Do Not Lick Screen A Look At Some Sacramento Food Blogs Words Adam Saake
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hen we eat it and it’s good, we can’t wait to tell anybody who will listen about our experience and how they too can indulge. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and most recently Instagram are flooded with pictures and descriptions of memorable (and not-so-memorable) dining experiences. Users are saying, “I’m eating this, and I wanted you to know.” I see it as “food bragging,” and damn it, we’re all guilty of it. Food blogs, however, are a more concentrated and thought-out version of this behavior that focus on including everybody and not making you feel left out for not having tried a stuffed squash blossom. Rather, voila, they give you a recipe for stuffed squash blossoms while simultaneously satisfying their own innate desires for glutinous consumption coupled with their kinky obsession with food porn. Oh, how I love the food blog! Here are some words from a few of Submerge’s favorites.
Kimberly Morales Poor Girl Eats Well Poorgirleatswell.com Where did the name for your blog originate? Pretty simple, really. I found myself in a pretty terrible financial situation (pretty much flat broke), but I made sure my meals were as healthy, tasty and good looking as I could possibly afford. “Well, you sure eat good, don’t you?” said a coworker of mine one day. “Yeah, I guess I do eat pretty well,” I corrected. A couple weeks later, I decided to start the blog and figured that was a good, unique title to use. What is the main focus of your food blog? Exactly what my tagline says: “How to eat ridiculously well on a minuscule budget.” And by eating well, I mean eating real food, not processed junk or fast food. While those are the most convenient ways to eat on the cheap, they don’t offer anything in the way of real nutrition. And when you’re super stressed about money due to being un- or underemployed, the last thing you need to be doing is making yourself sick by not eating well. PGEW is primarily recipe-based, and about 99 percent of the recipes I feature are things I come up with on the fly by shopping my own kitchen. Since you’ve been writing about food, what have been some of the big changes in trends and people’s tastes in general? Mobile food is definitely a huge one, and as one of the SactoMoFo crew, it has been really interesting to follow Sacramento’s role in this and the trend as a whole. People are becoming more accepting of the variety mobile food can bring to a city’s food culture, and with Sacramento’s diversity, I think it could be a huge boost to our local culture as a whole. What originally got you into writing about food? My parents were both in the restaurant business, so I’ve always had a fascination with food. I’m also halfColombian, half-Salvadorean, so it’s part of our culture to eat and enjoy the beauty of food. I’m also kind of a closet anthropologist. I love studying people and the ways they incorporate food into their lives. You can learn so much!
you do as a food writer on a blog and say, what a food writer for a print publication does? Do you think each draw inspiration from each other on approach and technique? I had the opportunity to do both this year, and I’d say the biggest difference for me was really reining myself in. On a blog, you can babble as little or as much as you like; in print, there are some pretty big limitations. However, I’ve noticed over the years that some traditional print writers are “loosening up” their style and approaching articles a bit more casually, like a blogger would do. And vice versa. Bloggers I’ve followed for a while have definitely stepped up their writing techniques by being a bit more concise and more of a storyteller than a chatter. I’ve worked on that a lot this year, and I’m extremely grateful for the skills I’ve learned along the way. They’ve only helped me improve as a writer. What would be some words of advice for somebody out there interested in starting a food blog? Do it because you want to, not because it’s trendy and you might end up being in Julie and Julia II if you do. You should do it because the sight of a plate of panfried Brussels sprouts drizzled with the most buttery, fruity Arbequina olive oil inspires a wistful sigh of pure, anticipatory pleasure. Or because you’re perfectly happy talking about the 25 different types of salt you just sampled at some store. But definitely don’t do it because you expect a book deal. Stay authentic. Last meal on Earth? Shit…that’s not a fair question! I don’t have a proper menu planned, but let’s just say it will be an extremely rich, decadent feast involving things like duck (in all its tasty forms) and lamb. There would also be chocolate, a couple of Grand Marnier soufflés, every single cheese I could get my hands on, an entire plant of ripe tomatoes to go with the hugest salad on Earth, chocolate, the best apple pie ever, a bucket of marinated mushrooms, Spanish olives, chocolate and wine. Lots and lots of wine.
Julie Berge, Jon Schuller and Tracy Tierney Sac Foodies Sacfoodies.com What is the main focus of your food blog? We write about all things food-related, from local events to restaurants (plus others we visit in our travels) to a long list of traditional and gourmet recipes—all from the different perspectives of more than a dozen food marketing professionals here in the Fleishman-Hillard, Sacramento office. What originally got you into writing about food? We launched SacFoodies in 2007 as a way to learn more about the digital space. As food marketers, we’re regularly reaching out to food bloggers on our clients’ behalf. So after successfully managing a blog of our own, we can walk the walk and talk the talk. You could also say it gives us “street cred” in the blogosphere. Does Sacramento keep you busy typing? Would you consider us a food town? Why? With our easy access to fresh produce year-round, Sacramento is on the forefront of the farm-to-table movement that we’re seeing right now in dining. As more and more people are starting to look at
where their food comes from and taking a decidedly “locavore” approach to food choice, Sacramentoarea restaurants like Mulvaney’s, Magpie Café and the Paragary Restaurant Group have led the way in offering locally-sourced products that embody the diverse flavors of our region. Be it heirloom tomatoes in late summer, winter squash or local game hen and duck, Sacramento is absolutely a food town in that it offers diners a taste of California’s abundant and fresh cuisine with an unaffected and charming approach. Last meal on Earth? Julie: Hands down, my great-grandmother Veronica Berryessa’s enchiladas. They are the perfect combination of sweet with a little kick—just like how I imagine I’d spend my last hours. Tracy: A massive bowl of pho with a mountain-sized pile of assorted cupcakes on the side. Jon: Mom’s secret potato salad recipe or the duck gnocchi at Magpie. Ironically, my world would end if you made me choose between the two.
Happy Holidays we have great
gIfT BaSkeTS
TINS OF FRESH
Cafe V e ga n ry & Ba k e
COOkIeS
shipped anywhere
new yearS Day BrunCh, 11am-4pm
2315 K S treet 916.706.3302
in the country!
Midtown Sacramento
sugarplumvegan.com
Sun & Tues 10am-3pm - Wed - Sat: 10am-9pm // Bakery open at 10am - Cafe serving food at 11am
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