Foodie Friday 8/5/2011

 Welcome to the August 5 Foodie Friday.

 I've been thinking about peaches this week, and I shouldn't be thinking about them (or any kind of fruit) because I'm on a low carb diet. I've lost 8 pounds, thanks to the diet that author Lori Wilde recommended.
I'm not craving peaches, exactly, just thinking about them.

Specifically, I've been thinking about food and writing.

Making a peach pie is, in a way, a metaphor for blogging--and revising a novel.

You can't dump a bunch of ripe peaches into a pan and call it a pie.

You can't dump a bunch of pretty words into a Word file and call it a blog post or a book, either.

Revision is a time when I examine those pretty words and scenes. In a novel, if words don't move the plot forward, they've got to go.

So I cut them out and take a hard look at the scraps.

My figurative rolling pin does its best to smooth out the rough bits.

As a cook, my mission is to find the right crust for the right pie.
It might be a traditional lattice crust.

Or a rustic peach pie with a sprinkling of almonds, nestled inside puff pastry.

Or something totally different and tarty.

Writing a blog post (or a book) is similar.
I must find the right words for the right sentence at the right moment.
And it's a critical moment.

Anyone who has made a pie, or written a blog post, will know how this feels. Me, I write in longhand--I must feel the words as they take shape on the page, just as I must feel pie dough when I'm crimping the edges.

I seldom make a decent crust on the first pass.
My tenth effort might not be pleasing, either.
A blogger is constantly reshaping and reVISIONING words and content (rather than revising). ReVISIONING is a new way to visualize an old problem.


We, as cooks and bloggers, are constantly learning how to make better pies. The best way to do this is to make a lot of pies and be willing to throw away our experiments.
When we are learning, nothing is wasted.

Because the point isn't to peel a peach, throw it into a pie crust, and call it a dessert.

We, as cooks, have an inborn need to create something delicious for our family and friends.
It's an emotional thing.

Not in a show-offy, competitive way. Not to bake a perfect pie. Not so people will beg for the recipe.

This isn't about hubris. It's about love.

Our pies are gifts that we shape with our hands and hearts.

We want these offerings to "hit the spot," to leave our friends happy and satisfied.

Hopefully your pie will be well received.

But you'll bear one thing in mind.
From the beginning of your journey, you understand that your pie isn't a "one size fits all" sort of pie.

Your pie won't please everyone.

I've never made one that did--and I never will.

But here I am, still in the kitchen with sticky fingers and flour spilled across the table.

I'm waiting for the moment the oven timer dings, waiting for the moment when I bring the pie to the table.

When I finish one pie, I'm already thinking about a new one.

Here are a few questions:

Do you cook for yourself or for others?

Do you do both?

Is this activity mixed together like pie filling and crust--separate yet together?

When you write a blog post, your words and images are metaphorical pies, cakes, casseroles that you offer to your visitors. (And, for food bloggers, REAL food is offered, too.) What keeps you blogging? Does it satisfy a place in your soul--like a good cup of coffee and a big slice of pie? If you had to stop blogging, would your life change? Would you change?

If you are contributing a recipe to this week's Foodie Friday, click on the blue Inlinkz "frog" (look below), and add your name/recipe/blog's name (your choice) and the permalink to your blog post. Follow Inlinkz's instructions to select your thumbnail image. If this is your first time to contribute to Foodie Friday, or if you aren't sure how to add a permalink, a short tutorial is available. Happy Recipe Hunting!