# Informative Food Boards You're On?



## chef heather (Aug 17, 2004)

I have started looking for boards that can offer not only comraderie and some learning/helping on my part, but also boards that are a step above the Food Network cesspool. Seems like very low-class people post there...insulting one another, etc. Opposite end of the spectrum is Egullet, which DEMANDS you add your full name, address, and PHONE NUMBER to post to their little elitist food group.  I find that a violation of my personal privacy, and I don't want to belong to a group that is so serious as to think it's the godddamm pentagon. What other boards are good?? Any recs??


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## jock (Dec 4, 2001)

Eureka! You've found it. The creme de la creme. Friendly, knowlegable, opinionated (did I say that?  ) people and not too anal either. All we expect here is courtesy and respect. Welcome to Cheftalk.

Jock


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## chefmikesworld (Nov 17, 2002)

I enjoy it here as well as gullet...also I enjoy Chef2Chef but don't really post there, am more a lurker...

CulinaryArtistsChefItUp at yahoo used to be fun and informative, but the posters have pretty much fallen by the wayside...

I heard Escoffier dot com has a decent board but have never been there, has been on my list of things to do for years, but never made it...

Cheffy


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## katew (Feb 22, 2002)

I just went and checked my egullet profile, because I couldn't remember having to put my address and phone number. It's all blank on my profile (even though it does say it's required). Apparently it's not as required as they make it sound.  Come try it out. If you find it's over your head (it shouldn't be, because I was a member long before I knew anything about food), you can always slink away.


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## chefmikesworld (Nov 17, 2002)

I like it at gullet...I also just went and checked out escoffier it is a pretty informative site

Cheffy


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## chef heather (Aug 17, 2004)

It's new policy for them to demand all your personal information before you can post. If you don't fill in all the fields, you're "application" is rejected. And it looks like if you use a HotMail Address, etc., they CALL you to verify who you are.  Anyway...thanks for the recommendations and of course...I'll be checking in here as much as I can.


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## chefmikesworld (Nov 17, 2002)

I did not know that, and that is kinda crappy...

I operate a couple messageboards and my only guess would be spam issues...although it does happen in here and there also, they are few and far between...


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## chef heather (Aug 17, 2004)

I wonder if egullet would be willing to furnish the addresses and phone numbers of their _staff_ to new posters. I mean....let's go....fair is fair! What if there are stalkers on their staff? How would you know you were safe if you disagreed with one of their little "policies." From what I gather, you can't even post images freely, quote materials, disagree with "site managers" or tell another poster who is sending you threatening emails because you criticized his bernaise sauce recipe to pizz off, or they cut off your posting privilages. Last I heard, I live in America where there's free speech. Running an internet message board like it was the pentagon is a bit over the top, but I guess it makes them feel important. I couldn't be a member of such a stifling, trifling organization.


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## katew (Feb 22, 2002)

There have been many heated discussions on egullet (I've even been a part of some of them) but I have never seen the behavior you mention here. You say you couldn't be a member, and I take this to mean you have never been a member, so how do you know about all this misbehavior?
They recently upgraded to a non-profit organization, changing from .com to .org and I have still not been asked to give my phone number or address or anything. Show me what you're talking about.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

For some reason I can't post on egullet. I can't use any of the forum functions even though I'm logged in.


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## katew (Feb 22, 2002)

Make sure you're going to forums.egullet.org, not .com.


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## chef heather (Aug 17, 2004)

What's the magic word?  

That's what one sees now when one goes to attempt to register. I visit/read the board at least once a week. I see they changed the colors and I think that blue looks very "Dental Office" to me. Very unappetizing! There is NO blue food, and someone should tell them that.  I will not be registering because I don't want to give out my very personal information for the "privilege" of posting on an internet message board. Ridiculous. I can read it just fine the way it is. If I can get past that powder room blue color....


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## chefmikesworld (Nov 17, 2002)

They are still preparing the switchover to the new boards and the .org, I think that some people are going to have some probs for the next couple weeks until the transition is through, although I have not had a prob...

Cheffy


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## aida lott (Oct 13, 2004)

That board now requires you to "become a member" by PAYING them yearly fees in order to post in their forums. I think that's *pathetic*. This cracked me up: 


Where does the money go? Anyone know?.


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## bigbuns (Jun 28, 2004)

Went to the site using the forums link above and was able to read anything there, but cannot post without joining. Didn't see anything worth going back for a second time, let alone pay for.


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## katew (Feb 22, 2002)

Egullet has made some changes in the last couple months and I no longer go there. They have become less about people and more about food and while there is nothing wrong with that if you really want to become a serious food site, that's just not the place for me. Just a heads up, if that is not the place for you as well.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Couple things I would like to say in regards to having to pay for forums. As the administrator of this site I have considered this option of charging paid subscriptions to the site as well. I often feel that many of the users of free discussion boards have no idea what is involved in supporting open forums. Take ChefTalk for instance we only have 3,000 registered members and we do a fund raiser every year to pay for the costs of keeping this board running. Want to know how many people give on average out of 3,000 registered? About 25. 25 people give to keep the forum going. Honestly I can't blame the people at egullet for charging. Running forums can be a challenge and they can be costly. Especially if you get a forum such as egullet that has so much traffic I am sure their hosting costs are much higher than ours because of the bandwith. Another thing is that all of the moderators here deserve a huge thank you from the community since they donate their time to helping keep the forums a friendly and clean place to hang out.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

To me Chef Talk is the best.


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## aida lott (Oct 13, 2004)

There are plenty of "free" message board hosts out there. If egullet wants to spend $75 a month for their board, they should not "punish" users for it. That aside, just the fact that you have to write an essay to say why you should be *considered* to be able to post to their hoity toity board for free is enough to put a lot of people off it. It's FOOD for crissakes. They run that thing like it's the pentagon.  Something must have just snapped with Perlow. I think it was his truss. If I were him, I would never post a picture of my revolting, 500 pound self (and my 400 pound wife) on my board. Enough to make any "foodie" want to toss their tacos. He doesn't appreciate good food, he abuses the **** out of it. By the look of him.


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

"If I were him, I would never post a picture of my revolting, 500 pound self (and my 400 pound wife) on my board. Enough to make any "foodie" want to toss their tacos. He doesn't appreciate good food, he abuses the **** out of it. By the look of him." 
Don't sugar coat it. What do you really think? :lips:


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

I am not really sure what good is coming out of this thread and I am not interested in bashing egullet here. Consider this thread closed.


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