memes

Ten Rules for Food Blogging

Inspired by this piece in the Guardian, in which several successful fiction writers (including Elmore Leonard, Margaret Atwood, and Jonathan Franzen) give their ten rules for writing fiction, here are my ten rules for food blogging. (I hope my other senior food blogging colleagues write their own ten rules too.)

1. Have a hook. That hook might be cooking your way through a cookbook, deriding disastrous cakes, or advising fellow workers on where to eat in midtown.

2. If you don’t have a hook, have a name. Like this guy or this guy, both of whom made a name for themselves in the food world before starting a food blog.

3. If you don’t have a name, have a singular, stand-out voice that’s unlike any other voice out there.

4. If you don’t have a singular, stand-out voice, take beautiful pictures of beautiful food and include recipes.

5. Update frequently, at least three times a week. Even if you’re not a great photographer, include pictures in your posts; preferably, a lead picture at the top and several illustrative pictures studded throughout. (Edit these pictures in Photoshop, for maximum effect.)

12 Hours in New York (A Meme)

It all started with this bagel.

At Murray’s Bagels on 13th Street and 6th Ave., I consumed a bagel so good–an everything bagel with plain cream cheese, Scottish Salmon, tomato, onion and capers–I thought to myself: “If I were told I had only 12 hours left to spend in New York after which I would be exiled forever, I would definitely have to stop here for my favorite New York bagel.”

Then I wondered: where else would I go? What else would I do? With 12 final hours in New York, how would I spent my time?

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