Not Such a Thin Line Between Love & Hate. Lovers, Haters & Comments.

demondog
Down, boy. Nice puppy. (photo credit - http://flickr.com/photos/themightyjimbo/sets/1676539)

Comments are often described as the currency of the blogger. Barring spam, they are generally things we bloggers love receiving and are probably something we are a bit compulsive about checking and rechecking our inboxes to find. Of course comments can express a variety of sentiments from "You're the bomb!" to "I wish a bomb would drop on you!"

Recently I received two comments that I feel perfectly illustrate unambiguous and well expressed opinions for some of my work. If you'll allow me, I'd like to share them with you, cherished reader.

Comment A from Traci remarking on the Peanut Butter and Jellyfish piece:

At first I thought you were like every other food blogger - but articles like this set you far apart from the rest. Like a good movie, your writing has me coming back for a second and third read. Somehow you managed to intertwine politics, environmentalism, and humor into the cold and bizarre world of the jellyfish. Did I laugh? Yes? Will I eat my Jellyfish with Peanut Butter? The Jury is still out..Great Job Eddie Lin!!!!


*sigh* Traci, don't. Stop. Please. Don't stop.

Now, Comment B from Anonymous remarking on Live Octopus Tentacles:

Go to hell (and you will). You are not funny. You are the worst kind of carnivore--you don't do it for sustenance, you do it for laughs and applauds. I hope a wild dog catches you and rips you apart while you scream and die.


Hellfire and wild dogs??? Ouch!

Believe it or not, I appreciate both of these very opposite reactions. Undoubtedly, I'd much rather receive fan mail, love letters and marriage proposals, but the occasional reader spewing venom or thinly veiled threats of death by dog is something that gets my blood circulating nicely (although it does sting a little).

If you're a blogger, I'd like to know what the nicest, meanest, most flattering, dead-sexiest or just plain strangest comments or emails you've received.

And if you're a reader, what are the most interesting comments you've ever left and why. Not necessarily on this blog but any blog.

In marketing, it is understood that customers are more likely to take the time to write a letter of complaint if unsatisfied by a product or service rather than to write a complimentary letter when they are pleased. What motivates you to leave a compliment? Are you more likely to leave one if you are offended or upset by a blog posting or are you more apt to say something if a post made you smile or laugh?

Or is it just simply impossible to get a comment out of you? Lurkers! Let me know. Leave a comment. Haha.

Bring it!

Comments

Meredith said…
I like it when people (especially those who aren't my real-life buddies) say that they want to try out my recipes. Meanest: someone implying that the reason why my recipe didn't turn out was because I don't have enough *ahem* experience in the kitchen.

Yeah, I have a pretty genteel blog. No death threats, yet.
KT said…
I think less than ten people read my blog regularly and most of them know me in real life, so my comments are pretty friendly, and neither mean nor adoring.

I kind of wish I got some haters every once in a while if I could also get some people telling me how incredibly awesome I am too.

By the way, they were eating still-beating eel hearts on Gordon Ramsey tonight. Are you going to let that ponce show you up?
I am going to second Traci and say that your writing is like an illegal drug: very, very addictive and immensely satisfying. Not that I have any experience with illegal substances--I am just "metaphorically speaking."

Also, your post sounds like a fun idea for a interesting meme. I look forward to reading those scathing comments! (I won't be a participant though. I have had my share of zingers posted on my site, but the truly terrible ones are so harsh, I don't want to relive them.)
Anonymous said…
you can have my comment when you pry it out of my cold dead mouth.

- larry the lurker
Unknown said…
not to be a dick or anything, but that photo is a copyrighted work taken by me. i know it's made the rounds over the internet (it got kinda out of hand), but i do request that it's used with permission and credit.

i'll grant the former if you provide the later.

thanks!

(the original posts: http://flickr.com/photos/themightyjimbo/sets/1676539/)
Eddie Lin said…
meredith,

you ain't lived until you been threatened with death. how ironic.


kt,

hey, pal! i disagree with you. there a definitely way more than ten people reading your blog, ms. publicized in the LA Times food section. hmm, how soon we forget.

ramsey is cool but i'll outdo him...i promise.


passionate eater,

thanks for a very nice comment. see how easy that is, folks?

so, you sound like you've been traumatized by the wicked comments. there, there. you'll soon be a calloused as i am and you won't take it as badly. hang tough, sister!


larry the lurker,

thanks for letting me pry this one out of your cold, dead mouth. yech!


jim,

no, you're not a dick but, man, couldn't you have emailed me?? this is exactly when i don't want a public comment!

anyhow, i'm actually glad you contacted me because i had no idea where the photo was from. like you said it made it around the www and i had it sitting on my hard drive all this time. also if you'll notice my other posts (e.g. peanut butter and jellyfish), i do credit others for pix when they aren't mine. sorry, and thanks.
elmomonster said…
I've gotten a few nasty ones. But for some reason, most of them are concentrated in one post.

This one."

...and half of them are in Spanish. Though I think the ones in Spanish are complaining about the restaurant (someone has a major beef), and not me.

But I live for the nice comments from my blogging friends.
Eddie Lin said…
elmo,

that was odd and cool. it's kinda like colleen cuisine's pinkberry intrigue when john bae of pinkberry's pathetic and thuggish competition kiwiberry kept leaving anti-pinkberry comments under fake names.

yeah, it appears that your blog became the unfortunate battleground for inka stinka's turf war.
Chubbypanda said…
My only nasty comments were spawned by this post. Saying something negative about Chowhound seems to bring out the worst in some people.
dingobear said…
Eddie, you comment whore!!

No, I kid, I kid ... I don't actually think that. Or do I?

Haha, I like to leave comments when I've read a post that I find funny ... but sometimes I don't simply because I'm very, very lazy.
Oishii Eats said…
Eddie...here's my worst. I just received this one to a Valentine's Post
I wrote last year:

"Yeah, I guess your kids' opinion of you isn't as important as what your retarded co-workers think.

You're the poster child for today's generation of women: vapid, self-centered, and devoid of any redeeming character traits.

And thank Feminism and today's anti-male mentality for your crappy Valentine's day. Your boy students probably didn't want to be charged with sexual harassment by some girl student's pyscho mother.

Maybe next year you can exert the only power you have in your life over your students and require them to bring cards.

Oh, and BTW, I have a girlfriend and I'm 6'4". So try as you might, you won't be able to dismiss my rant as misogyny. I'm simply sick of the rotten mentality of modern women. And how men are totally screwed over by society, all the while the poor female victims still cry and rant about being oppressed.

That is all."

Being 6'4" with a girlfriend doesn't excuse him from being an Anony-ASSHOLE!
Rose said…
Oh Eddie.. marry me!
But I suppose you're sick of marriage proposals by now..

My worst was an outpouring from a highly disturbed student at my university who accused me of being shallow, superficial, blonde (shock horror!) and racist. He didn't know me and decided to take out his loneliness and frustration on the first person he found. It was odd.

But unfortunately it caused me to kill a year and a half of blogging, stupidly without backing it up. *sigh* May The Dandelion Song rest in peace. May Deep End Dining reign supreme in gloriousness forever more!
Anne said…
I know I'm supposed to comment on your post but holy shizz.....I think Jeni takes the cake for having the Assholiest Commentator In Cyberspace. Talk about internet rage........sheesh.
e d b m said…
Dear Eddie,

I hope a wild 6'2" pornstar named Julian catches you and rips your @$$ apart while you scream and die.

JK. (not really) haha.

I think bloghaters are pretty funny. You rag on a place like say, Tito's, and the inner demon comes out. It's obvious people have a strong tie with food, b/c food is something that usually central in most memories. Whenever I get unfriendly comments, I just laugh. It's like "did you not get hugged by your parents as a child?"
Dearest Edward...

I hope a wild octopus catches you and you rip it apart while it screams and dies.

oh, wait...

if any of your critics want a piece of you...they'll have to come though me 1st...and i bite...

<3 ya!
Eddie Lin said…
chubbs,

F-chowhound! i've had messages removed and the only thing i was doing was research for articles. they kept removing me. i took it very personally.


dingobear,

so you leave comments when you think something's funny? funny? funny how? funny like a clown? what am i clown now?? am i a clown to you? what an asshole!

see, folks, how abusive my readers can be?


jeni,

wow! how much t.p. does it take to wipe a 6'4" a-hole? a-lot!!


rose,

I DO! er, wait, i'm married already. wanna move to utah? i'll have to ask my wife too.

sorry about your university jackass. when i was younger i used to take such things quite personally. now, i mostly try to let it roll off my back. how could anyone say anything mean to my rose? i'll kill him!!!


tokyoastrogirl,

internet rage, yes. all that searching and clicking can really make you want to blow something up.


eatdrinkmbmerry,

OUCH!! damn, brother, i could almost feel that comment!!! watch what you write, boy! death by male pornstar?? what kind of movies are you netflixing?


brian gage!

get medieval on 'em!!!
dingobear said…
Eddie - that hurt.

Good day to you, clown!

(Hehehe, just kidding - keep your posts coming)
Anonymous said…
Eddie: I still have no idea why anyone would speak badly of you (well, besides my nerd comment...). Seriously: such venom, and all over octopus! Maybe the person who wrote has a stake in octopus farms?
Anonymous said…
I really do not approve of eating live shrimp or lobster...but I enjoy your writing so much I always return here. Curse your humour!

Love you, and hate you :)