The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, December 8, 2011 - 38
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Yelp allows anyone to contribute reviews of food establishments.
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"People seem to be doing a lot
more now to express their opin-
ions about the places that they
like and what they don't like,"
Hegwood said. "So for someone
that's managing a restaurant, I
obviously want to have a finger
on the pulse of what is going on,
what people are saying, so that
we can make corrections if we
need to or so that we can give the
positive feedback to the people
that work at BTB."
h Hegwood said BTB probably
has a review posted on Yelp once
a week or every other week. He
recognized that Yelp has opened
up dialogue between customers
and restaurants, and thinks the
prominence of this new dialogue
is still growing.
"I don't think it's at the point
where people are just immediate-
ly saying, 'Oh, I went to your res-
taurant so I'm going to go on Yelp
and write a review,' " Hegwood
said. "It's become more popular
over the last couple years and it's
something that I monitor more
often now than I did maybe two or
three years ago."
According to Hegwood, Yelp
can only continue to inspire dia-
logue if restaurant management
teams are willing to monitor the
posts and respond when neces-
sary, which is why he has been
keeping tabs on BTB's presence
on Yelp.
By connecting customers and
management, Yelp is helping to
break down the barrier between
creators and consumers. This
culinary democratization is also
found in other online food initia-
tives.
An education in fine cuisine
Another Internet-based com-
munity centered around food
has evolved within the Univer-
sity: Wolverine CuiZine. This
food blog covers a variety of
food-related topics during the
academic year and publishes one
print publication every spring.
LSA junior Kay Feker, editor
in chief of Wolverine CuiZine,
made a point to distinguish
Wolverine CuiZine from profes-
sional food criticism. Wolverine
CuiZine welcomes writers of all
interests, and contributors do
not necessarily need culinary
backgrounds.
"Obviously, the people who
write for Wolverine CuiZine
are people who live to eat rather
than eat to live," Feker said. "So
we're kind of trying to share
that with the community and
get people interested in what
they're putting into their bodies,
or making it easier for them to be
interested."
"Even if you aren't interested
in cooking yourself, most people
are attracted to food in some
way, shape or form," she added.
There are obvious differences
between professional food crit-
ics and amateur student writers.
Feker said there are pros and
cons to both perspectives. The
professionals have more exper-
tise, but can sometimes seem
patronizing, whereas publica-
tions such as Wolverine CuiZine
have more freedom and can be
less formal.
"I feel like a lot of the stuff is
very technical or shootingto talk
about a much more complex pal-
ate," Feker said of professional
restaurant reviews. "I feel like
food blogging is more fun, and I
think the main thing is that it's
not exclusive."
The writers of Wolverine Cui-
Zine are students just like their
readers. Feker said they are all
interested in sparking a dialogue
about food and events in the Ann
Arbor area, such as the emer-
gence of new restaurants and
new food fads.
"None of us have a culinary
degree," Feker said. "We're
interested in food, you're prob-
ably interested in food, so we'll
share what we know and you can
give us feedback, and hopefully
that will either spark interest or
(you'll) tell us we're wrong."
According to Feker, the blog
has a vast diversity of cover-
age and therefore is broken into
three sections. In one section,
columnists write weekly on top-
ics of their choice. For example,
writers who studied abroad over
the summer decided to base
their series on the cuisine of the
area where they studied.
A "Food in the Media" section
explores recent food fads and
trends, such as upcoming chefs
and movements like the "food
truck revolution," which has
been morphing the concept of
food trucks toward a more gour-
met experience.
The final section of Wolver-
ine CuiZine is called "Local Fla-
vor," and Feker described it as
the section that directly involves
the University and Ann Arbor.
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vs from other cities that I really like educating people
nts venture to, like Chicago. about the different types of food
hink a lot of students don't available in Ann Arbor," Hsu
sarily realize how many said.
food establishments or Hsu said her father used to
sources we have in Ann own a restaurant, so she has
so a lot of our writing has always had a passion for food.
with exposing students to She uses her blogto fuel her pas-
we have immediately at sion and share it with others.
" Feker said. "You don't "I think food blogging is a
to travel far to get what way to show just how much you
missing from home, or love and appreciate food," Hsu
on't have to break the bank explained.
something to make your Hsu said she thinks there are
r." many different types of food
like most professional food blogs: Some teach how to cook,
ring, Wolverine CuiZine some feature reviews and some
seeks to educate. Feker just feature photography of food.
wo key goals of Wolverine The last type of food blog is con-
ne are exposing students sidered by many food junkies as
al resources and provid- "food porn," intended for people
bod education. The blog who simply want to look at food
es information on options and appreciate its aesthetics.
ople with specific allergies Foodporndaily.com and food-
ood needs, with a special gawker.com are two popular
on showing people what examples that post pictures of
can eat versus what their all different kinds of foods with
ctions are. links to other culinary websites.
er mentioned that there Hsu explained the link
ven more food resources between the different kinds of
have surfaced, thanks to food bloggers and professional
ternet. Aside from the fact culinary critics by saying that
estaurants are using more they share a love for food. How-
media tools such as Twit- ever, she said she feels her blog
d Facebook, personal food offers a more personal perspec-
have taken off. tive than reviews done by expert
od blogs are becoming so food connoisseurs, with an Ann
ar," she said. "So now, for Arbor perspective of food.
chefs - people who don't And Ann Arbor has a lot to
sarily have any cooking offer in the food world. The new
round but enjoy food - . media landscape of Yelp, Wol-
st such an accessible way verine CuiZine and personal
em to learn about both the food blogs such as The Hun-
ional aspects and how to gry Beluga have revolutionized
vith recipes in a very easy the way restaurants, foodies or
pproachable manner." casual customers interact with
food and culinary critique.
A personal palate Janik, Feker and Hsu all
echoed the sentiment that food
A senior Amie Hsu runs a unifies people. Whether it's by
nal food blog, The Hun- exploring recent fads in the
eluga, in her free time. food industry or expanding the
arted the blog during her accessibility of food reviewing,
more year as a way to the Internet is strengthening
in touch with one of her the connection between us and
s who left to study abroad the food we eat.
stralia. When she realized With something as univer-
og focused mainly on the sal as food, it only makes sense
she was eating, she decid- that the ever-accessible Internet
turn it into a food blog. plays a crucial role in moving
host ambitious objective is the culinary world away from
to eat at every restaurant elitism to more of a people's
n Arbor. She has already movement. And now, not know-
significant progress, and ing where to eat is a problem
og displays a running list that can be easily solved.
Going gaga for
Mother Monster
That special someone
we all know as the
only soul confident
and famous enough to wear a
50-pound dress made of beef
to the MTV
Video Music
Awards
occasion-
ally imparts
quotes as-
common-
place as
the follow- JULIA
ing: "I'm SMITH-
obsessively EPPSTEINER
opposed to
the typical."
Consideringher fiery, auto-
biographical and nearly 14-min-
ute music video "Marry The
Night" as the cherry on top of
the most demented-but-terrific
cake, words hailing from Mama
Monster's mouth have never
made so much sense.
Gaga herself is a trend - of
music, of fashion, of dance, of
rebelling against anything and
everything and of embodying
herself - far beyond the edge
of glory.
I'm under the impression
that the gal's mojo comes from
a bit more particular of a place
than opposition to anything
typical. With a fair share of
Gaga research under my bedaz-
zled belt (just kidding, I'm not a
little monster myself), it seems
she digs people who find a place
of personal acceptance they
may have been told to hide away
from the public and themselves.
More than acceptance, she
craves for them to rock it.
As Gaga told the Los Angeles
Times, "I want women - and
men - to feel empowered by a
deeper and more psychotic part
of themselves. The part they're
always trying desperately to
hide. I want that to become
something that they cherish."
The best part about Lady
Gaga making eccentric cool and
making crazy-off-your-rocker
even cooler is that she does it
with good ethics and class.
By good ethics, I mean that
she seems to be against all judg-
mental qualities. She has met
with President Obama to pass
anti-bullying legislation. Some-
times, it'll take an enchantingly
screwy woman to galvanize
important change.
By class, I mean that she
would rather die than remove
her heels, and as wild and dark-
ly twisted as her imagination is,
she remains on top of her game
in interviews and onstage.
Mother Monster is trendy
to the world at large but even
trendier to her massive and
startlingly devoted fan base.
As of this speck of a moment in
time, Lady Gaga of New York,
N.Y. has a running total of
16,707,599 monsters, including
myself, who follow her on Twit-
ter. To put that in perspective,
that's almost twice the popula-
tion of the state of Michigan.
We were all introduced to
the power of Gaga's strangeness
in 2010's "Telephone," in which
she took her chemistry with
Queen B and an unconventional
manner of expressing the prob-
lems with 21st century America
to a certain level. This was only
a precursor to the madness that
persists in the recent "Marry
The Night."
In that album, we get a
wacked-out narrative about
her dark past meetingup with
flaming cars and an'80s dance
throwdown. To listen to her
music without the image and
the moves behind it is a dras-
tically different experience
because she's one of those few
singers who doesn't separate
her career life and her life-life.
She is an iconic character to the
end of the earth.
She might be
different, but
she was born
this way.
Her character quality lends
itself to trendiness, especially
on evenings like All Hallows'
Eve, when women of a range
branch out and try to inhabit
their way of living like a spunky
spirit animal on the regular.
It's not only on the night-to-
be-someone-you're-not when
females fashion themselves
after Gaga; she also has a fash-
ion line at Barney's New York.
Whether it's with high fash-
ion, glittering jean jackets or Jo
Calderone impersonations, this
Mother is leading pop culture
of today's society, having been
named one of the most influen-
tial people in the world by Time
Magazine last year.
What's most impressive is
that no one else has been so
outrageously successful in
working honestly with their
own creativity to the outcome
of products that could easily be
referred to as avant-garde.
"I'm interested in taking
what's underground and mak-
ing it overground," Gaga said
in an interview with Ryan
Seacrest earlier this month.
Gaga is fame: a trend in
motion, with her head screwed
on the perfect amount of crazy.
Smith-Eppsteiner is gaga
for Lady Gaga. Go gaga too by
e-mailing her at julialix@umich.edu.
ANNA SCHULTE/Daily
LSA senior Amie Hsu runs a food blog, The Hungry Beluga, in her free time.
Thornton Wilder
-and Ken Ludwg's
adaptationof ILL
taagem
By George Farquhar
Directed by Priscilla Lindsay
Department of Theatre & Drama
December 8at 7:30 PM
December 9& 10 at 8PM
December 11 at 2 PM
Power Center
Reserved seating $26 & $20
Students $10 with ID
tickets.music.umich.edu
League Ticket Office
734-764-2538
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Wolverine CuiZine helps students discover the local flavor of Ann Arbor.