This week we talked to a Burner customer and food critic, we'll call him Scott., who introduced us to an ongoing struggle in the world of food journalism, the battle for anonymity. Unless you're a critic, a foodie, or work in the food industry you may not realize the lengths to which critics go to remain anonymous, from using fake names to paying cash and wearing disguises. All in the name of objective journalism.

Enter the Association of Food Journalists. The organization was founded to promote ethics in food journalism and has long held the opinion of "anonymous or not at all" when it comes to restaurant visits. Earlier this year they released an updated version of their Food Critics' Guidelines, and although this newest version takes a slightly softer approach to anonymity, conceding that "true anonymity is often no longer possible," it's still a cornerstone in the quest for totally ordinary restaurant experiences.

How do they suggest critics stay anonymous? In addition to keeping photos of themselves offline, they suggest "installing caller ID blocking on one's phone" *cough* Burner *cough* and "maintaining a separate email account for communication with the restaurant." Solid advice. But some journalists think critics should give up on the their hopes of dining in secret, while others hold fast to the value of at least attempting to keep their identity hidden.

Which brings us to back to Scott and how he's been using Burner for all his reservations. It's a small, simple step in his process, that at the very least keeps restaurants from having a two week notice he's coming. The restaurants never have his real number, and if they start catching on to any of his Burners, he can just ditch the number and get a new one. Scott tells us that many of the better food critics in North America are using Burner, but in the spirit of things they like to keep it quiet. Bon Appétit!