Naughty, naughty: an anonymous blogger who goes by the pseudonym Staph Meal is causing all kinds of drama in Philadelphia, and one chef is mad enough that he's lawyering up and crying defamation. Chef Georges Perrier has filed a complaint (PDF) against the blogger, who has in the past called Perrier a racist and called a former chef who worked under him "a big, black dick."

The biggest problem, writes Staph Meal, is that "requirements of a modern libel action are not so simple. To win damages, especially in libel cases against the media (us), a plaintiff must establish that the statement was FALSE." As a friend quipped, "How do you prove you're not a big black dick?"



An attorney for Perrier — whom Staph Meal refers to as "that douche attorney Cohen" — tells Philly.com, "These kids don’t seem to understand there is a real difference between being a professional journalist working within the bounds of the law and being an uninformed, immature anonymous typist."

And anonymous he is: the guy behind the blog, who is supposedly "a male between the ages of 26-32" tells Philly Mag he never posts from the same location/IP address twice in an effort to remain unidentified. Now that is dedication to anonymity.

Staph Meal claims to maintain such strict anonymity because much of the blog tries to out restaurants that treat their employees poorly. The blogger claims that since the site has launched, he has even been offered a job by a restaurant workers rights organization in New York.

Staph Meal, which launched earlier this month, is definitely worth a read. It's impossible to authenticate any of this, but do read his posts on Stephen Starr and Marc Vetri for examples.

Update 09/27: See Eater's interview with the blogger behind Staph Meal who reveals his identity.

· Perrier, Olunloyo Initiate Lawsuit Against Food Blog [Philly.com]

· Q&A: Staphmeal, Georges Perrier’s Internet Nemesis [Philly Mag]

· All Lawsuits on Eater [-E-]