Zagat Survey, which was created in 1979 as a codi- Annette Janikis the community manager forYelp
Luckily, professional opinions are becoming less fled way to rate restaurants. Featuring a complex in the greater Metro Detroit area. She explained
important. The Internet has opened a whole new rating system based on a 30-point scale, Zagat is a that her role is to introduce people to places in and
realm of food critique, making it possible for home tool for the gourmet glitterati. To access the actual around Metro Detroit, and getting them excited
chefs, students and people who simply love food to Zagat scores by subcategory and read the detailed about businesses in their own backyards.
share their point of views and analyze res- Janik said some people believe Yelp is a
taurants just like the professionals. place where people go to rant about poor
Social media has significantly changed "Even if you aren't dining experiences or restaurants they
the way we get information on food and don't like; but the truth is quite the opposite.
restaurants e whether it's through a vast I vAccording to Janik, about 75 percent of the
interconnected network of foodies on Yelp, inteestea sn cooking reviews on Yep are positive. People enjoy
an online service that gives everyday food writing about the places and foods that they
lovers across the nation avoice, or througha yourself, most people are like.
food community more specific to the Univer- "I think people just really want to sup-
sity like Wolverine CuiZine. A student-run attracted to food in some port their own and have a good time doing
project exploring food from all angles, Wol- it," Janik said.
verine CuiZine allows students to give their way shape or form." "For the most part, everybody is just
take on recent food trends and Ann Arbor's w y o sort of sharing what they truly think," she
local resources. Individual food bloggers are added. "They don't maybe necessarily have
also influencing the world of food reviewing, the vocabulary that some critics have, but-
infusing their commentaries with personal- -Kay Feker, Editor in Chief of they're truthful and they're sharing what
ity and voice that professional critics may they like and what they don't like."
not be able to offer. Wolverine CuiZine, LSA junior Brent Hegwood, the general manager of
The Internet has made this "food democ- BTB Cantina and BTB Burrito, said he regu-
ratization"possible by openingup accessibil- larly checks Yelp reviews of his restaurants
ity and providing more personalized and informal reviews in their entirety, those interested must to see what customers are saying. He said he has
platforms to read and write about the universal become premium members, which is fairly expen- responded to someYelpers on the BTB Burrito page
topic of food. sive. about complaints or concerns they had.
on the other hand, Yelp is a resource open to all. Hegwood explained that even though there are
The people's review There are no paywalls or restrictions, just a free other resources giving customer feedback to restau-
flow of information compiled in an easy-to-search rants, Yelp seems to be the most popular and widely
More and more restaurant windows boast bright database. In this way, Yelp is aligned tothe idea that used right now. That is why he feels it's important
red stickers expressing approval from Yelp, an food reviewing should be open to all people inter- for the management to be plugged into what is being
online city guide that helps people find places to ested in food, not just the culinary elite. said on Yelp. See LOG IN, Page 3B
FILM
The Michigan Theater
will be screening "Rare
Exports: A Christmas
Tale" tomorrow and
Saturday. The film is
set in northern Finland
where the grave of the
true inspiration for
Santa Claus was found.
As the trailer puts it,
"He knows if you've
been bad or good ... and
he doesn't give a fuck."
Showings are at 7 p.m.
and 10 p.m. tomorrow
and at 10 p.m. on Satur-
day. Tickets from $8.
AT THE MIC
Word of Mouth Stories
will be putting on its
next StorySlam this
Friday at the Work
Gallery on State Street.
This months theme is
"Stuffed" - audience
members are encour-
aged to tell five-minute
stories about Thanks-
giving, and more impor-
tantly, the flavors that
come with it. So swing
by from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
and fill your belly with a
cornucopia of tales and
the ensuing Slam.
DESIGN BY KRISTI BEGONIA
PHOTO BY ERIN KIRKLAND