If you asked me 4 years ago whether I could see myself blogging for a living, hell no. For most of us, blogging is just a hobby and it does not bring in enough to pay the bills. I have no idea what happened exactly, but four years down the road, here I am, still blogging. The truth is, I’m really thankful to be able to do this full time.

Blogging gives me a lot of satisfaction, and nothing makes me happier than knowing that people enjoy reading my blog. Sometimes, people even call me a ‘food critic’. Yes, that’s right. Or a restaurant critic, if you may. You know, a person who eats (in the best restaurants) for a living. I’d always cringe at that.

I am not a food critic. Food blogger, yes. But food critic, no.

Certainly, it sounds really cool to put ‘food critic‘ as your occupation title when you are filling up a survey form or applying for a new credit card. But do you know how hard journalists work? No, you don’t. Most people only see the glamorous side where the media folks get to dine at fine dining restaurants in style. “Professional” food writers from newspapers and food magazines work for very long hours under tremendous stress and they do not get paid very well. A professional food critic is someone like Wong Ah Yoke from Straits Times. You are a goner if you fail to recognise him in your restaurant.

Would I want to write “professionally” for newspapers or food magazines? No, definitely not. I don’t think I am qualified. I have no culinary background and I can’t write very well.

Being a full time food blogger suits me better.

There are no deadlines nor any obligations to write about something that I dislike. I can choose to write whatever I want – nonsense or not. And I can even declare my undying love for desserts without having any “editors” stare at me in disbelief, as if I’m a nutcase.

“Why do you only write positive reviews? A food critic is supposed to be objective and writes about both the positive and negative aspects of the dining experience.”

Like I said, I am not a ‘food critic’. I’m hardly objective since I can go on all day about dim sum, brunches and cakes. And just in case you are wondering why I only write positive reviews – no, I am not toying with the possibilities of getting free food from posh restaurants. On a calculated average, I receive 4-5 food tasting invitations per week, and they are all from PR agencies and restaurants themselves. Most of the time, I would turn down 90% of them because there are simply too many invitations and it is really quite impossible to accept and attend to every single one. I’m not boasting about it, but hey, that’s a fact okay? You can read more about my post on food tasting 101.

Okay I digressed. The only reason why I do not blog negatively is simply because I have no time. Do you know how many backlogs I have? Restaurants that I’ve visited but yet to blog about? Too many. Since I am already struggling to cover the restaurants that I like – an average of 4-5 per week – what makes you think I have the luxury of time to dedicate entries just to criticise?

Besides, I believe everyone comes to my food blog because they want to find new and interesting places to try, and not because they really want to hear me rant about lacklustre service & mediocre food. Food blogs that do that are aplenty, and you are free to hop by those if you’d like.

So you want to be a food critic? If it has always been your dream, then good luck for it! As for me, I am happy with my title of ‘Food Blogger‘, and it is here to stay. I have a new post for you tomorrow, see you here!