Okay, it's actually happening! A friend of my husband's is building the website and my husband is doing all of the graphics and visual stuff.
Here's where I need your help:
1) If you're interested in writing and haven't commented or emailed me yet, do so. It would be helpful if you could state what your particular area of expertise is (cooking for people with allergies, vegetarian cooking, budgeting, gardening, handling mental illness and eating healthily or anything else that you feel might be applicable.). Also say (if you can) how often you could commit to posting - one time only? Once a month? More often?
We don't want this to just be another how-to website. We'd also like to explore some of the perceptions behind ideas of poverty and food, and so if you'd like to contribute that way, we'd be delighted.
2) What technical features should the website have? What would you like to see on it? How should it look?
3) NAMES, PEOPLE! THIS THING NEEDS A NAME!
4) Any other ideas you might have.
21 comments:
I could do vegetarian issues/recipes once a month. And yes, I could link them in w/ poverty.
I was thinking about this last night.
(I have no idea about poverty and food, though my dad grew up without running water and had an outhouse. Post- WWII even. And so I think he vowed never to be poor again. Anyway, that is to say that I can't help with that part. But I know fat, so if you want me to write about fat, I can.)
But, again, I was thinking last night. It was easier to be poor and healthy back in the day and also when more people lived "off the land" so to speak. My grandmother, for instance, was born in 1929 but has no memory of the depression, because they always had lots of food from the garden and the orchard and milk from the cow and whatnot.
Additionally, people in the country work harder, so they burn off the calories, and build muscles and work those cardiovascular elements that we all find so important.
People who live in the cities have a much harder time. Though, I suppose, if they are really motivated, they can grow tomatoes on their balconies.
But, you know, it takes more than education about healthiness to be healthy. It takes energy and time.
When you are busy in the city, go to work every day on public transportation (or a car for that matter) and either sit on your butt or do some rote job, it is hard to go home and be creative with those tomatoes on your porch. Especially when fast food is cheap. Even a box of mac n cheese (or store brand "kraft dinner") is cheap and easy and comforting.
It is hard enough for my husband and I, who are not poor and who are highly (too highly probably) educated and who have children with no difficulties (except the sleep, which is huge, but not difficult in the grand scheme of things) to be healthy. I can't imagine what it is like for someone who does not have those advantages.
Just a thought, though. I understand your motivation for this new blog. But do you think that many of the people who really need it will have access to it, or have any inclination to look at a blog on the internet? Just wondering.....perhaps that is another snag.
I could post about budgeting, recipes (with a cost breakdown, we're omnivores and allergy-free) at least once a month (I wouldn't want to commit myself to more and not be able to follow through, but if I can write more than that I will)
A name? Oooo...I need some coffee before I can come up with anything coherent.
I'm so excited to do this.
How about "Eating: Poor but Good"?
I make a lot of stuff from scratch, and I finally started doing a weekly menu and only shopping on Saturdays. To save money, but also to waste less time and food. It's been surprisingly liberating. I could write once a month.
Have you asked Mary from Owlhaven to be a special guest/expert -- she has the book on feasting for $75 a week, and has a million (or so) kids.
I suggest 'The Joy of Living Frugally'.
It brings in both the cooking part and the general frugal thing. And it sounds cheerful, as if we are not being "forced" to do this.
Some of the things I love about your recipe blog and cooking posts are the simple recipes (I'm thinking of the pureed soups), the menu planning for the week and how to cook once and eat twice.
I am not a from scratch cook all the time, far from it. I have been branching out more, mostly with soups and stews, testing the waters so to speak.
I am extremely excited Beck to learn more about how I can keep my family healthy without breaking the bank.
As for a title, all I keep thinking in my head is, "Dining on a Dime - Eating Healthy on a Budget" but that seems a little trite I think? I am sure someone will come up with something a little more brilliant.
I have one name idea!
The Thrifty Foodie (or Thrifty Foodies)
(I liked The Budget Foodie better, but a Google search revealed that name was already taken.)
Will be back if I have any other ideas. :)
I could do once a month vegetarian living with omnivores.
Have you read this book? If not, you must! MFK Fisher, How to Cook a Wolf. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0865473366/mfkfishceleherli
I can do veggie posts/recipes...from the perspective of being the only veggie in my house ;) Creative meal times over here.
I think there's kind of an inverted bell curve to do with eating healthily and cost. It's less expensive, at least here where vegetables are relatively cheap, to eat healthily than it is to eat junk (if you're careful and put some thought, time, and effort into it), until/unless you reach a point where you decide to go "organic" and then it gets very expensive. That's unless you have a TON of time and space to raise things yourself and then you're still going to be spending a significant amount of money on animal feeds, unless you're going vegan as well. :)
I can post more often during the summer than during other seasons, partly because of school and partly because my garden is an inspiration for me to post. My posts will tend to have a back-to-the-land self-sufficiency kind of theme, and I can commit to, eh, twice a month? Once a week even maybe during peak writing season? :)
Well, you KNOW that I love to cook. I'm not sure that I'd have much to contribute in the writing department, (I have trouble thinking of topics!), but I'm excited about this project!
The best title is taken by the cookbook, More with Less.
Eating Better with Less?
or a variation thereof?
I kind of like this one,
The Poor Person's Guide to Healthy Eating
Another name idea: Dine on a Dime
I am one of the people you speak of. I'm trying to eat healthier on a very limited budget.
I have cut out a lot of convenience foods and make from scratch, but that takes time.
I'm not expert in anything except trying to keep costs down, but I'm willing to contribute.
For some reason, this makes me think of Swift's A Modest Proposal.
Maybe a take on that for a name? IDK.
Tonight I was skyping with my friend Heather and I told her I needed to go make supper and I had no idea what to make.
She came up without 6 or 7 suggestions, but none of them were applicable. They included either stuff I can't get here (i.e. salad dressing)or were just too much work (home made tortillas for tacos). Or stuff that's super expensive here, like peanut butter or parm cheese.
So, I could write about americans cooking overseas. Or cooking everything from scratch. Ethnic cooking? I could definitely do a couple posts on poverty and food in 3rd world settings. Let me know what you want! I'd love to be a part of this.
I can also do cooking on a budget, but since I'm currently overseas I'm sure others could do it better.
I could post...um...no more than bi-weekly.
Way to go! Much luck with this new website!
Not sure if this idea would fit, but I'm pretty good at making leftovers into 'gourmet' meals. I'd be willing to share some primary meals along with one or more ways to make new a different meals from the leftovers.
Once a month, maybe?
I'm restraining myself from signing up, but the temptation is *covers mouth*. This is going to be awesome-kudos to you and your husband.
To save money, but also to waste less time and food. It's been surprisingly liberating. I could write once a month.
home based data entry
they always had lots of food from the garden and the orchard and milk from the cow and whatnot.
free internet jobs
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