Oh! Really?
I never know what to think about these best pick things. I don’t know anything about half the places anyway, since they’re in the big, bad city. And the ones I do know about, I have to wonder why or how they won.
So, ok, here’s an example. Seattle Times published their People’s Picks last week.
(Really bad design, by the way. Did you really make me click on every single link on your page just to get an idea of who won what? Hey, next time, make a summary page more accessible. But I digress.)
Back to the Example. Pick for the best burger: Red Mill Burgers. Fine, I’ve heard of them; everyone thinks they are good, so I’ll keep them in mind. But “other top finalists”: Burgermaster? First, dry, thin, little patties. Second, why does everyone always rave over Burgermaster? And Red Robin? I was just there this weekend eating, and realized I’ve been going to Red Robin for almost ten years now, and why is that? It’s because they are a good compromise in that particular area, and their burgers are better than McDonalds. Not because they are any good. And actually, the patty I got on Saturday was also dry.
When I got to “Best Dessert Spot,” that’s when I really went cross-eyed. How did Oh! Chocolate win best dessert spot? They aren’t even a spot. They’re a chocolate shop. They sell chocolate out of display cases. There are no chairs or tables. I don’t mean to go around in circles here, but really, chocolate isn’t so much a dessert as it is one of the four major food groups (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles).
Really, Seattle. You voted a Bellevue chocolate shop as best dessert spot of 2005? Sometimes when stuff like this happens, people are left with the impression that maybe there’s nothing better, you know.
It’s always hilarious what happens when you let people vote. (it’s even better when the same person can vote as many times as they like.)
Because I don’t eat meat, I assumed that I was just missing the charm of Red Robin. It’s good to hear that someone else is mystified by the devotion that people feel toward the chain.
The dumb polls should be called ‘Most of Seattle’ — they’re a measure of quantity, not quality. I don’t think it’s only because the voters are dumb rubes (though many are) but because they might vote in one category they really care about and 5 they don’t. Others just have shitty taste. And one more thing — if you have good taste, it’s your responsibity to pick at least one system and vote in it. Part of the problem is participation. We get crappy samples.