{"id":203077,"date":"2019-11-13T08:14:04","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T06:14:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/?p=203077"},"modified":"2019-11-13T10:49:27","modified_gmt":"2019-11-13T08:49:27","slug":"food-blogger-in-death-cup-murder-mystery-by-irna-van-zyl-modelled-on-whaletales-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/food-blogger-in-death-cup-murder-mystery-by-irna-van-zyl-modelled-on-whaletales-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"Food blogger in \u2018Death Cup\u2019 murder mystery by Irna van Zyl modelled on WhaleTales Blog!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Last week I found a reference to my name in a review written about author Irna van Zyl\u2019s second book, called \u2018Death Cup: Murder is on the menu<\/i>\u2019, a play on words with a mushroom by the same name, naming me as the model for one of the main characters in the book, as the writer of the \u2018infamous food blog\u2019.<\/i> As I had been told this verbally on another occasion too, I had to go to Exclusive Books to buy a copy of the book. There is no mistaking the blog of the \u2018food blogger\u2019 as being my WhaleTales Blog! <\/p>\n

The book is fiction, but a number of mentions are the truth and real, such as Eat Out<\/b> (with a listing of the top 500 restaurants in the country), Chef Reuben Riffel, Chef Kobus van der Merwe and his Wolfgat restaurant, Chef Jamie Oliver, food writer and columnist Sam Woulidge, The Test Kitchen and its owner Chef Luke Dale-Roberts, and La Colombe.<\/p>\n

The Book tells the story of a murder of the \u2018food blogger\u2019 Sandra Dippenaar in a top rated restaurant outside Hermanus, initially thought to be the ultimate revenge for a harsh review written by her about the restaurant, poisoned by a Death Cup mixed into her mushroom dish. As this happens right up front in the book, one would imagine that there was not much more to say about the \u2018food blogger\u2019, but Van Zyl cleverly, and with heightened tension, builds the murder of a waitress at the same restaurant, and the attempted murder of its chef as well as of another staff member into the story of the 328-page book, The detective on the case is Storm van der Merwe, and she nearly loses her life too. The pinnacle of the series of murders and attempted murders is the restaurant award ceremony at which the top restaurants in the country will be announced, further action by the murderer being expected.<\/p>\n

So why do I think that my WhaleTales Blog is the model for the writing of the \u2018food blogger\u2019 :<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The use of the word \u2018crap\u2019 in a review, referring to my review of Chef Bertus Basson\u2019s Spek & Bone restaurant in Stellenbosch in 2017 (see below), something Basson could not swallow, and he has been on a hate campaign to discredit me amongst other top chefs in the country ever since. Maybe it is not coincidence that one of the dishes I ate at Spek en Bone was a savoury churro tapas dish with a mushroom sauce that first made me think of the c-word, in its look and consistency. I must add that the chefs in this book are kinder than the real life ego-driven ones we have in our Top 10 Restaurant List, in not banning me!<\/li>\n
  2. My reviews are harsh, including an evaluation of the Service <\/li>\n
  3. The description of the \u2018food blogger\u2019 being \u2018much-feared and notorious\u2019, \u2018fiercest of the fierce among the critirati\u2019. <\/i><\/li>\n
  4. My full figure, well lets call it ex-figure, prior to losing 45 kg in the time that Van Zyl wrote the book.<\/li>\n
  5. That I have favourite restaurants\/chefs <\/li>\n
  6. \u2018Wildly controversial\u2019<\/i><\/li>\n
  7. \u2019She\u2019s always on top of everything, but unfortunately a first-class know-all and busybody. In the front of the queue with news about any new food set up, any chef who\u2019s moved restaurants or any change in menu. But pedantic\u2019.  <\/i><\/li>\n
  8. \u2018She also loves to do her own forecasts about who\u2019ll win what. And to my regret she is right more often than not. You know, like with our upcoming awards evening\u2019.  <\/i><\/li>\n
  9. \u2018She doesn\u2019t give a damn how controversial she gets….<\/i>\u2019<\/li>\n
  10. The use of my \u2018trademark exclamation marks\u2019! <\/i><\/li>\n
  11. \u2018You couldn\u2019t miss her. She was larger than life\u2019<\/i><\/li>\n
  12. That I have a son who works in the restaurant industry. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Restaurant Review: Spek en Bone has no bacon nor beans, little SA cuisine, crap in most respects<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n