22
2011
FOOD BLOGGERS EAT FOR FREE!
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I’m pretty pissed at a comment I got in FB today – “you are a food blogger who eats for free and treated with care”.
Only fellow bloggers understands how much WORK we BLOGGERS put into our blog that nothing is actually FREE.
On readers’ point of view, all we do is eat and brag. What they don’t see is how much work it goes before that entry is published. Let me take you behind the scene of what food blogging is…
1) We receive invites to review so-and-so food.
2) Check our schedule and if we are available, RSVP to confirm our attendance.
3) Google to check on the outlet to get directions there and learn more about the history of that particular outlet before actually dining there. We do our homework to KNOW what we are going to review and NOT eat blindly!
4) Prepare ahead of time and braved traffic to arrive destination ON TIME. Malaysian time of being ONE hour late at wedding functions DOES NOT apply here! There will be a dozen other bloggers waiting for you so professionalism is very critical. Punctuality is the key.
*Even if you are caught in a massive traffic jam, try HOWLING your own siren to get others make way for you just so that you can be there on time!*
5) Before we get to eat, we have to take a tour of the place and photograph it to share with our readers. Every single details count as the readers rely on us to have a virtual visit of the place before deciding if they want to dine there or not!
6) Even when the food is served, we are still NOT allowed to EAT just yet! PHOTOGRAPH it first! Food review is usually done in a group so you can imagine the time taken for each blogger to photograph the food. In certain cases, the chef even opt to reheat the food as after we are done with photography, the food has turned cold.
On good days, what you see is what we eat. We do encounter some hellish experience though. There was once we braved horrendous traffic and jam for 2 hours to arrive destination only to be told that the buffet spread is NOT for us to eat. What is served before us however, are the food that is originally prepared for photography which has already turn cold that can’t even be reheated. We ate cold meat that night and drove another hour back home and are expected to blog about the buffet spread because we have already EATEN their food!
That’s the obligation we had to keep.
7) Once home, we still need to process the hundreds of pictures taken and label them accordingly. This usually takes about an hour or so. We cannot afford to name the dish and price wrongly!
Then we spend another hour or so coming out with the entry before it can finally be published to be shared with our readers.
What non-bloggers can’t see is HOW MUCH TIME we spend online MAINTAINING our blogs! We won’t be getting ‘FREE FOOD’ if our blog is incapable of generating high readership.
It takes a whole lot of TIME and EFFORT to keep our blog in tip top condition and making sure that it is updated frequently. While most of you are sleeping, we are in front of our PC struggling for another entry to be published so DON’T EVER SAY THAT WE ARE FOOD BLOGGERS WHO EATS FOR FREE! >_<
P/S: We do PAY and review our own food every once in a while but then again, you WON’T know that would you?
On a lighter note, Ethan is picking-up food photography and will photograph each and every food that is served in front of him. I’ll appoint him my official photographer soon! 
About the Author: Merryn Tan
About Me
Home is where MY heart is.
I am a mother to Ethan boy, a wife to Darling William. I'm a stay at home mum who blogs to break the monotony of life and to avoid feeling jaded. Would love to get to know all the Super Mommies and Daddies and Babies or Singles out there with the hope that we can learn more from each other. Most of all, I am a happy person, and I hope YOU are too.
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Some Nice People
well, those ppl think that food blogging is very easy ma..but they do not know the whole engine behind . .
there’s a say..Easy to say than do . ..
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hahaha.. some people can be too blunt in their comment ya.. LOL! btw, just curious.. what happen to the review of those ‘cold’ ones since you didn’t eat the food in actual?
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Merryn Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 2:09 pm
I only blog about food that I eat. Those cold meal that I don’t eat, I’ll just leave it out from my post. If I go there and the only thing edible is their drinks, then so be it, it will be about drinks only in that post! hehe…
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I agree with you COMPLETELY. The time we spent on maintaining our blogs and also the time we used to attend events and reviews plus we pay our own petrol and other stuff…
People who dont put in the effort will think its so easy to blog…. they shld do it if there think that all there is to it is just FREE FOOD!
Thank you for sharing this Merryn!! You go girl… :0)
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Nobody know.. Except they doing the same thing with us…
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I know food blogging is not easy especially when it comes to the dishes. When one dish is served, another one I will forget the name jor…tsk tskk…. Kudos to food bloggers out there!
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I don’t think it is easy at all…especially editing the photos part. :p
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Totally agree with your points, it takes hours for us to actually cough out a blog post T.T
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That person is just jealous. Nvm continue blogging about food. I still enjoy reading them and feasting my eyes and the food pictures..:)
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First of all, Congrats to Ethan for his internship at Submerryn.com
next, yea saje yesterday had an annoying experience with Isaac at a car wash.
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Merryn Reply:
December 21st, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Oh Ben..what happen during that car review?
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yeah, really lots of hard work to maintain a blog. keep up the good work lah.
don’t care what others r saying…
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Yes, I’m totally agree with you. We prepared ourselves well enough to attend every food review or event. We even have to make effort to go the venue and sometimes we lost our way because unfamiliar with the location @@ Yes, we eat free but the restaurant also is using us to promote their food. Further, not every blogger can have such opportunities because it very much depends on the blog traffic as well. I guess some people just jealous but themselves did not put effort to get what he wants.
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Damn true!! We also need to remember the name of dishes, price etc. so that we can provide complete info to our readers!
As long as we review honestly, free or not is not a problem. Sometimes, I pay my own for the reviews but if got ppl wanna give free, who will say no right?
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damn true and love this post!!!
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Nothing is free in the world. Keep up the good work and keep posting.
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nothing is easy…. nuff said =)
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Oh well, they won’t know coz they ain’t food bloggers…
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Not easy one meh? Snap snap download click click then blog itu lah dia foodie post muahaha. Those people belum try belum tahu? They think its like instant cepat noodles?
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I agreed to the max, we did put lots of effort in it! thanks for writing the post merryn!
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Great clarification! With a blog and online store in hand, I truly understand your feeling. Simply can’t explain the tonnes of online work. And most people will say post online only mah, or sell online only mah. Adoi!
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true, unseen things that we do not put out or report, but the effort is the same.
I’m still thankful for every food review i’m invited to though 
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Wow! So nice can eat for free! I also want!!!!!
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eating is one thing. sitting down to blog requires discipline as well. you got to sit down and type and edit.
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Writing a simple post also takes me alot of time..hehe. Don’t care what others say. You are an awesome blogger dear.
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Nothing is free!!! You are great food blogger! Have faith in yourself and blogs, dont bother about other.
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So tough right to be a food blogger? That’s why I rather pay for my food and not be a food blogger LOL!
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Then again, I have to say that I don’t always enjoy reading posts by food bloggers because everyone is writing about the same thing! Read one, read all! But I enjoy the photos lah haha!
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And one thing I don’t like is food blogs don’t always give the true picture of the food and the restaurant they post about. This is usually not due to the bloggers’ fault but the restaurants’. I have read so many posts about how good certain restaurants were, with great pictures but when I dined at the said restaurants, their food were horrible and and not up to my expectation. The restaurant owners had went to great length to impress the bloggers but lowered the quality of their food after that. What a scam! : (
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they shud experience it before say it.
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I’m a travel and food writer, and nearly 80% of the time I pay for my own food. Simply because when something is given free to you, you’re kind of obligated to give them a good review. If I’m paying for it myself, you’ll get an honest opinion, which I believe is what my readers are looking for.
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There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Although food bloggers didn’t have to pay in money but they pay in term of they effort, time, petrol & etc.
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Good write up girl!
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well shared girl. its not all about free food. there is work involved!
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Nothing is really ‘free’…
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Nothing is really ‘free’…
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yalor… where got free? petrol, sometimes parking fee, stuck in the jam, then have to schedule our time, spend time to write, buy CAMERA with our own MONEY! So i think those who really pay to eat in the restaurant actually can eat happily than us who have to blog about it!
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I damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn like this post! I will belanja Ethan sweets when I see him as a reward! haha…
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Merryn Reply:
January 2nd, 2012 at 12:35 am
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