Amy & Jonny's interview
Interview by Gitanjali
We started weareneverfull.com just after returning from our wedding and honeymoon in Tuscany, full of inspiration from the food, the wine, the landscape, and the people. We are never full became our motto during that trip as a way of encouraging us to keep trying new things and take advantage of the places we were visiting even if we weren't hungry at the time. It's become a mentality wherever we have gone ever since.
More or less. And not as much as we used to be before we had kids. We visit our favorite blogs as regularly as we can, which is to say not as often as we would like. We often find new food sites and folks doing interesting things via social media, especially twitter and instagram. Our content is syndicated on the Christian Science Monitor's Stir It Up! food section, so that helps bring in some new readers. We've never attended a blogger conference because they're far too expensive and our blog is a hobby, not a job.
Whether we're in a tiny ethnic restaurant or on vacation somewhere, we always try to eat the local specialty made in the most traditional way. Then, when we get home, and usually after plenty of research, we'll do our best to recreate those dishes as faithfully as we can.
We're both naturally quite chatty, and since our styles of writing on the blog couldn't be more different - reflecting our personalities - we figured that it might be fun to record some podcasts of us talking about the stuff we like to eat and drink. Amazingly, some people actually listened to them so we made a few more. If they weren't so time intensive to produce, we'd do them more often.
For Amy, it's trying blue cheese dressing at aged five, and a whole new world opening up. She's still obsessed with dipping and condiments today.
For Jonny, it's going to the cheesemonger at his local market in his hometown. The cheese man would always give out samples, and was especially generous to kids. Working his way through regional cheese selections has been important to him ever since.
Not really. We tend to cook quite simply and don't use many gadgets. Recently, though we've been using our stick blender to make sauces for meats. If we have time, we'll still make our chimichurri and salsa criolla unblended, but we find that the blender helps marry all the flavors more quickly.
No, not really. We're generally of the opinion that we'll try anything once. That said, Jonny is allergic to snails (we discovered this one disastrous Valentines' Day when his face blew-up like the elephant man) so he has to watch Amy eat them.
Ideally, and like everyone, we'd like more traffic, more readers, and more people to appreciate that while we might not have the largest or most consistent output, what we do produce is of good quality, well-researched, reliable and in a lot of cases, not found in many other places.
If there is money or, hell, a living to be made from it, we'd be over the moon, but, when it comes down it, we'd be happy to still be blogging regularly in five years time.
Anything to do with baking. Breads we can just about manage, but cakes, pastries, anything with icing, is always an unmitigated disaster. All of which is just as well because we don't need any extra calories...
That cooking, let alone, blogging while being a working parent is incredibly challenging. We do the best we can. We wouldn't still be doing it if we didn't love it.
We interviewed Amy & Jonny!
Visit the blog: We Are Never Full.
Hello Amy & Jonny, so tell us...
When did you begin your blog, and what inspired you to start it?
We started weareneverfull.com just after returning from our wedding and honeymoon in Tuscany, full of inspiration from the food, the wine, the landscape, and the people. We are never full became our motto during that trip as a way of encouraging us to keep trying new things and take advantage of the places we were visiting even if we weren't hungry at the time. It's become a mentality wherever we have gone ever since.
Are you involved in the blogging community - how do you attract new readers?
More or less. And not as much as we used to be before we had kids. We visit our favorite blogs as regularly as we can, which is to say not as often as we would like. We often find new food sites and folks doing interesting things via social media, especially twitter and instagram. Our content is syndicated on the Christian Science Monitor's Stir It Up! food section, so that helps bring in some new readers. We've never attended a blogger conference because they're far too expensive and our blog is a hobby, not a job.
What are your culinary influences?
Whether we're in a tiny ethnic restaurant or on vacation somewhere, we always try to eat the local specialty made in the most traditional way. Then, when we get home, and usually after plenty of research, we'll do our best to recreate those dishes as faithfully as we can.
Tell us about your podcasts.
We're both naturally quite chatty, and since our styles of writing on the blog couldn't be more different - reflecting our personalities - we figured that it might be fun to record some podcasts of us talking about the stuff we like to eat and drink. Amazingly, some people actually listened to them so we made a few more. If they weren't so time intensive to produce, we'd do them more often.
What is your earliest food memory?
For Amy, it's trying blue cheese dressing at aged five, and a whole new world opening up. She's still obsessed with dipping and condiments today.
For Jonny, it's going to the cheesemonger at his local market in his hometown. The cheese man would always give out samples, and was especially generous to kids. Working his way through regional cheese selections has been important to him ever since.
Do you have a secret ingredient, a product you use a lot that is unexpected or that helps you save time?
Not really. We tend to cook quite simply and don't use many gadgets. Recently, though we've been using our stick blender to make sauces for meats. If we have time, we'll still make our chimichurri and salsa criolla unblended, but we find that the blender helps marry all the flavors more quickly.
Is there any dish, ingredient or type of food you refuse to cook? Or anything that you refuse to eat?
No, not really. We're generally of the opinion that we'll try anything once. That said, Jonny is allergic to snails (we discovered this one disastrous Valentines' Day when his face blew-up like the elephant man) so he has to watch Amy eat them.
What are your goals for your blog? Where would you like to see it in the next year? Five years?
Ideally, and like everyone, we'd like more traffic, more readers, and more people to appreciate that while we might not have the largest or most consistent output, what we do produce is of good quality, well-researched, reliable and in a lot of cases, not found in many other places.
If there is money or, hell, a living to be made from it, we'd be over the moon, but, when it comes down it, we'd be happy to still be blogging regularly in five years time.
My worst food flop was...
Anything to do with baking. Breads we can just about manage, but cakes, pastries, anything with icing, is always an unmitigated disaster. All of which is just as well because we don't need any extra calories...
Anything else you would like to share?
That cooking, let alone, blogging while being a working parent is incredibly challenging. We do the best we can. We wouldn't still be doing it if we didn't love it.
Thank you Amy & Jonny for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Gitanjali - 09/12/2014
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