Eat My Blog's interview

Interview by Lydia

We interviewed Eat My Blog!

Visit the blog: EatMyBlog.

See profile page and recipes

Hello Eat My Blog, so tell us...

When did you begin your blog, and what inspired you to start it?

Eat My Blog started out of a love of cooking, a need to create, and a yearning to connect with people who shared a passion for all things convivial.

Somehow during university I had taught myself to cook and became the hostess of many a 'family' (read: friends!) dinner. After moving from the big city to the Prairies, where I had no roots, no friends, and no hobbies, I started cooking like a madwoman. Sharing food has always made me happy, and I discovered that sharing food, recipes, reviews, and thoughts also tickled my fancy.

Are you involved in the blogging community - how do you attract new readers?

One of the best things about living in a smaller place, is how supportive the online community is. Saskatchewan is roughly the size of Texas, but we only have 1 million people. Those of use who are here are supportive of others. I share on Twitter, Facebook, over real-life potlucks, virtual pot-lucks (such as #letslunch), and have been lucky enough to present on the morning shows for a local news station.

What is your earliest food memory?

Oh I have two! But they're both awful :)

Firstly - I used to tell people that I was DEATHLY ALLERGIC to both black pepper and mustard because I hated them so much as a child (note - I love them now!). I'm not sure if anyone believed me. Actually, I'm certain that NO ONE believed me.

Secondly, I remember my Mom trying to get me to eat scallops (which I also now love!) and staunchly refusing as I was convinced they were barnacles and grew on whales.

Originally from Montreal, you moved to Saskatchewan. Has your relocation influenced your cooking?

Absolutely. Saskatchewan is growing rapidly and has changed a lot in the 3 odd years I've been here, but at first...

Well it definitely wasn't what I was used to and has made me aware of how spoiled I had been in terms of food and exposure to different cuisines.

I remember going to the grocery store in search of lemongrass right after I moved to Sask. In Montreal I could buy this at my local store. I scoured 4 separate major chain grocery stores in Regina, before finally caving and asking the 15 year old boy stocking shelves where in the world they kept their lemongrass. He looked at me quizzically before going 'Oh right! LEMONgrass!' and took me to an aisle where he proudly presented me with canned artichoke hearts. It was definitely a 'we're not in Kansas anymore Toto' moment.

Living in a smaller centre has definitely made me focus a lot more on making things from scratch, and a lot more thankful for specialty stores.

I've also gone 'western' and started eating meat again after a decade of vegetarianism. Elk, bison, wild boar, deer, and duck... I'm starting to explore game although I don't think I'll ever be a hunter.

Do you have a secret ingredient, a product you use a lot that is unexpected or that helps you save time?

I keep my fresh ginger in the freezer! I buy it in bulk, grate it with a micro-plane, and the freezer keeps it fresh for months.

I also just bought a food processor and it's blown my mind.

Do you have a favorite food city, region or cuisine?

I love everything!

Anything with fresh seafood will make me happy too! One of the best meals I've ever had was at a fish market on a dock in Borneo. Fresh prawns, amazing marinade, squid right out of the ocean, and amazing ceviche.

And of course Montreal will always have a special place in my heart. If anyone wants to courier me some bagels I will love them forever!

Is there any dish, ingredient or type of food you refuse to cook? Or anything that you refuse to eat?

Despite 'eating meat' I can't bring myself to eat pork. Not sure why, but I just don't want to. I cook it all the time (bacon wrapped jalapeno popper spring rolls anyone?) but I just don't want to eat it.

Besides that I'm fairly adventurous! I've definitely tried things and not liked them, but I can't think of anything I'd absolutely refuse to try.

What are your goals for your blog? Where would you like to see it in the next year? Five years?

This is a tough one for me, because my blog was just something I did to make me happy. Over the past year it's been getting a lot more attention, traffic, and I've been getting product samples, and invitations to restaurants and stuff. It's almost mind boggling to think that something I do for fun could potentially translate into a job or lifestyle.

I'd like to write a cookbook (Hi Gourmandize!) in the next year, whether I publish it or not, and really work on my photography. I know it's my weakest point so I want to work hard at it. I also want to help build more of a local community for foodies in Saskatchewan. Whether they're farmers, critics, chefs, home cooks, moms, or retailers, I think food is a wonderful part of life which brings people together.

Five years from now? Hmm. 5 years from now will almost be my 10 year blog-birthday. I think I'd be pretty thrilled just to still be going strong!

My worst food flop was...

Oh gosh, I have so many.

I had TWO carrot cakes explode in a row. I have NO idea what I did. But mid-way through the cooking time I heard this odd hissing coming from my oven, I peeked in and discovered that my carrot cake was boiling over like some mad, frothing, elementary school 'volcano' of vinegar and baking soda.

That was definitely a flop. Twice.

I make carrot cake all the time, so I'm not quite sure what happened. I tossed my baking soda and powder, and tried again, and the same result. I cautiously made a carrot cake a few weeks ago and - phew - it worked. Thank god too, I was getting tired of cleaning my oven.

Anything else you would like to share?

For anyone thinking about blogging, just do it! It doesn't matter if 50,000 people or five read your blog everyday. If it makes you happy, it's worth doing.

Thank you Eat My Blog for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Lydia - 09/12/2014

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