Staying True to Blogging, Writing and Reporting
by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
February 22, 2007
Today, Adam Kuban of Serious Eats sent me a link to his Flickr posting of a cartoon, Blogger Without Borders, from the Feb. 19 & 26, 2007 New Yorker. We had a good chuckle over it. Adam may be an earnest blogger but I love the fact that he’s got a great sense of humor and doesn’t take himself too seriously. Everyone’s a critic these days and has something to say, but we need to remember the basic boundaries of respect and common courtesy and not just spew for the sake of spewing. Blogging has made great contributions in this information-obsessed age, but it’s important to keep to an objective, and most of all, remember that it’s fun!
In last Tuesday’s (February 13, 2007) New York Times, there was an article by Peter J. Frank, the editor in chief of Concierge.com, titled In Travel Writing, Even Vacation Is Work. I enjoyed the article and found myself relating to Peter’s story of how his job/life, envied by many, can actually become somewhat torturous because every vacation is actually work. Instead of relaxing, he needs to be constantly paying attention to details, taking notes, making judgments. Sounds more tedious than glamorous, doesn’t it? While my schedule is not nearly as crazy as his, I frequently need to remind myself to draw the line somewhere. My profession is self-selected because I enjoy eating and traveling and sharing it with others. But when the focus shifts to reporting for the sake of reporting rather than just sharing a good find, it’s no longer true to itself and I want to stay away from that. Cravings is about sharing things beautiful in all capacity; spiritually, visually, aesthetically, gastronomically, and more. It’s the enthusiasm and passion for stories I can’t wait to tell my friends about that I want to bring to the site. Call me idealistic, but these are things I don’t want to lose sight of.
Just some food for thought on a late Thursday night, or I guess it’s Friday morning now.
The February features and updates are coming out next week! Stay tuned…
Sorry, but I’m really attached to this pig, so he’s staying for a while.
