According to Brent Meersman

 

Reviews are essential in journalism. The main objective is to offer an honest critique of the object that is under review and make recommendation to your audience. Most people do not know the difference between a review and critics.

Reviews are all about giving out your opinion about a certain book, movie, restaurant etc. For instance, when you are writing a piece and you want to give out a review you should approach right in the middle. More specially when you are giving out a review about a book or movie you should keep in mind to summarize and do not tell the whole story, you should tell what the book is about.

People tend to make mistakes when it comes to reviews. Things that a writer should avoid when giving out reviews is not use the first-person voice “I”, it gives more weight and professionalism. Another thing you could avoid is the Knee-jerk review where you give out a review without thinking and without finishing the book or movie. Some reviews are positives but are so vague that you question whether they are genuine.

To structure a good review, a writer should let the readers to know from the start that the review contains a useful data, and it is worth their time, for instance a writer is giving a review about this particular restaurant, things a writer need to state in their review is the treatment from the workers, food, when you went there and how many people you were with. Not to forget to state the atmosphere of the place. At the end of the review the writer needs to give out a summary of why people should not or should visit that particular place.

Capture pictures of the place and the food if you are giving out a review of a restaurant. Be specific in your review so not beat around the bushes, the readers will lose focus and interest. To be taken serious by the readers, the writer’s grammar should be on point. Proofread before you publish.

Brent Meersman is a Cape Town based journalist, who has travelled the world and he is well known for his best review articles.

An article that was written by Brent Meersman in 2013 (Bitten by the food bug) is a great review article. In this article Meersman mentioned restaurants that he has visited in Cape Town, how good and bad they are. Not only in Cape Town he has also travelled the world looking for South African cuisines, the local chefs tried to strive in California and Australia’s cuisines by inventing a new cuisine in South Africa using the local ingredients, but those experiments fade out. Meersman mentioned that other people complain about the cultural colonization as chefs spoils their food culture.

This article is interesting a lot for a person who loves going out and trying new places. If you are recently move in South Africa, Cape Town rather, surely recommend this article to find restaurants that you could visit and how the atmosphere of the place is.

‘Confused but content’ article that was written by Brent Meersman in 2012, even the title says it all. Italian food was the first cuisine to go global, even restaurants that are not Italian do serve Italian food. Meersman is confused, in Rome breakfast is colazione and the midday meal pranzo, but if you ask to be served that in Milan and Turin you will get lunch and dinner. Most confusingly in the North pasta may appear as minestra.

Pasta itself has a complex variety and there are many variations on any certain shape. Meersman believes that English menus are mostly inaccurate and misleading, in bologna Meersman had tortelli and tortelloni but in Ferrara it was called tortellini and in Capri these little parcels are known as prigionieri. Meersman gets into details when he gives out reviews about the food of that place for instance, he was giving out review about how crispy pancetta with egg and homemade spaghetti that it also had initial bitterness to it but dissolves the longer on savoured pancetta in one’s mouth.

Surely would recommend this reading as it gives out in full details about how diverse Italian food is. Even if it is confusing but people are also happy about it. Meersman gives out advice, to always take the Italian menu as the English one is confusing and misleading.

Rethinking the National Arts Festival review article that was written by Meersman in 2015 is all about the festival that occurs in Grahamstown, which is Makanda now. Meersman focused mainly on poverty in this town. The lack of service that is provided to the residents from the municipality. Makanda residents are still using buckets for toilets, no water is provided. There is this tendency in South Africa to blame the festivals not the government when it comes to the lack of service delivery.

The festival gives out 250 000 free tickets to people who would love to attend but cannot afford. Meersman stated that the rich South African have no interest in arts as they never showed up in the festivals.

Surely would recommend this reading, as for a person who wants to know were the funds go to when festivals are being hosted. Yet the town they are hosting in has poor service delivery people are dying of infections and hunger.