Technology, Language & Writing: A Delicious Review
Context & Description
Technology impacts most of our lives on a daily basis. From the smart phones we hold in our hands to the laptops and tablets we use for school, work or leisure, technology has changed, and continues to influences the ways in which we communicate, work, learn, and play. And it had changed the way we eat.
Nearly 79% of consumers reported that they take online reviews into consideration before buying something, according to a 2013 study by BrightLocal (http://www.brightlocal.com/2013/06/25/local-consumer-review-survey-2013/). Due to our access to the internet and each other, we have unprecedented influence on one another as we report on our experiences on the web and in turn, search for information to help us navigate our endless choices in life. Reviews help you to buy a laptop, to choose an instructor for class, and sometimes, simply where to eat dinner.
For this essay, you’ll first need to choose a type of cuisine, for example, “Cantonese,” “Mexican,” or “Ethiopian,” cuisines, though they can be more general, for example, “Chinese,” or “Mediterranean”). It can be a type that you are familiar with or a type that you’d like to learn more about.
The second step is to establish some criteriafor what makes a good example of that cuisine: what kind of flavors and ingredients should the food have? Is there a specific way it should be served? Should the restaurant feature certain types of silverware or seating that make it more authentic?
Third, find a restaurant on Yelp.com or UrbanSpoon.com which serves this type of food in the area.
Fourth, visit the restaurant and eat a meal there.
a) VISUAL: take pictures of the food—artful ones that express what you are going to write about
b) INTERVIEWS: find the story of the restaurant—what does it want to be? Why did it begin? Where does it want to go?
c) PRIMARY: Eat and experience the food.
Finally, using the criteria you have established write an evaluation of the restaurant. Answer this question: based on your knowledge or research, is it authentic or not? Why or why not? Perhaps it is somewhere in between.
Combined, your criteria and evaluation of the restaurant should total three pages. Additionally, you should include three pictures that you take yourself.
Learning Objectives
In this project, you will learn to:
• Demonstrate your understanding of the multiple perspectives and representations of your object
• Identify a set of criteria by which you can evaluate your object
• Identify the audience for your writing
• Articulate the criteria for your evaluation and persuade the audience if some of the criteria have not already been shared with the audience
• Formulate a claim based upon your evaluation of your object
• Consider larger implication of the evaluation
• Identify, develop and organize supporting evidence
Genre
An evaluative piece of writing begins with an overview and definition of the object being evaluated, making clear to the audience why there is a need for the evaluation (if it is not already apparent). It is important to provide the audience with this type of information so they can understand what is being evaluated and for what purpose. The introduction may also present the major claim based on the analysis, although it may be delayed until the end to maintain the appearance of fairness or if the claim is likely to be controversial.
Once the context has been established, the next step is to judge how well the subject meets each of the criteria that has been established. Evaluative writing is usually organized according to the criteria that is being used to evaluate the subject and moves through each criterion, explaining how the object meets, or does not meet, that criterion. In some cases, the criteria are already shared by both the writer and the readers; in those cases, they can simply serve as the organizational principle for the text without explicit discussion. (The writer still needs to be aware of it so all relevant criteria are addressed.) In other cases, the writer may propose a new criterion or dismiss the importance of existing ones, in which case the specific criterion needs to be negotiated explicitly.
Based on the examination of each of the criteria, the evaluation argument usually concludes with an overall assessment of the quality of the object, as well as a discussion of possible implications, including suggestions or recommendations regarding the possible course of action.
