Lucullian delights
I agree with you about blogging contra websites Ilva. I have tried alot of different food blogs, but bother to come back to only a few. And the reason I don't go back is because the lack of a personal touch, and the mixture of advertising on the sites. It usually makes me frustrated and I don't come back.
Yours is a site I visit daily though, and I love the "this and that"-writing you add every day.
My food blog is not my main blog, and therefore I don't feel I havew enough time for it. But, after food blogging for almost a year now, I know this is something I want to keep up with. And I have a few ideas up in my sleeves which I hope to try out the coming months. The Book Corner, where I invite other bloggers to write is one of these ideas which I have just started.
Ilva,
let me first say that it was like a homecoming for me, to visit you again after not having found the time to do so for way too long.
I agree with you on the comments question. I also appreciate being able to read the whole "conversation" in the comments box. There's one little problem though: Try as I might, I do not always manage to answer them in time, i.e. when the probability that people actually read my answers is still great enough to warrent one. Sometimes I resort to visiting the commenter's blog to recognize that their visit was very much appreciated.
I guess the time quandery is any blogger's predicament. One needs to learn to blog with it. 
Btw, the photos of this post are stupendous! 
I read your blog for more than six months already. Every morning I open it to see the pictures and the new recipes. But I like it the way it is. Yes, the factor that is missing is the advertising - but you can live very well without it. It is more personal and "alive", and it is not commercial.
Simona (from New York City)
You're right. We read blogs to connect with the blogger. It's a personality thing. Too much success can bring unwelcome change: "interns", "assistants", "guest bloggers" .. it's a prickly path.
Ilva: After spending time on your BLOG (and yours is so definitely a blog in spite of the huge readership) and eating at a FANTASTIC Italian restaurant on Friday (CinCin at http://www.cincin.net/cincin/pag...ges/
profile.asp ) I am totally kitchen inspired but am suffering with picky children. If any of your kids is or was a picky eater I would love it if you'd give us all some hints/suggestions. And if you were ever to take your blog more commercial, I'd hate to see ads here, but a book of the recipes you have found most successful accompanied by your photography -- I think there would be a stampede! Anyway, must go and google 'saffron risotto' and 'wood fired octopus' now. CinCin was just one taste treat after another...
That's a very interesting top photo. I wouldn't have thought of doing that, but I'll think of it from now on.
On Blogging:
(1) I am very uncomfortable putting personal information in my posts. It's my privacy, my personality, my paranoia. I only started putting my real name on my blog this autumn when I started asserting copyrights (an anonymous copyright is pretty meaningless).
(2) I never know if I should answer comments that are not questions. Am I just looking for the last word? Or is it rude not to respond, a snub? I could respond to all of them, but that seems heavy-handed. I respond to some of them. I'm never sure.
(3) I can understand why the big blogs cash-in on the traffic. But I wonder how much small-time bloggers make from their distracting ads? Is it really worth the aesthetic disruption? It seems to be.
(4) I like a blog that sticks to the issue(s) at hand. When one is both writer and editor, it's easy to wander-off into the bush, so to speak. Once I have more than 600 words in a post, I start trimming, because, deep-down, I suspect that my thoughts on the matter are just not that fascinating to everyone else. I also suspect I should change my limit to 400 words.
(5) One needs nice pictures on a blog (we all agree that Ilva takes great pictures). Keeping a blog pushes me to improve my photography. I'm working on that with an inexpensive camera, a freeware photo editor, and a local library card, 'cause I'm cheap like the budgie.
Wow, what a long comment! That's more personal reflection than I give out on my own blog! Cheers.
I love blogs and I love blogging. It has become a whole new way of communicating. I like to get personal comments back via an email but seldom do. I seem to read an awful lot of cooking blogs. I'm starting to try more and more Italian recipes-most of them yours. What in the world did I do before the computer?
Now I guess I am hoping that you still consider my blog to be a blog! I do try to keep the personal touch, although sometimes in my life (of nothing but work some weeks) I feel like there is nothing personal worth sharing.
On the topics of comments and advertising I have some thoughts that are a bit different than yours. First of all, I have to confess that I have gotten bored out of my mind with going back and giving a cheery response to every comment. I hope people don't think I am rude, and I do read and appreciate each and every comment, but I just can't do it any more. And I don't enjoy reading comments on other blogs where the blogger responds to each and every person either. It just feels like too much to me. Now I respond when someone asks a specific question. It's also a matter of time. I work full time besides my blog and sometimes when I'm at school all day I get as many as 20 comments on multiple posts. Well obviously I can't spend an hour at home tracking down all those when I get home.
The matter of advertising is one that I wonder about myself. I am well aware that there are people who hate ads, but truthfully I have never had one reader mention the ads on my blog. For me, the ads are a means to an end. I am hoping I can retire from my job soon and have more time to devote to the blog. The money I get from ads on the blog might be the difference for me in doing that a few years sooner, and for me that's more than worth it. If having ads might permit me to be a full-time blogger, that would give me so much time to improve the quality of the blog that I hope people might consider it a good trade-off.
Of course if I was a fantastic photographer like you are, I might think of selling photos instead. But I would need a creative implant in my brain to achieve that!
BTW, I have only glanced at the FBA nominations so far (enough to see that you have lots of fans, rightfully so!) but I also had the thought about some nominations "that is a website, not a blog."
I wish I could be more like you Ilva. I loved the way you talked about visiting before the food and I realize how right mother was! The commenting is fascinating to me. From time to time I'll have somebody email for a while and never comment. I decided we're all different in our feelings of "privacy". Responding is hard for me. I'm happy to respond when there's a question and some comments while not a question are an exchange and I love that. I feel odd not saying something to each if I respond to one and that always leaves me feeling off.
Most of my favourite blogs don't run advertising and that's how I like it. Then there are the blogs that added advertising after I became hooked. However I do find the adds distracting. I like the personal touch you add to your posts Ilva. Some bloggers do write to wordy a post and I find myself skimming the words to get to the end and move on. We all only have so much time in a day. Personally I share much of my own life but not so much of my family. I began my blog after my cancer diagnosis to show my family and friends overseas I was coping and getting on with life. Good luck in the awards Ilva. Also your Facebook Christmas Tree is brilliant.
I agree with you Ilva that two characteristics that make a blog a blog are the personal touch - you share something of your life, and if a business, of the human element, the trials and tribulations of running said business. Advertising and selling should be a secondary aspect to any blog.
The other characteristic that I think is important is the interaction between blogger and reader via the comment box. To be fair I know of only one blogger who never deigns (and you really get the feeling that he feels it is beneath him) to respond to comments on his blog. Which is a real pity as he ticks all the other boxes of a good blog - it is informative, personal and generally insightful, but sometimes a bit of feedback to comments would be welcome.
I think your blog is perfect. I love, love, love the pictures. And all of your recipes looks and sound so good.
Uh...ditto what everyone else said. (I don't like to read comments for too long.) But I did want to say I *LOVE* your dishes!
What a yummy soup, Ilva. I like your short posts. I'd say it all depends what you want to put in, and why you do it. That's personal for everybody.
Well I can hardly not answer all these LONG comments after what I wrote in the post!
Britt-Arnhild-Thanks, I'll try to participate but right now I feel as if I hardly have the time to breathe...
Merisi-It's nice to have you back! As to the comments, I think we all know how hard it it can be to keep up with them now and then when you are busy so I don't think we should feel stressed about that. It's when the blogger never answers comments I get bored.
Simona-Thank you! And I'm happy as long as I can keep it ad free!
Pru-yes, it's easy to judge, I know. And it's easy no choose not to read the blogs you don't feel connected to! and that's what I do!
Andrea- mmmm there has been a truffle festival at that restaurant I see...I love white truffels, last week I was in a shop when white truffles were delivered and I just felt delirious, it's soo good. And yes, my children can be picky, at least the younger one, the older, 12 &15, are beginning to dare and to develop adult taste buds! The worst thing is that they all have different taste so there's rarely one thing that is perfect for all three. Wish I could help you but I really think I am a lousy food mum to be honest...
wheatless bay-Thanks for exposing yourself in this way! I used to feel really concerned about my privacy but then I got fed up with myself being so closed when I'm not like this in real life. But I'm very careful not to expose other people or my family, I don't think they would like me to talk about them here.
Linda-I agree with you on what you write, what did I do before I started blogging?!
Kalyn-Of course I do! and I realize that it's much more problematic for you to answer all the comments because you have much more traffic to your blog than I have here!
Tanna-You do? I don't think you know what you are saying here! But thanks anyway!
Barbara-Yes, I think it's important to think about how much the rest of the family is willing to be exposed, if they don't mind, I think it's OK but my family prefer to remain more anonymous.
Robert-Now I'm really curious! But yes, I like the communication aspect of blogging very very much but I suppose there are a lot of people who don't feel the need of it.
Pam-You shouldn't write things like that, it can go to my head you know! thanks a lot!
sally-you are just to funny! Thanks!
Aagje- that's very true! and thanks!
This soup looks delicious. Two of my favorite things are white beans and fennel. I can't wait to try this. Thanks for posting it.
Ilva, I believe you are right on about blogs.
And the soup looks divine and simple...perfect for this time of year!
I like your summation of what makes a blog, Ilva. Nicely said and succinct, just as I would expect from you. I'm also pleased to see you have so many deserved nominations for the blog awards.
Now onto the soup - sounds lovely. I often forget about fennel as an ingredient unless I'm specifically making a recipe that contains it, but I like the throw-it-in-a-pot nature it has in this soup.
Food Hunter-Thank YOU!
Jeni-thank you! And yes this an autumn soup!
annemarie-thank you! I feel really honoured to be nominated, I don't really expect to go any further, never been much a winner!
I made the soup for dinner tonight---fantastic! I added some fennel seeds to enhance the "anise" flavor, and it turned out well, even if I did not add parmesan cheese in the end. Very nice, easy to make soup, especially with an immersion blender. I had leftover onions, carrots, celery, tomato and white beans, so I tossed them with ventresca packed in oil, sherry vinegar, lemon, and extra-virgin olive oil, and then put on top of toasted olive bread. Voila!--- a tasty but simple dinner of fennel and bean soup and tuna and white bean bruschetta. No ingedient wasted or left languishing in the fridge!
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