I know nothing about writing a cookbook or creating a blog. So why should anyone bother reading this?
In the beginning, this question didn’t really bother me. I wasn’t doing this project for anyone except for myself. So what if anyone else read it?
Even though I didn't expect anyone else to be following it, I still wanted the project to be cohesive and organized. I wanted a constant thread of thought running through whatever I did, so that it all came together somehow instead of just being a random smattering of recipes. I needed a clearly defined perspective.
I have never been short of opinions on food. As a person whose relationship with food has gone from toxic to obsessive in the last few years (see “about me”) I had already thought a lot about my personal food beliefs. I jumped at the chance to distill them all down into a clearly defined series of statements.
I pulled out my journal. Several pages later, this is what I came up with:
Eating should be joyful and celebratory; when we eat we should savor our food without judging it.
Embracing all food in moderation allows us to maintain a healthy relationship with it.
When we actively participate in creating our food, we gain even more nourishment from the process.
The vast array of cooking techniques and ingredients in the world offers us endless opportunity for learning and discovery.
Everyone has a unique food perspective and should be affirmed for following whatever eating style works for them.
With this perspective in mind, I decided that I would create a cookbook themed around Balance.
My cookbook would feature recipes for all moments in life—both those when we have to cook and those when we don’t—using a mixture of new and familiar techniques and ingredients. In the same spirit, I would include recipes that were comfortable and familiar, as well as several that I had never made before.
There. project cookbook was clearly defined and ready to go.
Then I ran into smack into Branding My Blog . . . and my thoughts about audience changed completely.
Originally posted June 2, 2020.