Why blog? It's a question I asked myself when faced with the first challenge of Project Food Blog. PFB is a food blogging competition. Each week food bloggers are given a challenge and get eliminated one by one. I'm not much of a competitor but I loved the idea of PFB. Why? I loved the idea of over a thousand fellow foodies all coming up with blogs to answer the same questions. I am excited to see how unique each blog with be, learn new techniques, and think about food in new ways. The first challenge of PFB is to write a blog on what defines you as a food blogger.
Weekly shopping at an Asian market in the 1990'sWho I am as a food blogger was not a concept I created but a blog that was sculpted on a whim and a deep love of food. Growing up as the daughter of two chefs, both from different nationalities (Chinese and Dutch), I learned a lot about food. My friends always thought that growing up with two chef parents must make me a good cook! It was quite the opposite. Why learn to cook when I can eat the best food, prepared for me by someone else.
Testing out the food in a Paris Cafe in the 1990's with my family As I got older, I began to appreciate how much more there was to food than eating. Food is a part of celebration, life, culture, and history. Food is something that it is not only vital for survival but a substance that everyone enjoys. One of my favorite things about travel was to find out what the local food was. There is a lot you can tell by what a person eats. Food is present at every celebration and every loss.
In 1990, I visited a cheese shop in The NetherlandsI can remember the first time I wanted to grill chicken. I had no idea what to do but was to stubborn to find out. It was at a communal kitchen in my college dorm. One of the janitors passed by and gave me some pointers. I was so embarrassed. I stopped cooking for a year or so! Living in New York City there was the most wonderful take out food and I didn't have to deal with the hassle of cooking. Never mind that I hate not being good at anything and was upset that the cooking genes didn't copy onto my DNA code.
However, about a year ago when I began my weight loss and health journey my love for food blossomed. The only way you really know what you are eating is by cooking it yourself. I started Weight Watchers and wanted to be aware of every drop of oil or gram of sugar in what I was eating. I learned how to substitute high fat items for lower fat items. I began experimenting. I would find recipes online, from blogs, magazines, or friends. Sometimes I would be triumphant, and other times my food would be so inedible I was glad I was only cooking for myself. Cooking got lonely. I began e-mailing the recipes, my notes, and pictures to my parents and family. We would talk on the phone for hours discussing the intricate details. Did you poach or steam the fish? What's that black stuff on top? The trick is... ..
Out of the blue one day while I was writing up a recipe and pasting the picture on the e-mail it hit me. I need to do something online where all my loved ones could see it at once. I wanted everyone to be able to discuss their passion for food with me in one place. That's when I decided to start a blog. My first blog entry was about won ton noodle soup. Won ton noodle soup is a dish that both me and my sister request when we go home for the holidays. It's our version of mom's chicken soup. Not only were we comforted by the soup but we have fond memories of getting together as a family and preparing the dish. My earliest food memory is sitting around my grandmother's round kitchen table trying to wrap won tons. The ones I wrapped were always "artistic". It's something I still laugh about today. A precious memory of laughter, good food, and family.
I tried and love all different kinds of food since I was youngWith each blog I post, I evolve as a foodie and a blogger. I learn new tricks, make mistakes, and connect with others. I learn what works and what doesn't. The most enjoyable thing about blogging has been journaling my thoughts and being part of a bigger world community all with one thing in common. The love of good food.
PLEASE VOTE FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!