Cooking With Ideas

A Few Blogs to Watch Out for

Somehow in 2021 (and even 2020), I spent less time cruising the web looking for new-is blogs to read. Perhaps this is the decline of blogs. Perhaps it is because all too much of my time - and yours - is spent on screens for other (COVID related?) reasons. Perhaps it is simply . . . for no good reason! It is what it is?

Anyway, I spent a few moments some time ago looking around and wanted to drop a few here as places to look!

First: yes, I live down the street from the Bellhurst if you think of sown the street as a few miles down the street. And yes, the Bellhurst has a blog which I just discovered while googling. Here it is - and I think all we can do to support local businesses is critical - including nudging along on how they can help us all under COVID!

And, we have been endlessly reminded in the past year that history matters - and that the history that matters is local and regional and national and global. So, in Geneva, a key is the Geneva Historical Society. They too have a blog - which while not focused explicitly on food, does pay she attention to food related topics on occasion. (Yes, readers, I can make everything relate to food. Can't you?) As an example, there is discussion of a flour mill in Geneva - and a bit on . . . yes. . . wait for it. . . zucchini! In both cases, we can be reminded that the entanglement of history, memory and food is wide ranging. Let them know if you have ways of urging them along on how they might better represent the many ways Geneva has nearly always been a foodie dream - remember, we "invented" some apples and more! 

Last but not least, let me return to a phenomenon which inspired the very creation of this blog: the notion of edible magazines and edible communities. Lo those many years ago, someone told me I needed a hobby and asked me what that might be. And, I referenced a magazine we had just encountered on a trip to Cape Cod entitled Edible Cape Cod. Because i had no capital, I did not start a magazine; rather I started a blog. (I think it was 2006?) And subsequently, others started Edible Finger Lakes which continues to be an important part of the local landscape - and is findable here. Really: ought I be jealous? No. I love this blog. But those at the world of what was edible magazines - everywhere - deserve our support too. Is there one local to you? Which one?

Feminism & Food on the Web

Another theme that snuck into Cooking with Ideas brings together several F words: feminism and food. As we know, there is a whole literature on women and food -- focused, e.g., on food history and women's relationship to it. And, there are many ways that the phenomena are connected (click here to get a sense of past explorations here on Cooking with Ideas connecting feminism and food either very directly or more  indirectly). And yet, there is more. 

A bit of a stroll around the web unearthed (is that a weird metaphor for googling around? it somehow makes it seem more intentional and more grounded -- and yet. . . ). In any case, I came across a few places (again a weird metaphor?) that you may wish to visit. 

First: the feminist kitchen. Don't you just love the name? Subtitled "musings on women and food," the blog is written by Addie Broyles who has a connection to the Austin American-Statesman and founded the blog in 2010 and more recently compiled and edited a cookbook. This may be the only blog I ever recommend that has a manifesto (click here to read it). It doesn't seem highly active, and hte book club/film series seems deceased, but hey. Have a look. And really: with the name "the feminist kitchen," well, its worth a look. 

Second: you may wish to venture out to this site. This is the site for Render - a print magazine and blog with a mission. The mission: to "smash oppressive systems in the food industry." And yes, while this sounds very Sublimation Nation part of Cooking with Ideas, the magazine is definitely and explicitly feminist. It is also, alas, gone - but you can review the archives here. And I think you will find it worthwhile. I did. 

Third, there is a Ms. Magazine blog piece from 2013 which is entitled "The Feminisphere: Foodies and Food Politics." It is available here if you are interested. It starts off with a few (three) short interviews with bloggers related to the aforementioned theme and then ends with a list of relevant blogs. Sister Vegan is the first interview -- and a very intriguing read (including a book the author did based, I assume on the blog itself.) While some of what appears in this piece are items long gone from the blogosphere (in the sense of there no longer being contributions), others are still with us. Hurrah. More on food and feminism. 

Overall: I have one huge (and I mean huge) complaint/query -- why are so many of these dead and why can I not find more on feminism and food. Is it that blogs are a dying species or is it my search techniques or do you have a better explanation? Help! Of course, I am grateful to those that continue teaching and entertaining us and pushing the edge; thank you Sister Vegan. And, oh readers, any suggestions welcome!

More FLX Food on the Web

(thanks to styleblueprint.com for the visual)

FLX food (when did we all start using this short hand for the Finger Lakes?) is both real -- we can encounter it IRL! and a presence on the web. There are guidebooks and restaurant links and much much more. And, sometimes, when away from the region as I have been on and off for years, the virtual presence mattes to -- there are no smells, both there are sights and words that make me think of hime in a peculiarly wonderful and occasionally painful way. Right at the edge of loneliness and nostalgia and hope, the visual FLX and food sustains me right now. I confess, I even re-read my own entries occasionally to remind me that you can go home again. I have done it before, when I spent a fellowship year in Harrisburg and then when I spent some time in Chicago and now, I am going to do it again after time away for a too-long but short-term posting in North Carolina. 

So, when I googled around for some blogging or other links to review here, I did come across some. And, as I have said before, I do have to clean up some of the links on the sides of the blog. For those who either live or visit the Finger Lakes, here are a few places to read. For those missing him, these are worth a gander (when did that become an odd word for check it out, peruse, whatever?):

First; this link is from Zomato and basically gets you to some of the Finger Lakes web content focused on food: top finger lakes food bloggers. I have no idea (right now) how to use Zomato so Cooking with Ideas does not appear - but I will be checking it out! I think this very blog ought to be listed with them as both a food blogger and foodie blogger! It involves signing in and for some peculiar reason. . . well, you get my drift! (If you are interested in the restaurant reviews here -- and there are many -- you can find them by checking out the various relevant categories on the side bar!)  

Second: A new link to be added to the side bar featuring food related blogs and links in the Finger Lakes is for The Braless Gourmet. Turns out I even know the bloggers -- but have not known the blog! It is The Braless Gourmet, which is also associated with a new place in Geneva, NY called Locavore. (You can find information on the Locavore Store at the website!) The blog includes book reviews, Geneva NY spotlight matters, and much more. Hurrah! 

And, of course, you can still check out Edible Finger Lakes and more on line for your virtual dining delight.  

Murder on the Menu on the Web

Sometimes one of the wonders of the web is to discover that one's odd predilections are shared by others. (And no, I did not mean what you may be thinking). Instead, I mean folks on the web who share, for example, by fondness for connection food to books, most especially food and murder mysteries. I have loved a number of blogs related to this for years, including Mystery Lover's Kitchen where a variety of my faves blog, including Cleo Coyle. So, when I began thinking about updating Cooking with Ideas in terms of the blogosphere (do we still call it that?) and the web more broadly, I asked myself about "murder on the menu" (as the relevant portion of this site is called). 

I did come across a few things that are potentially of interest. These include various lists of relevant blogs and of related murder mysteries. 

For lists of relevant murder mysteries, besides Cooking with Ideas, you might explore book riot's vibes on what they call culinary murder mysteries. (I love that way to refer to them. It somehow feels uplifting.) Anyway, for a list, click here. I can guarantee that there are a few there I have not discussed with you since there are a few I have never heard of! Hurrah. More reading for everyone. 

And, then, there is this list of 10 cozy mystery blogs. While I was devastated not to find Cooking with Ideas on the list (hah!), bit thrilled to find the aforementioned Mystery Lover  Kitchen. I was also thrilled to find I did find a bit new that focuses on "murder on the menu." These include:

Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder by Kim Davis. Why I like about the blog is that it truly foregrounds the links between murder mysteries and food. everything eventually leads to recipes. Surprise! 

I also like the name of A Cup of Tea and a Cozy Mystery -- perhaps because I am fond (oddly since I am not a huge tea drinker) of mysteries featuring tea. (Yes, I mean Laura Childs, though that is not directly related to the blog itself.) 

Finally, the Cozy Mystery List Blog offers lists of cozy mysteries buy topic. And yes, they include culinary mysteries in their options. Here's their list for A-D from 2007. Old but . . . perhaps still useful? 

I feel like there is hope of more unexplored territory for "Murder on the Menu," and that is important as I was getting to the point where too many seemed. . . .well, not good enough. . . and there are only so many series one can read. Adventures in culinary mysteries remain! 

Any suggestions? 

 

 

 

 

 

Food Bloggery 2019

I must take some time to look at the links on the sides of this blog. I suspect many are old, lead to no longer active blogs or are even broken links. Perhaps in the era of today’s social media, blogs are old fashioned. I began this in 2006 - who would have guessed it would last! Today, I certainly would like to see more traffic here - and so have decided to take a “stroll” through the web in search of interesting fodder. I shall try to find a few new web related bits  - Not all blogs, of course. But, I’ll continue with the name I gave this section of Cooking with Ideas lo those years ago: blog watch.

First: did you know there are food blogger conferences? I did not. They don’t strike me as something I will add to the side bars here but it turns out there are many. Here are a few relevant links with comments: 

a. Food blogger conference.org is where you can find out about an international conference - begun in 2009, called (you may have guessed it) International Food Blogger Conference (aka IFBC). The upcoming event is June 20-23, 2019 in Juneau, Alaska. Speakers who are confirmed vary - bartender bloggers, the writer of Boulder Locavore,regional or ethnic food focus,  healthy eating bloggers, and more. The list is varied by race and gender, topic, and expertise in SEO etc. Many seem proud of their number of page views. I admit I wish I had those numbers. You can look to see who else is registered. 

b. Here’s  where you can learn about another 2019 conference on food blogging, occurring May 2-4 in Layton, Utah. It seems to be called Everything Food. They provide some data on their 2018 event which had 548 attendees, averaging 38 years old (I knew I was a geezer but wow!), with 85% women,  with a total combined social media following of 326,658,605. Shocking.

c. The third and final example is on the web at Tastemakerconference.com . A conference for “influencers and content creators, their general admissions tickets are sold out! (Exclamation point theirs.) The event is September 19-21 in Portland, OR, perhaps why it is sold out. 

Surprising, what!?! TEMPTING - YES. The hobby grew into a business for so many. I would dearly love to have more traffic but it remains a hobby. Let me know if you can help me get more readers as I am unlikeLy to head off to one of these for help. At least not I’m 2019. 

Cooking -- Preserving -- is a Liberal Art

Recently, a friend opined, on Facebook, that "canning food is a liberal art." I agree. In fact, I would go further: cooking is -- or at least can be - a liberal art.

What does this mean? I do not mean that you should rush out and advise people to major in food studies (though that is an option), nor do I mean that cooking is a luxury only in the way that many speak of liberal education (as available only to those rich enough to pay for it given its frequently exorbitant cost). I also do NOT mean that it is something that one only does for a certain number of years until one acquires the appropriate degree and moves on to the "real world." Nope.

At the very minimum, I think these enterprises challenges the theory/practice divide, encourage critical reflective thinking, are interdisciplinary, re    quire (or allow) life long learning, and more. 

The name of my friend who stated that canning is a liberal art? Warner W. Johnston. 

His blog?  It is called From the Kitchens of North Ridge Road which you can find by clicking here (and I have added it to the side bar to Cooking with Ideas! You will find delightful ruminations there -- including I hear on making stock. 

Have fun! 

 

Oh No: There are More than 50

It turns out there are more than 50 food blogs associated with Chicago. Who knew? How do I know this? Because there is a list of the 50 best food blogs in Chicago, which means, I assume (though I may be wrong) that there are . . . more than 50? (If not, the 50th is the worst food blog in Chicago?)

Click here for that list. 

Oh no, as I started this I was intending to look at some and then, one of the first things I saw pointed me to this list of Chicago food blogs. What have I started? 

I give up. I write a blog and if I spend all my time reading blogs I will never write a thing. So, read CookingwithIdeas (which is only occasionally about Chicago, having started in the Finger Lakes), and look at the others if you feel like it (or are planning to eat in Chicago soon). 

Wandering the Blogosphere . . . . Or is that Immersing Yourself in the Internet?

Wandering is not a bad thing. Once in a while, it is a good thing. And, today you, dear readers, are the beneficiary of some wandering. A wandering mind? A wandering search engine? A wandering . . . . bibliochef. 

A few things that are worth wandering to, or, better, intentionally clicking on to pursue some interest or other that connects to why you wandered here to Cooking with Ideas:

First; friends have connected us to a new restaurant in Chicago, though we have yet gone there. Yes, we know the chef at Spoke and Bird. I highly recommend this interview with Jesse and the two owners, Scott and Alicia. I cannot wait til we have the chance to actually dine there. Meanwhile, you ought to -- and if you have, please let all readers know your views in the comments! 

Second: I am, as many of you know, a fan of magazines. I was turned into a fan of magazines because of my partner, who for much longer has been a fan of. . . magazines. As a result of joining her in that indulgence, I am a fan of Lucky Peach. Rather than read the magazine, though, you may wish to visit their website. Here it is. And why, you ask, ought you have clicked rather than continue reading? Because (a) you love what used to be called hyperlinks or (b) you are easily distracted or (c) it was obviously what I wanted in putting the link exactly where I did or (d) because Lucky Peach is an entertaining read. That's why.

A few more wandering words and places -- figurative or literal) to wander: 

Try this site for Slow Food Chicago to slow yourself down, even though that can feel oxymoronic when juxtaposed literally or linguistically with the idea of jumping (wandering) around the internet.

And, focusing both on the magazine love and a bit of good old-fashioned sadness and missing home, try here for Edible Finger Lakes. Many of you may know this blog from that locale, but bibliochef is rarely there these days. I miss it. I miss the Finger Lakes. 

Googling Leads Where? To Poetry

Once in a while, a wander through the internet leads somewhere wonderful. Not always. And it can be what some call a "sink hole." It can steal time, burn eyes, and lead to very odd sensations resembling high anxiety. And, once in a while, every once in a while, wandering the net via google can lead somewhere fun, meaningful, and worth sharing. Today is one of those days. I found the Food Poet, which is not serious (really) but I found this poem that I liked. And it made me smile. Seriously. 

So: a site to watch out for thefoodpoet. 

And, if that does not satisfy you,here is a listing of 13 poems from Virgil to Jane Hirshfield and more, to satisfy the poetry and food impule. 

Top Historical Posts ((In Bibliochef's View) from Cooking with Ideas or Gratitude in a New Year

So, 2013. Here's what it says on this blog's "overview" the day I started writing this entry: 

110299    Lifetime Pageviews

45.52      Pageviews/Day

737         Total Posts

576         Total Comments

Wow. 737 posts. And, I do not think of myself as a writer. Amazing. And, thanks to all of you readers for dropping by --and, I hope, reading. I am grateful for the comments -- I can still remember the very first one -- and how astonished I was then (and am now) that anyone reads this. Some of the comments are odd, some are fun, and some remind me of friends. So: thanks. 

Looking back, here are a few of those many posts  from my own past as bibliochef, with a few 2013 reflections. It is odd looking back -- remembering (or not). 

The first entry ever, dated May 2006, deserves to be cited, right? Here it is, entitled Detecting Gourmandizing. It is brief, does not say much, but does point to the ways Cooking with Ideas focuses on connecting food-related murder mysteries to the rest of the food theme. While in this case I returned to something I had read prior to starting the blog, in many cases I "met" authors due to the blog. THANKS to all of you -- authors, beloved person who sent me loads of such mysteries, and , , , , 

A second historical note that I want to reflect on is the template I used at the start when I reviewed restaurants. The restaurant reviews all started much much more organized than they seem more recently -- with a focus on ambience, on wine/cocktails/dink menus, on all sorts of matters. Perhaps most unusually, and not ordinarily provided by me, were (and are) the bathroom reviews. (Admittedly, limited to the women's rooms). The anonymous bathroom reviewer was and is the main inspiration for this blog -- and for much of what else I do. I am not sure about giving up that template -- I got less "professional" as I got more experience (and perhaps busier). Hmmm. Should I go back? Here are several reviews with the template: one, two, three.( The first is to a stand by in Geneva, NY. The second is defunct. And, the the third is to an early one on Chicago!)  See what you think. 

A third topic: the entry on single subject books is one that I still think about. In fact, I have been reading single subject books in other areas beyond those covered in this blog.  I know, I know, no book is truly about a single subject. Not really. And yet, the ways such books allow entry into multiplicity is why I like them. A book about curry. A book about salt. A book about . . . . fish. A book about. . . . Each was a way into a world -- or multiple worlds. And, as usual, the curry book, the one that started me out: the anaonymous bathroom reviewer in her guise as wonderful gift giver. Thanks again. And, of course, I did a review of such books more than once. Try here too. 

Fourth: category titles. I like the ones I use on this blog. I do not use all of them all the time, and think I better get back to things like sublimation nation and queerying and related matters. But, I just wanted to say -- I liked the category names. 

Fifth:  cookbooks. I started out on cookbooks in some ways in college. I wrote out recipes in a skecthbook. I look at that occasionallly now and wonder why I ate some of those things. (It was the 1970s.) I was learning. I have a more recent version of a similar thing; in fact, I have several -- one written into a Levenger notebook -- which includes pictures of some memorable meals -- and one that I typed out for the ananoymous restuaurant reviewer due to some changes this year. But cookbooks -- I only think of those as cookbooks in a kind of whifty way. What I really mean by this label are those that people buy -- not even on line resources that I use like epicurious. And, I have "met" loads through this site. Partly this is because of the previously cited gift giver, who has supported and encouraged this love. Partly, though, there is a circle caused by teh blog; people send me cookbooks. I am especially indebted to Andrews McMeel, a publisher that sends me cookbooks -- often absolutely beautiful ones. This has taught me several things -- not least that there is no reason to feel guilty about reading cookbooks without cooking from them. 

Sixth: and most importantly: the hidden blogger. She has been mentioned above in her guises as inspiration, anaonymous bathroom reviewer and gift giver. Thanks is all I can say.  

Do you have a favorite post from Cooking With Ideas? Or are you a fan of the novel ones? Let us all know!