Back in Austin, I found my niche mostly writing restaurant reviews and an occasional original recipe. I have a fairly educated palate, and can generally describe what is it I am tasting, or in some cases what is lacking from a dish. I try to be objective, and not just say "oh it was a great meal" and offer constructive criticism as needed. Yes it's been hard at times to write about places if you were invited by the restaurant or a PR company to attend an event or opening, especially when the food isn't all that. I certainly don't consider myself to be a restaurant critic, but I've been inspired over the years by the writings of Ruth Reichl. Check out Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise for insight and a good laugh. {Ruth Reichl and the Notorious RBG are without a doubt my all-time favorite Ruths, but I digress....}
Just like my South Austin neighborhood where I have now lived for 20 (!!!) years, the blogging world has certainly changed. Social media, advertising, and SEO were all things that didn't really exist back in the day. I've adapted to some of the changes over the years, but not everything. You may notice, I don't run ads on my blog; feel free to click on the Garlic and Sapphires link as many times as you want, because my blog is not monetized.
You also won't see pictures of me eating or at a restaurant, it's about THE FOOD, not the writer/blogger. I am not really interested in seeing the same curated lifestyle photos over and over, and do readers REALLY want to see the writer again and again? Some people are in this for free food, and while it's nice to get invited to places, it is not my motivation for blogging. I have a voice and opinions of my own that I like to express and feel that I am decent at it. Blogging has been a great hobby for me, but I don't have the desire to make this into a business or a full-time gig.
I was honored for two years by the Austin Chronicle to be included in their top Austin food blogger list (and then they stopped publishing the list, lol). A quick look through this 2015 list, I believe I am the only blog who is still based in Austin who is posting regularly. So there's that!
So my food friends, thanks for sticking with me. I still enjoy the process of writing a blog post, but will I be around in another ten years? Who knows! If you haven't already, check out my South Austin Foodie Facebook page, where I tend to post info about openings/closings/food news and my Instagram page, where you can see what and where I've been eating, with no selfies. (But maybe a cat photo or two.... he is Charlie Clydesdale BISCUIT Paws after all.) I am on Twitter and Pinterest too, but I admittedly don't use them much. Google+? LMAO. What was the point of that anyway? Yup, seen it change over the years.
Finally, not to contradict myself about photos, but I don't believe I have EVER posted a photo of myself on my blog, so I leave you with this, the woman behind South Austin Foodie.
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| Taken at the Denver Botanical Gardens last weekend |
Thanks for reading, and as always, happy eating!
-- Suzanna