Rantings

Internet bulletin board sites and idiots.

Why do perfectly normal people suddenly become 10 year old kids on the playground when they start posting on internet bulletin board websites? You said, no you said, I did not, I’m taking my ball and going home if I can’t win. It just amazes me.

So lately the BBQ Forum has had some problems. I think the judging system today is a huge step back from where we were in 2003. But we have the system so we need to fix it. But try to have a reasonable discussion on the Forum and all of a sudden a few judges are saying how terrible the cooks are to them. Not to mention how wrong they are. But the last few weeks most of the threads on judging are started by Judges. Some spin-off threads from those rants are started to discuss real issues and they in turn end up part of the picking on judges discussion.

Part of the problem is people take everything so personal. Well if I complain about judges and you get upset about it then it should be because you are doing what I am complaining about. Point in case, some judges start at 6 as per the rules and say I don’t like hot spices so for an entry to score up from 6 it has to be sweet. Now that is flat out wrong and that judge needs to be instructed at the judges meeting that they need to score based on what is turned in. If it’s hot, judge it as hot. Now I don’t mean overpowering but a hot entry should still be able to get a 9 if it’s got a good blend of spices. Same for having sauce or not. If no sauce it should be judged that way. So a dry rib should be able to get a 9 if it’s moist and has good flavor. BUT many judges score down from 6 if it’s a dry rib. And that’s wrong.

So I try to post this on the Forum and immediately I get posts I won’t score one that’s too hot. Well I didn’t say too hot I said a good hot entry. But then the Forum goes off onto a million tangents and next thing is somebody gets a little mad. Then somebody else makes the comment that is directed at that person. NOW it is personal. And the flame war is on.

Another problem is people taking one statement from a post out of context and twisting it to fit their argument. And there goes the thread. Sometimes I just want to scream. And unless I feel like playing with these people I’ll just ignore it. But sometimes the devil in me wants to play. Now it’s often not a fair match. You can usually tell when it degenerates into them screaming at me and saying what an idiot I am. Best they can do. That’s why I liked the Other Forum with Scottie. We could have fun with differing views, even go to extremes with our posts and know it was just funning around. At the end we can agree to disagree and still be friends. Again it’s taking it personal.

There should be a 2 hour rule on the Forum that everybody should follow. IF YOU GET MAD WAIT AT LEAST 2 HOURS BEFORE POSTING A REPLY. AND READ THE MESSAGE AGAIN AND ANY OTHER MESSAGES BEFORE REPLYING. Once you push that post button it’s too late to say oops maybe I read that wrong. And if you’re still mad maybe call another Forum friend and talk with him/her first.

Last comment and I’ll get off this soapbox. When you start seeing a lot of messages from respected folks on the Forum telling you to shut up or calm down, maybe you should listen to them. Not slap back at them. Sure you have the right to post if Ray lets you but there’s a point where folks will say lets just ignore so and so. We will not respond to any post he/she makes.

One more last comment. People should make the effort to get out to contests in their area and get to know other Forum folks. Just drop by and say hi as a spectator if you don’t want to cook and judge. Once you get to know folks and once people get to know you then the BBQ Forum becomes a much friendlier place to hangout at.

The KCBS Garnish Rule and the rabble-rousers that are actively trying to get it changed.

Before I start – if you like the existing garnish rule you need to write the KCBS at kcbs@kcbs.us and include your membership number. I’ll explain why below.

In late 2003 we had a small group of vocal people influence the KCBS Rules Committee and BOD to make a change to the scoring system. Nobody else knew what the Rules Committee was proposing until the BOD had approved it. But this year when folks wanted to slip thru the end of the garnish the BOD said it’s something that needs to be discussed by the general membership. I applaud the BOD for this action and not being railroaded. Before the next Rule Committee meeting in November everybody that likes the rule needs to write or email the KCBS and let them know that the rule is good now. Because all those that don’t like the rule are being very vocal in meetings.

So here’s why I like having garnish in the box:

This is a food competition and people generally eat first with their eyes and then with their taste buds. The contrast between a nice BBQ presentation and the green color of lettuce is very appealing.
It gives the creative member of the team a chance to excel and feel that they are making a significant contribution. In many cases where the team includes a husband and wife this is the only thing that the wife does. Take it away and it will impact some teams for sure.
Lettuce and parsley is pretty cheap compared to what we spend on a contest. It may add $15 to the total cost, which often exceeds $500 or even $1,000 depending on how far you travel and where you stay.
It doesn’t take that long to prepare a nice looking box and there is a great deal of satisfaction in taking a picture of a good looking box and saying we created that.

Another very important point is that we have just gone thru a big rule change on scoring and there are still a lot of problems there. Making another big change is not productive IMHO. I’ve had a great deal of practical experience helping companies manage significant changes in their business processes and I know it takes a long time. There is also resistance even if people think the change is a good idea. When people think it’s a bad idea the only way it gets done is making it a condition of employment. Now the KCBS made the change and after a bunch of bitching and moaning most started to work to improve on what had been changed to make it work better. My guess is we’ll still be tinkering with the scoring at this years rules meeting. The last thing we need is another significant change.

Here’s why I think some folks want to get rid of garnish:

They are too lazy to prepare a nice looking box.
They are cheap.
They are too lazy to clean and crisp the lettuce.
They want to get rid of appearance on scoring.
They don’t want to do anything other than cook meat and drink beer and would happily turn in a tray of cut meat just dumped in.
They hate losing because they are lazy.
Did I mention that they are probably lazy and don’t care?

Now I know that there are a number of teams that would like to do away with garnish and I’m sure their arguments are very convincing. But the bottom line is that they think that they can do better if they change the rules. I don’t see that as a reason to make a rule change. Lets hear from the people that want to do away with garnish just why they want to do away with it.

KCBS Scoring Rule Changes - Educating Judges

Well it's been over a year since we changed the scoring system and while it's getting better there are still problems. People say it's because the old school judges are still scoring too high. Now I don't buy that but it's the assumption we're operating under. So what is the KCBS doing to educate judges? I also think part of the problem is non certified judges are not getting adequate instruction at the Judges Meeting before a contest. This is about what I think needs to be done and if we still have problems come the Rules Committee Meeting then we need to have them look at their assumption about what the problem is.

First is the KCBS Rules Committee and the BOD need to come up with some clear instructions on judging. I'm talking 2 to 3 pages of instructions. These need to be incorporated into the CBJ class and need to be discussed at the Judges meeting at every contest as many are not CBJ's. Educate people. It can also be mailed to CBJ's.

The instructions need to talk about:

Start at 6. 6 is what you would eat in a good BBQ restaurant. Most cooks here will be providing you food that is better than a BBQ restaurant. Then score up for positive features and score down for negative features. Most people focus on what is wrong rather than what is right. And the CBJ class presenting boxes with problems just adds to the problem.
What is considered doneness in ribs and brisket? IF the pull test counts in brisket then explain it and if a rib should leave a bite mark but come clean off the bone say it
When is chicken cooked and what to look for? Clear juices mean it's done. Some people still think if chicken is juicy it is undercooked. Now I'm not saying cooks are perfect. Some have turned in chicken that was not cooked when the get into a time crunch and try to push the envelope to get an entry in.
You judge an entry as presented. If a contestant submits a spicy entry judge it as a spicy entry not based on the fact that you hate spice. It can be an excellent spicy entry but if a judge doesn’t like spice it will get a 5 or 4 from that judge. If this is how things are being judged, then cooks are going to reduce spice some and reduce sweet as well. We'll have bland entries for most turn-in boxes and before you know it we'll have a bunch of ties because everybody is turning in the same thing.
This list could go on forever but I think you get the idea. Something clear, concise and easy to review during the judges meeting.

The second thing we need to do is making sure the Table Captains and Reps are looking at the scores and if a problem judge is identified then the rep needs to be talking with that judge or the entire group. And if necessary remove the judge and replace her/him. Score sheets should have the judge’s number on it if the judge is a KCBS judge and those score sheets should be reviewed after the contest. If a certified judge seems to be out of pace with other certified judges at the same table then the Rep needs to be making that information available to all Reps. If a judge is consistently out of step then the KCBS needs to take action with that judge and that may include banning him/her from judging. Then the word will get around.

I think overall judges do a very good job. I think that the scoring changes that the KCBS made for 2004 are making their job more difficult and are making their life miserable as they read things on the internet complaining about judges. I posted the following on the BBQ Forum on Feb 28, 2005 in response to a judge asking about judges socializing on a Friday night of a contest.

"Sometimes I think the judges drink more of my booze on a Friday than other cooks. And I know they appreciate sampling anything people are cooking for dinner. After all Friday is show off time. By all means have fun, just remember that a real bad hangover makes for a bad judge the next day.

And I like having them show up and talk Q or current events or the weather. Doesn't really matter. It's my way of saying thanks for being a judge. We need you and appreciate you even if we bitch about our scores and how stupid judges must be."

So if you'e a judge reading this, keep trying and see if you can ask the right questions at judges meetings to help educate new or non-certified judges. We need you.