Wow! How exciting! Thank you so much, WE Vancouver readers, for voting me as Best Food Blogger in the city. What an honour. I am overwhelmed with the citys support. Congratulations to my fellow winners and everyone else featured in WEs Best of the City food edition.
I am grateful for the award but I was a bit apprehensive since I have expressed my difficulties with the word best. I also dont feel like the best because I still have so much more to learn and try.
Whether it is developing my writing, palate or culinary education, I have a lifetime of work to do. The best part is that Ill never know it all, so thank you for challenging me. This is our journey, and a delicious one at that.
How lucky we are to live in a city where eating locally is as exciting as dining internationally. With so many talented chefs from different backgrounds, responsible growers, farmers and artisans, there is little to complain about, yet we still do. Caviar problems.
As much as I am honest about my experiences, the chefs have taught me so much and I thank all of them for sharing their craft. Without them I wouldnt have work.
Its funny how the food blogger category didnt even exist two years ago. With the explosion of food bloggers and social media in the last five years, it was only about time. Credit to WE for recognizing and respecting it.
Nowadays everyone is a foodie and there are hundreds of food blogs, but food blogging is still rather new. It is often given a bad reputation and it is hard to get respect as a food blogger. Since anyone can start a food blog and there are no official rules to guide it or censor it, it is important people read with a critical eye.
Deciphering the personalities and sources is important. Know who you are reading and the source of their information; always do further research for validation. Human error exists in every industry, and in food writing, on and offline.
What you value and your personal interest play a big part. If you dont like something, be proactive, start a discussion, question it, or simply dont read it.
I started food blogging four and a half years ago purely out of passion. (The word passion is so overused but I cant find a replacement.) I didnt do it because food was getting popular; I have always taken a keen interest in food and culture. I had no other motivation than to learn about food and share my experiences.
Since writing for WE as its food columnist, not much has changed. There is a learning curve but honesty has always been my philosophy. I still want to have fun with it, but I do take my blog and column very seriously. I put a lot of heart into it and it is a labour of love.
Sometimes I spend 20 hours straight writing on one restaurant. I want to give the chefs work and dish justice. I dont expect people to read most of my work well, not word for word at least because they are pretty long and heavy but the fact that they even visit my site is appreciated.
As much as I write for myself, I dont want to let readers down, but it can be tricky. Quite often the articles that take the most effort get the least traffic, whereas a best of list or top 10 piece will go viral. I try to avoid doing those, or if I do, I put them into context because I like reason and substance.
News and recommendations have their place, but Id rather drive the food scene with culinary education and curiosity more than with competition and lists. All of it has importance but I love the topics stimulating long-term discussion rather than short-term hype.
Many people read for entertainment or leisure, so heavy topics or foreign food posts dont get as much attention. People tend to like things they know or can relate to, and I can respect that, but it is challenging to find a balance.
In a sense, I feel like a chef. Cooking what you want to cook versus what people want to eat is comparable to writing what you want to write versus what people want to read. There is a bit of give and take, but I would never sacrifice ethics or values for a high traffic piece.
This special WE edition celebrates the Best of the City which is always political. There are many people who didnt make it on the list and, not to take away from the people who did, its hard to recognize all the culinary talent in 52 pages.
There is always pressure being #1, and I dont want to compete with anyone, but I want to be better than my last article. That is my commitment and responsibility.
Besides trying all the places that made it on the lists, I also recommend trying places that could possibly beat them. Make those on the list work even harder to stay on it and, in return, Im sure theyll work hard to prove why theyre on it. Vancouver deserves nothing but the best, so lets give it to them!
Find out more about Mijune at FollowMeFoodie.com or follow her on Twitter @followmefoodie.
