Beyond the recipe

Abstract This study investigates user participation in an online cooking community based on 265 comments about a recipe by Jamila, a popular food blogger, chosen for her significant influence in the Romanian culinary blogosphere. 73.6% ( n = 195) are positive, whereas 26.4% ( n = 70) are negative. While positive comments are more common, negative comments reveal more engagement from critics, often characterized by longer responses, detailed critiques, and frequent interactions. Using dialogue analysis and politeness research, we illustrate how users construct identities by balancing critique with indirect language use and defensive reactions. Common actions include hedging, justification, indirect criticism, and face-saving acts. We also analyze how commenters use humor, sarcasm, and multimedia components such as emoji to convey tone and emotion.