The tag line on my blog says it all: Eating well matters. Those three words define me as a blogger. Eating well means different things to different people. For me it means eating high quality food, preferably home-made. Eating well means additionally, that the food must not only be good food, it must taste phenomenal. Under no circumstance would I ever add some trendy grain or berry of the week to anything I intend to consume unless it is what belongs in the recipe. Convoluting taste with extraneous junk isn't eating well. Counting fat grams, carbs, substituting sugar for who knows what...NO THANKS! Give me the full flavor, full fat, real butter, genuine anything. When I shop for my food, I go to the local produce market, where fruit and vegetables come direct from the grower, and the meat is sold by the butcher, not in a styrofoam package. If I am eating a variety of really high quality food, I know that I am doing my body right. That is eating well.
So, yes, food has to be real food, not a wannabe food like marketing tool. But, just is important is the relaxing and enjoyable dining experience. So, I must also define myself as gluttonous. I have little or no self control when it comes to eating delicious food. I like it, I eat it. Will power? Negative. Eating well is taking time to enjoy a meal in the company of others, preferable with music, wine, and drinks. Some of the most memorable meals I have enjoyed were at big tables, surrounded by friends or family, with lots of lively conversation. The food experience is what you eat, and how you enjoy it. What I love so much about blogging is sharing my recipes with others, in the hopes that in creating these dishes for their family and/or friends, they will create a memorable experience both gastronomically and socially.
My blog is unique because it is based totally on what I love to eat. No one has my same experiences or food preferences. I worked in lots of different restaurants as a college student, spent some time abroad in Mexico City, lived in Italy for a few years, and generally travel anywhere at any given opportunity. Everywhere I ever visit gives me something lasting, a memorable food experience that inspires me, and broadens my culinary horizons. My blog is about taking those foods that have a special place in my heart, and trying to inspire others to give them a try. All of my recipes are pretty simple, and they are able to be made in any average home kitchen. I want the person who might ordinarily resort to some ghastly take out or frozen entree, to think again, and say, "Hey, I think I could make that!" I am convinced that everyone would be cooking every day if they could remind their palate what home-made food tastes like.
Why should I be the next food blog star? Because I am the REAL deal, real food, real taste, real authentic recipes, real flavors, real enjoyment, real simple. I should be the next food blog star because eating well matters.