Topic: fed up

[jamieb728]

Hi
Make of this what u will  but too many people at the minute are great at critising the recipes on the site but have never even posted a construcutive additoin recipe tere selves if u r that good u find the missing peice and post it

fed up
Jamie

[Razor]

Hi Jaime,

Chin up mukka, we've all been where you are now mate lol.  We'll find the breakthrough oneday, if we haven't already.

Ray

[Stephen Lindsay]

here here jamieb, good call

[Ramirez]

I completely agree Jamie. I do think it drives potential members away.

[canicant]

.
+1 Jamie

[Peripatetic Phil]

I don't fully share this view. If we pretend that all the recipes found here are superb, and beyond criticism, then we do ourselves no favours at all; equally, if someone says that all the recipes here are rubbish, then he/she is clearly having a very bad day.  We need to strike a happy medium : criticism where criticism is justified, praise where praise is justified, and perhaps just a tactful silence when a recipe falls in between.  Nor do I think that it is necessary to offer recipes of one's own in order to be able to criticise, if one criticises fairly : I would sooner read informed criticism from someone who has no better recipes to offer than uninformed praise or criticism from someone who floods the forum with recipes right, left and centre.

My two-penn'orth 

** Phil.

[Gazza63]

I totally agree Phil, there are some members who post and post several times on a daily basis and others who choose not to, each to his or her own, isn't that allowed ?, what does stand out is that some members who post a lot seem to obtain a following on the forum that anything they post is the bees knees, when to be quite honest I have found that some of it is pretty bland , but I choose not to comment as it's up to me, isn't that what these Forums are all about personal choice, this forum is moving in the right direction though at a slower pace than I thought a few years ago, but if you google any recipe in any cuisine it will come back with thousands of results, no one Base or recipe is going to be the Holy Grail here but it's taken me a lot further than the KD curry secret book that i got in the 90's.

[Razor]

Guy's,

I'm all for constructive criticism and welcome it.  What I don't like to see, is someone who says "Hi Razor, tried your seekh kebabs, and they were crap"  They may well be crap but I would rather them say, "Hi Razor, tried your kebabs, and to be honest, they lacked a bit of flavour for my liking"  That way, I can get back to that person and offer them suggestions on how they may be improved. 

I have posted recipes with others in mind, like my seekh kebabs. I personally add shed loads of cumin, and make them much hotter than my published recipe but I'm also aware that this is not for everyone, and not typical BIR/TA style.

I also don't mind having my recipes critiqued by those that offer no recipes.  The fact that they are a member of a cooking forum, for me, shows that they have an interest in cooking food, not necessarily creating food, and that's fine.

The thing that get's my goat more than anything though, Is when a recipe is openly dismissed before it has even been tried.  I have been guilty of this myself, especially with Dipuraja's offerings.  Just because it didn't fit into "my" BIR way of thinking, I dismissed them from the offset.  Thankfully, I have now tried one or two of his recipes, and been happily surprised, and I won't be so shortsighted in the future.

With all that said, some people do leave themselves wide open when they publish a recipe with such modest titles as  "CTM, the best you'll ever eat" and the likes.

Ray

[Cory Ander]

There are some quite interesting views on this thread, I find.

I agree that members should feel free to express constructive criticism (negative, as well as positive, provided it's constructive).  We have little to gain from only posting compliments and accolades.  We will go nowhere fast if we do.  I think "tactful silence" isn't particularly helpful either (though I understand why members are inclined to take that stance).

However, having said that, I do feel that it is inappropriate to simply post negative  comments without offering anything constructive in return (albeit not recipes).  Comments like "that's not a bhuna" are not particularly helpful to anyone.  However, if such statements are qualified by saying specifically why "it's not a bhuna", and how it might specifically be altered to be a bhuna (in their opinion) then that can be helpful and constructive.  I think it is quite reasonable to also expect such a poster to be able to also offer (an) alternative recipe(s).

Personally, I think it is all too easy to simply sit back and criticise others' efforts (recipes or otherwise) and not offer anything particularly constructive, that takes the forum (or themselves) forward, in return.  I think this might be what Jamie is driving at?

Regarding "recipes", I would think it's reasonable to assume that many members undoubtedly join this forum for them?.  Surely many members want quick access to simple, well written recipes that they can use to replicate tasty BIR dishes at home?  It would be interesting to know why members join this forum?  Perhaps I'm wrong, and they are here simply for general chit chat......