By Thaakiera Ackerdien
What makes Brent Meersan’s reviews stand out among the rest?
Brent Meersan is a Cape Town-based writer, poet, food and theatre critic. He has written for several publications including the Mail & Guardian and the Cape Times. However, by his admission, he only started gaining notoriety and recognition as a writer after he started doing food and restaurant reviews. He is currently the co-editor of GrownUp News. This is no surprise as his reviews are usually very well-written, entertaining and informed. What makes them so great though? What makes them stand out amongst other reviews?
Well, in an attempt to answer this question we’ll be delving into three different reviews/articles by this mythical figure, also known as Brent Meersan. Two of them are food-related, the best thing to be related to, and one of them is a review of the National arts festival. As a whole, they are all well-written and informed pieces. But above all else, they are entertaining to read, something which I think many people value these days in this fast-paced world.
In the 2013 article “Bitten by the Food Bug,” Meersan talks about the cuisine scene in Cape Town in general. He starts the article by telling us that he didn’t gain much recognition as a writer till he started writing restaurant reviews, even after the publication of his first book. By starting the piece off with this information, it automatically gains our trust in him as a reviewer. He tells us he has been on the scene for a while, he’s experienced, so of course, we should trust him.
This piece itself was quite an enjoyable read. It uses relatable humour to relate to the Capetonian readers, giving an overall sense of familiarity. It is not a review of particular restaurants, but rather an overview of the food scene in Cape Town in general. It gives us a brief history and a look at a few specific restaurants such as Nobu and Cape to Cuba. The tone of the piece never leans towards positive or negative, allowing us readers to form our own opinion on matters discussed. Being impartial and allowing your readers to form their own opinion is a cornerstone of review writing.
This is tone is echoed in the 2012 pice titled “Confused but content.” This piece is a review of three different Italian restaurants or “trattoria” in Cape Town. He gives us an overview of each restaurants service, staff, atmosphere, prices and, most importantly, their food. He, once again, gives a brief history of the subjects, as well as a history of each restaurant. This is another cornerstone of good review writing, showing the audience that you did the research on your subject beforehand. It gives the reader the feeling that the writer actually cares about the subject. It also lets the reader know that the writer is quite knowledgeable on the subject.
Image: "Fresh Pizza's" from the wix database
The third and final article to be reviewed is a 2015 piece by the name of “Rethinking the National Arts Festival.” This article is not really a review per se, but rather a criticism and analysis of the negative press coverage that the festival receives every year, according to the author. He delves into the history of the festival in Grahamstown and of the people in it and how they benefit from the festival. He spends a lot of the article defending the festival and calling out other writers who call it an “elitist” festival. He claims that none of the problems in Grahamstown is due to the festival itself but rather the poor governance of the area. He also brings up statistics from various studies done on the unemployment and poverty of the area relative to the festival. His opinion is made very clear in this article, and he backs it up with history and statistics to prove his point. Something that every good reviewer should do, while still allowing the audience to form their own opinion, however.
Image: 2019 National Arts festival, available here.
Overall, these three pieces by Brent Meersan are charismatic, professional, informed and well-written. These pieces in particular are easily read and quite entertaining, a quality that any good review should have. With the way he writes about restaurants, it is really any wonder people only started taking note of him after he started doing food reviews? He has a well-balanced style with a good combination of charisma and experience behind his words, all of which culminate into a great review. Anyone wanting to start a career in review writing should look to his work.
I solemnly swear that this work was not plagiarised. (•_•)
REFERENCES:
Meersan, B. (2012). Confused but content - The Mail & Guardian. [online] The Mail & Guardian. Available at: https://mg.co.za/article/2012-11-16-confused-but-content/ [Accessed 22 May 2021].
Meersan, B. (2013). Bitten by the food bug - The Mail & Guardian. [online] The Mail & Guardian. Available at: https://mg.co.za/article/2013-09-20-00-bitten-by-the-food-bug/ [Accessed 22 May 2021].
Meersan, B. (2015). Rethinking the National Arts Festival. [online] This is Africa. Available at: https://thisisafrica.me/arts-and-culture/rethinking-the-national-arts-festival/ [Accessed 22 May 2021].
Thirdworldbunfight.co.za. (2013). Brent Meersman – Third World Bunfight. [online] Available at: http://thirdworldbunfight.co.za/profile/brent-meersman/ [Accessed 22 May 2021].
Unc.edu. (2019). Book Reviews. [online] Available at: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/book-reviews/ [Accessed 23 May 2021].
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