Alton Brown, have you lost your mind?

I was alerted, by a reader, to a few interesting items on Wednesday about Alton Brown making yet another donation to a blog designed to skew him and his FN colleagues. To paraphrase President Reagan's famous 1980 Presidential debate line, well, there we go again.



This time, however, must say this knowledge presents a major dilemma for me.

Because I cannot confirm this donation, which, allegedly, would be the third one he’s made to that blog, I cannot say definitively that AB did do this. In the same vein, I cannot deny that he did not make donation either. This makes quite the quandary.

Yet, the broader issue itself is if, in fact, Alton did make another donation to that blog what exactly is he supporting and why? Does he have an ulterior motive?

Moreover, by making these donations, which it is his money and can do with whatever he wants, he is unfortunately sponsoring a blog that has personally attacked me in the past and whose operator publicly professed her dislike for me. How, then, how do I support him when he enjoys a blog operated by someone who is willing to public state her dislike for me?


It is upsetting to be attacked and for someone to make false statements about you for no reason whatsoever. The only thing I have done to that blogger was to write commentary on my own site about the first donation. Being in disbelief that Alton would contribute to a blog knowing from personal discussions of his disdain for them, I was in shock that of all sites he could select it would be that one. I have not said anything to her or done anything to her outside of emailing her to confirm the original donation claim in May. I have had absolutely no contact with this woman in the subsequent months. Last year, I did send an email to her sympathizing that she could not obtain an interview with the contestants of TNFNS because I was attempting to get an interview with Alton and facing a similar brickwall.

I once was a member of her blog's forum, before she made a denigrating comment about me on her blog for a statement, in a Wall Street Journal article, I made last October about AB remembering me at the events. Moreover, she allowed her readers to post nasty and slanderous comments about me.



Yet, she cannot stand me? Oh well, no great loss.

I sympathize with Alton for being attacked himself in the blogsphere over the years. While I am a proud blogger and uphold journalistic standards, I know there are others who do not. Given Alton’s adamant stance that bloggers lack integrity and personally confiding to me that he has had trouble with websites in the past, this sudden donation spree to a blog lacks validity.

This unknown need for Alton to become that blog's benefactor and making a third "insanely generous" donation smells fishier than a four day old open can of sardines. I want to believe this is some massive hoax, that AB hasn't aligned himself with such a blog. Knowing his stance toward blogs and bloggers in general, knowing what he personally told me on two occasions (once in front of my mom no less) and hearing feedback from others (both who are long time fans and impartial non-fans), this action makes no sense at all. Maybe I should call shenanigans on the donations.

However, if the worst case scenario be true, which I pray is not what has happened, and Alton is financially supporting that blog (perhaps she has compromising photos of him baking Pillsbury biscuits, drinking store brand grape juice and using iodized table salt) he is, then, backing someone who dislikes me. This opens a flood of questions.

Does his support for a site whose owner dislikes me then make him guilty by association?

By telling me in a face-to-face conversation that he does not read things about himself online, that he would not make an exception to that policy even for my site and that he vehemently believes bloggers lack integrity, but is now throwing money at a blog, should I question his integrity? Was he lying to my face when he told me those things?

After the recent debate AB had with another blogger, The Passionate Foodie, why then did he change his outlook on blogs and give monetary assistance to one?

All of this is difficult to reconcile.

While I cannot call him a friend, colleague or even acquaintance, I do respect him greatly, appreciate all of the knowledge he has as imparted, enjoy his projects immensely and am a fan. In meeting him at events, I have always experienced a very warm, friendly and genuine man. By all accounts, personal and from others, Alton is very appreciative of his fans. But, in giving support for that blog to continue operation (by the way, website operational costs are not that expensive, no more than most hobbies), he is also supporting a person who has made a false claim against me, slandered my character and has fostered others to do same.

If this is true, then I cannot with good conscience support him. I cannot say he would be worthy of my respect and admiration.

As I said, quite the pickle.

If, by some miracle, Alton is reading this I would pose a few queries: First and foremost, did you do it?

If yes, then:
Is that the type of behavior you want to condone?
You are so concerned about blogs lacking integrity, why do you want your good name associated with a site that doesn't have much integrity of its own?
Do you think she has the right to attack your fans and allow others to as well?