"Why I Choose Blogger but Hate Walmart" aka "An Ode To Anonymous"

Apologies for this post as it is not directly regarding food/service industry.  It is, however about Stratford and specifically about a conversation between myself and an Anonymous commentor regarding my facetious statements about Walmart.  I'm making a post about this because it's both topical and interesting, regardless of which side you're on.  Am I right?  Am I a hypocritical idiot?  Am I both?  You decide!

The original comments:

Anonymous said...
     Your blog is not hosted by a local company... it's not even Canadian. So I find your statement regarding Walmart to be hypocritical.
    May 16, 2011 4:26 PM

The Chew said...
     Dear Anonymous,
I don't see the connection between Blogger and Walmart (in fact I think Blogger might be offended by the comparison). Blogger does not contribute to a world of low wages, huge carbon footprint and targeting local independent Stratford stores to put them out of business. However, if you are aware of a blog dedicated, Canadian/Local webhost please let me know and I will happily look into using it!
    May 16, 2011 10:23 PM

Anonymous said...
     There are many Canadian companies that provide web hosting. There are a couple here in Stratford. I'm shocked that you didn't bother to investigate your local options.
    "Supporting foreign products is pretty much my mantra."
You probably shouldn't be so critical of Walmart supporters, when you are guilty of a similar offence.
    May 17, 2011 4:48 PM 

My final response:

Dear Anonymous,

Perhaps you are right, I just might be a hypocrite. A quick look in the mirror/examination of my life has confirmed the possibility.  As I look around my workspace, I see foreign products everywhere: a cigarette lighter made in France; some books printed in the US; a cellphone made in China (the computer I'm typing on is too); my undergaments say they are made in Bangladesh!  I even eat foreign food sometimes!  My orange juice isn't local; I have some canned tomatoes and Arborio rice from Italy; my paprika is from Hungary and Spain.  I'll even ashamedly admit that way back, in the darkest recesses of my freezer, exist some store-bought perogies (I have no idea what country they're from and am afraid to look).

The point is: though I am not perfect, as often as I can, I purchase local ingredients, items and services!  I am conscious of what effect my purchases may have on the local economy, and (as I would consider myself a friend of many of the small business owners in Stratford) I try to support it as much as I can with my meager buying power.

Blogger, you are quite correct, is a foreign company (owned by Google).  There are three main reasons why I choose to use it (and will probably continue to do so):
1. I know very little about computers and Blogger is the host most commonly used by pretty much all the blogs I read (including many local ones).
2. Blogger is free.  Contrary to what some seem to believe, I am in no way a professional writer.  I do this as a hobby and nothing more.  I do not get paid by anyone and will not pay to blog.  If Blogger begins charging money for its services, I will simply stop blogging.  This is not my life and I'd rather spend my money on local food and drink.
3. Blogger is relatively anonymous.  This is key to what I am doing.  I am trying to remain objective and couldn't do so as effectively if I was not anonymous.  Anonymity makes it difficult to process payments with a local company.

(I am aware that there is both Canadian and local webhosting - what I asked for was a BLOG DEDICATED local webhost, of which I don't believe there is one that matches my needs.  I would sincerely love to be proven wrong here.)

Using Blogger is very different from choosing to shop at Walmart!  A dollar given to the latter corporation enables it to continue on in its business model (ie. squashing local businesses by offering products at prices far below that which a small business can; creating those prices by offering local suppliers far less than what their items are worth and/or taking their business to other countries).  Personally, I do not want this type of business to exist in Stratford and will speak out against it whenever possible. I will not shop there.  Ever!

I promise you this, Anonymous, I will make a conscious effort to improve the percentage of local products that I buy.  This will probably not include switching from Blogger, though I will continue to have my computer serviced locally.  I guess I could be called a hypocrite but I'll take solace in the fact that I am not a Walmart customer as well ;)

Thanks for reading!

corporate whores!

Why would anyone in Stratford eat at a corporate restaurant?

Not meaning to trash talk specifically, but in a city so blessed with independent operators in just about every category of dining, WHY?

Corporations like Kelsey's & Boston Pizza offer little more than mediocrity, they are the BIG BOX stores of restaurants. Yet, despite our aversion to Walmart, the dining rooms of the corporate places are sometimes bustling while the independent restaurants such as The Annex, Foster's, Bentley's, Pazzo, Simple Fish & Chips etc. have quiet nights through the winter.  Where is our support for community on a larger scale?  There is a nice tidy little group of people who support the independent operators but what about the 34,847 other people in this town!?

Your average corporation employs cooks who don't care so much about quality food as they do about food cost bonuses, and the servers are usually just passing through - not truly in tune with the needs of a guest.  Why waste your money on a frozen pizza, or vegetables microwaved from frozen in a bag and dumped onto your plate beside your over salted (hence the intense savoury flavour) sauce (also from a bag) slathered on your chicken breast (raised ethically? I think not).  That cheap T-bone advertised on the Crabby Joe's sign - where do you think they get that meat from? Perhaps the steak at Foster's is a little more expensive but at least they know the supplier!

The average person tends to default to the corporations, grandma prefers the festive special at Swiss Chalet because she has been conditioned to feel this way.  Birthday parties are booked at Boston Pizza because there's a free dessert and they sing and clap and there's a great deal of hooplah.  These are not valid reasons!

Some people cite "price point" as their reason for choosing corporate, let's do a comparison shall we?

Boston Pizza dinner for 2 sharing a pizza, water to drink:
- Caesar salad $5.49 (starter size) be careful though, the bacon costs extra
- Rustic Italian Pizza $16.49 (10" serves 1-2)
TOTAL = $21.98

Pazzo Pizzeria dinner for 2 sharing a pizza, water to drink:
- Caesar salad with Italian bacon $9
- Za Za Gabor $15.00 (approx. 12" serves 1-2)
TOTAL = $24.00

The bacon alone is worth the extra $2.02, not to mention the atmosphere, service, quality & the fact that you are supporting a local independent restauranteur.


My dear Local-Come-Lately, where's Chew?  I can tell you where I'm not!