Answers to Introductory Questions

This Post was written by Oregano from Food Fun

1. Where are you based?

I am based in Hampshire. I have previously lived near Munich, Silicon Valley and Glasgow. My childhood was in London and Hampshire.

2. How long have you been blogging?

I tried blogging as a new medium in early Summer 2006. I tried a few providers and did a few experimental postings. I started regular blogging in August 2006.

3. What's the best thing about food blogging?

For me there are several important things:

a) I have sometimes bored my family silly by talking endlessly about food. Blogging allows me to express some things I want to say without boring my family; my blog readers might actually find something interesting. The blog allows me to get some things off my chest so it's usually therapeutic to make a posting.
b) I am far better organised electronically than with paper. I have a recipe folder that is a disaster. Sometimes if I try something and like it, I simply can document it on my blog for future reference.
c) I feel passionate about the fact that in the UK we are blindly following the US into being an obese and unhealthy society. Junk food and lack of fresh ingredients is a key element in this. Poor diet is partly caused by so few people being able to cook with fresh ingredients. I learned to cook as a student in a simple and fresh way and I would love more people to try to cook. If my blog can help in a small way I would be delighted.

4. What's the worst thing about food blogging?

Finding the time to post what I want to say...but that is more an issue with my job which often requires long hours and travel. Also finding the time to do a decent job with photography.

5. What inspires you to cook and write?

As a student I cooked out of necessity - institutional food was disgusting and cooking fresh food was cost effective. I learned a lot from fellow students from other parts of the world which expanded my cooking horizon. As parents, my wife and I have wanted to give our children healthy food so we both have taken an interest in cooking.

I enjoy eating whether it is the taste or social side. Cooking allows me to prepare things I enjoy. If I travel, it is always interesting to try eating new things and then to work out how they can be reproduced at home.

My job in a high tech business has stresses, I love to cook especially at the weekend as doing something with my hands is a great way to decouple from work. I am not very good at DIY and cooking is the thing I can best do with my hands.

I have always enjoyed writing though most of that has been in my education or work. A blog is enjoyable as it is writing about something I enjoy.

6. Where do you like to blog?

After trying a few providers I settled on blog.co.uk

7. What's your signature dish?

I do not have one. For a good decade after finishing my education I pretty much stuck to the same old things I had mastered as a student. Right now I am wanting to expand my horizons and to try ingredients and dishes that I have not previously tried.

8. What about you might surprise other food bloggers to know?

As a teenager I was such a fussy eater that it drove my Mum bonkers. At that time (late 1960s, early 1970s) we ate fairly bland, traditional British food. Some of the things I disliked then, I still dislike however I am definitely less fussy now. Interestingly when I got to university and tried Indian and Chinese food for the first time I loved it - especially the use of spices. My sisters and I introduced our parents to asian food and they tried a lot of new things too.

I have a poor sense of smell. I hope it does not affect my cooking.


Please excuse my tardiness in making this post having joined the Association months ago.