Foreign objects provide an interesting conundrum for food journalists. Many of us keep silent on hairs and dead bugs because more often than not, those things are a fluke, and restaurants tend to react appropriately when diners point them out. But we'd likely write about a restaurant that DIDN'T react appropriately, as in Bittman's case, where the manager wasn't very apologetic and still charged the man for his soup. We'd also likely out a spot that served us something potentially dangerous, like a piece of glass or a screw.
The question is, are we obligated to call out the missteps along with the triumphs?