Sunday, February 23, 2014

Confessions Of A Food Blogger...


You are always told and taught that no work is less important- right?? So how would you feel when someone thinks what you are doing has no worth or is super easy. When someone asks me what I do, I tell them I am a food blogger. OK, so you write recipes-that’s it? This is what people generally reply or think.

So here are some confessions of a Food Blogger-
  • That I produce recipes; I follow the recipes and then publish them on my blog. I do this, so that my errors are not repeated by someone else. I do this, so that others learn from my experiences. I do this, so that someone else is benefited through my tried recipes.

  • That there are times when I click 200 pictures of the new meal that I have prepared and not even one is good enough to go on the blog. So, so, so many times I have cried and prayed to  Weather God to let the sun shine because I am baking a cake and want to click pictures.*cry*cry*. I wish they could appreciate that clicking good pictures, understanding the camera, styling the food is a very time consuming and difficult task- just like any other work.
  • That the whole process of blogging is a complex structure. One needs to think about not just what to cook, but to also buy the required ingredients, cook it up, note the quantities of the ingredients used, let the food cool, present with style, click pictures keeping in mind unlimited camera settings, edit the pictures, typing the recipes, write the content so that it is enjoyed by the readers...no it doesn’t end here. Then one needs to share the post on social networking sites- Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and many such online communities. This by the way helps us to get traffic, page views and visitations.

  • That I receive questions, suggestions and emails that want my immediate attention. For instance, once a mother saw this Mango Pickle recipe and she wanted to know what can be done to preserve the pickle as her daughters were travelling to USA for studies (she mentioned it was urgent). I saw that email at 6am and I did reply to it right away.  So yes, food bloggers do have some urgent emails and queries to respond to.

  • That I can handle criticism but not insanely rude comments on my site. Okay! I understand that you tried my recipe and you didn't like it, but, remember we all have different taste buds- right??
  • That so many people copy our content without giving any due credits. It is hard to fight and argue with such people. Sigh! But this is the fact.


No guys, neither I am sad that I am a food blogger, nor am I trying to show off what I do.  I just want people to read this and understand that like any other 9-5 shift job, blogging is also 24/7 profession that needs complete dedication, hard work and patience.

My food blog is not a hobby. It’s not my ‘work’. Merry Tummy is my world and I am so glad and happy to do something that I love every single day. Thank YOU all, for appreciating my work, leaving comments, following my blog and doing any little thing that makes me feel special about being a Food Blogger. THANK YOU.


What do you think food blogging is? Have you come across people who think blogging is easy? How do you handle criticism? Please share your stories.

(All the posters and pictures above are my creation)

21 comments:

  1. I liked each and every line of this post Shewetha... Very very true. You wrote this post very lively. As a food blogger a big salute from my side dear...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Though no one has told me on face, I am sure people think blogging is not a big deal. It does take lot of time and patience... which we all food bloggers do with passion.
    Thanks for your beautiful thoughts. I echo each and every thing you said!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nicely written form heart... :)
    Keep up the good work dear :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Clap clap clap! U go girl ...cheers to all of us
    Such a terrific post..Love every word of it

    ReplyDelete
  5. I so relate to this post: you certainly hit the nail on the head there! I am not a professional blogger, I do it part time when not at my full time job, helped by my husband, who likes to invent recipes too. It's me who clicks, writes up, publishes, posts on fb and Twitter and deals with comments. Sometimes I feel like nobody but me understands all the work that goes into each post. I do love it though, and if I thought I could make money from doing it full time, I would! All the best and happy blogging :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Perfectly written,. As a food blogger, i am appreciating you and loved every line. 100% True.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very well said. Liked each and every line.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Applause for writing up all the work we do shweta :) really very truly said :) Now who so ever try even to ask me about it I will just shar this link and tell them to read this then they will realize wat we blogger really do :) Fantastic write dear !!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a perfect post about the bloggers dedication, love and hard work... Every word is justice. I am sure the post will tell others that not to tell its just easy job...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Shweta, you have hit the nail on the head. A very well written article.I have had weird requests like helping a young person to organise her cooking schedule and yes some requests can appear at odd times. No one else appreciates the effort as much as fellow bloggers. I still have to get into the professional photography stage, but the rest does take up a lot of time. It is like holding a full time job. So many actually try out the recipes but and even mentione it to me verbally but they feel lazy to comment on it. But as you said we blog because we love it. Even if no one visits my blog, I will still continue to write till I can. Its my life record of trials and tribulations. We share stories along with the recipes, both happy and sad.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think you have covered most issues most of us face and encounter. I also believe that most of us go through these stages and come out wiser and better :)
    It was only after I started taking the styling and photography seriously that I realized how much time needs to be devoted to each and every post!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow .I loved this post. My own friends have told me foodblogging good timepass for u.It hurts when my blog is more than just timepass for me,its like my baby,its my passion,its my world.I wake up every morning to check comments and pageviews :) We rock ! Hip Hip Hurray. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks everyone for such I over whelming response.... You guys are the best :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey I don't know how I missed reading this post,just stumbled on this now,I can totally relate to every point here,especially understanding the camera,I have just started to love my camera,lovely read :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. What a lovely from the heart post for a blogger!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi, came across your blog while searching for marwari recipes. Love every bit of the blog!! As a new blogger (just 2 months), I can fully agree with you; blogging is a full time activity!! I am loving every bit of it, but now, everything around me and my thoughts are all about how to improve my blog!! Thanks for the revealing the true thoughts and the work that goes behind making a food blog or any blog for that matter!!

    ReplyDelete

Do not be a silent reader, do leave your comments :)