Friday, March 27, 2009

This Week in Food (Blogs)

Hello, and welcome to the first (and potentially last) edition of the YIFY Food Blog Roundup. This could probably go in a couple of directions from here. Either it could become wildly popular and create it's own spin-off blog, or I could offend a bunch of people that I don't even know, feel guilty about it, and then go back to blogging about my dog or hard alcohol. Only time will tell. A few of the ground rules:

1. Blogs were selected at random. And by random I mean I'm commenting on the handful that I read regularly, or those that seem to be popular because they get frequent shout-outs in the blogs that I read.

2. If you have your own food blog that you want to be included, or, if there's one that you read and you want me to comment on it, just leave it as a comment. No promises here - remember that this might be the last edition.

3. I'm not trying to be an ass. Really. This is about as edited/filtered as I get. Sorry if it is still in some way offensive. This is the first post where Kate actually has editorial control. Mostly because she's the nicest person that I know.

4. If I write something about you and you don't like it, you can email me and I'll edit the post, print a retraction, or apologize profusely - your pick. But if you don't think it's too painful, I'd say just laugh it off. There may be some symbiosis here eventually. If we hit the big time, then maybe we can help drive traffic your way.

Alright, now that we've got that our of the way, here's your roundup

Blogger: Kath

Kath returned from Africa last week and got back to her normal blogging schedule. I'm not going to lie...life was a little more difficult when Kath was in Africa. Posts were inconsistent. Matt did his best to fill the Kath shaped hole that was left in blogworld, but it was hard on all of us. And when Kath did post, there were comment battles popping up everywhere. It was very difficult.

But now Kath is back and all is right in blogworld. She had a bunch of contests in the past week. I think it might be related to her trip to Africa. I have a feeling that next week she's going to announce that she's actually a Nigerian princess, and if you make a small deposit (of barney butter) into her account, then she can access all of the riches of her motherland and shower you with gold and ivory and probably some oatmeal. Be on the lookout for that, as I think it might be a scam.

Speaking of oatmeal, Kath and Oatmeal were fighting earlier this week. And by fighting, I mean that she chose other breakfast treats for a few days. It was difficult to watch. I felt like I was sitting in the back of the minivan and plugging my ears and saying la la la to myself to drown out the noise of Mom (Kath) and Dad (Oatmeal) fighting. I was worried that I would have to pick sides if they split up for good. I mean, we really like hanging out with Kath and Matt, but Oatmeal and I have such history together. Fortunately, it didn't come to that. Kath and her oats are reunited once again. 

Did I really just write an entire paragraph about someone else's relationship with oatmeal?

[Leaving the United States. Driving North. Going through Customs. Welcome to Canada] 

Blogger: Angela

OSG just launched a "Bikini Body Bootcamp" contest. Basically she's having her readers send in some 'before' pictures in bikinis (along with their measurements) and then they'll have a winner at the end of the thing. I'm trying to figure out how I can show my support. Which of these would be the least creepy?

1. I could take my picture wearing a women's bikini
2. I could go with imitation being the most sincere form of flattery, and also ask my blog readers to send in bikini pictures
3. I could send in my picture wearing a speedo and an "I Glo" baby tee

I think all of the above are pretty creepy, so maybe I'll just send in a celebrity bathing suit picture and say its me. I'd probably go with the famous Tyra Banks or Jennifer Love Hewitt pictures or something like that. 

But best of luck to OSG and the rest of the contestants. I know that bikini season is only about three days long in Canada, so hopefully they've got the scheduling figured out.

Blog: Zestycook
Blogger: Hmm, Zesty, I guess. Mind if I call you that? Perhaps Zest for short...

I have to admit that I don't really read this blog. I'm going to start, I just haven't gotten around to it. But it seems popular and fancy enough so I thought I'd write about it. Also, Zesty is successful in a female-dominated space, and I applaud that. I compare it to my success on the Taylor Swift Karaoke circuit, where it's usually just me and a bunch of women. But since I don't read his blog (yet) this is probably going to be a fairly superficial roundup.

I love Zesty's beautiful bald head - and I don't care who knows it. Have y'all seen his head? It can be seen in all its glory on the "About Zesty" page. It looks so damn smooth. It's probably good that we haven't met yet. I'm 97% sure that I'd start the conversation with "is it cool if I feel your head?" I used to think to myself that I'd much rather have gray hair than go bald, but a couple of things have changed my mind on that topic:

1. I started getting gray hair. And it seems to be coming in on the sides faster than the top. That was not part of the plan. I was hoping for George Clooney, but I'm worried it's going to be more like Grandpa Munster.

2. I saw Zesty's glorious bald head, and thought, yeah, that's definitely better than the Grandpa Munster look that I'm working on right now. 

I promise I'll stop talking about Zesty's head soon, but one more thing on that topic. When I was 14 and had to go to the dermatologist, there was a picture hanging on the wall. It was a side by side comparison of a 50-something plains Indian woman, and a 90-something Tibetan monk. The plains Indian woman spent all of her time in the sun so her face looked like an old catcher's mitt. The Tibetan monk spent all of his time protected from the sun and his bald head looked flawless. For the last 14 years I have been looking for a bald head as flawless as the monk head, and now we have found it...This concludes the somewhat-creepy section of this post where I describe another man's head.

I promise I'll actually read the blog next week so I can actually talk about it instead of Zesty's head. 

[Leaving Canada. Stopping briefly at Duty Free to buy some booze. Next stop = Florida]

Blogger: Meghann

It's been a very exciting week for Graduate Meghann readers. At long last, Meghann addressed her relationship status. For those of you who haven't been following along (shame on you), Meghann has been spotted out with this guy named Derek, since the Valentine's day time frame, but he has not yet received a title on the blog. So every time Derek and Meghann do something, there are usually a handful of comments saying something like "are you and Derek dating" or "is Derek your boyfriend." 

Well, Meghann finally cleared this up for us. Sort of. In a recent post, Meghann stated:

"Truth is Derek and I discussed it this weekend and we both honestly do not know what to label each other. We both know that we enjoy each other’s company and that we are just seeing how things move from here. There is no rush to produce labels, so one day at a time people! LOL"

Well, that might be good enough for you two, but those of us in blogworld need a label. It doesn't even have to be an accurate label, as long as it is used consistently. So if you don't want to go with 'Boyfriend' or 'Dating', that's fine, but give us something. You can call him the Easter Bunny or the Pope or whatever you want - just give the guy/relationship a title. It can be like a game of blog Mad Libs.

In other Graduate Meghann news, Meghann and her Easter Bunny, Derek went rollerblading this week. Wait, what? How did they do that? Did they get into a DeLorian with Michael J. Fox, get it up to 88 miles an hour and set the flux capacitor for 1996? I can't remember the last time I saw rollerblades, but I'm pretty sure Clinton was in office. I'm not really sure why Rollerblades disappeared. It wasn't like a better technology came along like with the Zach Morris cell phone or the Betamax or laser disc player. People just stopped using them. But maybe Meghann and her Easter Bunny are bringing them back, and I support that. BTW, spellcheck doesn't even recognize 'rollerblades' as a word anymore.

Blogger: Jenna

Alright, this will be a short one...mostly because this post is already too long. I don't know what happened here. I went out of town last week and Jenna was like the queen of yoga and every post had something to do with yoga. Then I came back and now every post talks about swimming. What the hell did I miss? It's like someone did a big 'search and replace' on the entire blog and took out Yoga and replaced it with Swimming. I'll get over it, but I feel like it was all really abrupt. It's a good thing that this isn't a 'Single White Female' scenario, otherwise I would've already invested in my own yoga mat and personal Yogi, only to have to switch it up and buy goggles now.

In other ELR news, Jenna and her BF were at the beach, and apparently Jenna's BF is friends with Albert Haynesworth and other professional football players. Now I don't doubt that it's true, but it would be an amazingly funny inside joke if it wasn't. Like he could just give her another random celebrity every week and she would have to weave that person into the blog. Almost like a Barbara Walters-style namedropping (I was horseback riding with the King of Jordan just last week...I was in a hot tub with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck). Also, I'd really like to see a photo of Jenna with Albert Haynesworth. And yes, he's the one stomping on the other dude's head. If I was decent with photoshop, I'd make that happen...instead you'll all just have to imagine it in your mind.

Blogging Trends or Stock up/Stock Down (not sure what to call it yet)

Stock Up
Barney Butter
Tempeh
Commenting with ALL CAPS and plenty of !!!!
Fake signatures at the end of posts
30 Day Shred Level II

Stock Down
Yoga
Protein Powder
Labels for boyfriends
Black tar heroin
30 Day Shred Level I


Stay tuned for next week (or next time that I get around to this) when I'll review Brew and Bake, Healthy Tipping Point, Bites and Bowls, and whatever other blogs y'all tell me to write about.

That's all. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think.


114 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think its hilarious, but i don't write a famous foody blog :) I don't think its too mean either, just the right amount! I'd love to hear more.

Unknown said...

THANK YOU - I am stuck in my office and really needed this diversion. Hoping there's more where this came from next week.

Laura said...

I think this might be my favorite YIFY post yet - Great Job!!!! I hope we see more of these in the future!

Amy said...

You are so funny I can barely stand it.

rebecca said...

This is fantastic!!!! Please make these a regular feature. And I am glad someone else noticed the sudden appearance of fake signatures at the end of blog entries!!!

Kath said...

LOL - love it Nate!!!

Anonymous said...

Faaaaaaaaaaantastic!!!!! You are just saying what we are all thinking. You said it well, you said it funny and you entertained us all. I think you have a future sir!

Michele (aka Raw Juice Girl) said...

I LOVE IT!!! Oh, you have to do this ALL THE TIME!!!

I read Kath Eats all the time, so I know what you're saying.

This is just too awesome....

*smiles*
Michele

Courtney (The Hungry Yogini) said...

hahaha this was hilarious. Just the pick me up I needed. Love it. Keep 'em coming!

Michele (aka Raw Juice Girl) said...

Oh, and I gave this a stumble and tweeted it. :-)

Meghann said...

haha omg this was hilarious!!! I am cracking up and just wish I had someone to share it with, I guess I should call my 'Easter Bunny' up and spread the word. :)

And rollerblades are cool. Granted we were the only one on the trail with them on, but hey we're bringing them back! lol

Anonymous said...

Literally, one of the top 10 things I have ever read on the internet. Love it.

Zesty Cook said...

Nate... I am laughing my head off here on my couch! This is hilarious stuff. Thanks for the shout out... and yes you could touch my head!

zest!

Balance, Joy and Delicias! said...

This is fantastic! Great job!

Anonymous said...

Wow. You wrote that so well. I read most of those blogs and I kid you not, most of the things you wrote were EXACTLY what I've been thinking. Especially about Jenna. I mean, I stop reading her blog for a month, and she goes from "I-love-yoga-I-can't-run-I-have-terrible-pains-never-run-again" mode to...she's running a triathalon??

Kailey (SnackFace) said...

Nate, this post is amazing. I was rollin' reading this. Hilarious. Please do this every week. It is the news round-up of the week, yet has gossip-worthy bits of info as well.

Amy said...

HILARIOUS!!! ;) I love it. You captured them all perfectly and I love your sense of humor. Thanks for the laughs.

Jessica said...

loved the oatmeal battle!

FoodsThatFit said...

I am seriously laughing so hard!

Erin said...

Well, this is officially the second funniest thing I've read all day. And that's only b/c it's very very hard to compete with Surviving Myself blog (srsly, check out if you don't know it).

But, *golf claps*, well done, I preciate the summs.

Er

Leanne said...

This is hilarious! But I wasn't quite sure if I should laugh because I got all of the jokes, or be slightly embarrassed that I pay this close attention to other people's lives... I laughed!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness. Husband and I just laughed so much. Please do Heather Eats Almond Butter. Everything is blended and in a bowl, and has like 3243 grams of protein. It's a little weird. I like her blog and her personality as portrayed by the blog, but I don't think I would eat any of her concoctions.

Anonymous said...

This is great and I am a food blog regular!

Lori said...

Nate,

This post is awesome and so true! Please do this every week. Maybe you can change your background and make it more women-friendly like pereshilton.com (just a joke, please don't go there).

But seriously, you are like a foodblog gossip columnist or something like that. :)

Becca said...

LOL-I like it. And ya I do a food blog too.

emily said...

Frickin unbelievable, so funny! However, I feel the need to suggest my own blog, because maybe it is time for some self-reflection - I read that post and thought "wait, what was mean? that was downright friendly."

Anonymous said...

whattt!!! hahaha this is perfect i love it!

Anna said...

I laughed out loud throughout this entire post, and my roommate officially thinks I'm crazy. If only she knew exactly what I was laughing about...

If you made shirts with your blog title on them a la Kath and Angela of OSG, I would totally wear one. Just so you know.

Allie said...

really funny. i mean, almost choked on my oatmeal funny.

and about rollerblading, i was shocked to discover upon my move to CA that people do still rollerblade. here, it's pretty serious. i see people full fledged into it... like it's not at all hilarious.

Anonymous said...

This is SO FUNNY. I hope that you continue to do this from now on!!!! (haha, I just used caps and exclamation points, I guess that is really "in" now)

ashley (sweetandnatural) said...

Love it. It's like ET or Access Hollywood for food bloggies! :)

amy. said...

Seriously one of the funniest things I've read in a long, long time. As a huge and overly-involved food blogger, I find this to be just what I needed tonight. Thank you!!

PS, I love when people make fun of me.

Nutritious is Delicious said...

That is soo funny because I read all of those blogs! haha! More please!! :D

Alison said...

Ummm, that was a-mazing. I hope the writers are flattered that we all are that interested in their lives! I second Heather Eats Almond Butter, and add Carrots 'n Cake.

Now, about the rollerblades, you did mention several sitings in your "People You See on the Trail" post, so you should cut Meghann some slack. (I have kind of a freakish memory, too, it's awkward.)

Kelsey said...

Hilarious! Please keep it up! If for no other reason, you've saved me hours and hours of preciuos blog reading time. It's like "The Soup" for blogstalking.

KLM said...

There is no turning back now.. Natez..

Anonymous said...

I second the t-shirt idea! I would totally buy one.

MIchelle (PinQue) said...

Just so you know, my mom is now reading your blog...look out for fashionistamom! Hee, hee!

Anonymous said...

This was awesome :o) I love it when everyone can have a sense of humor about just how silly/crazy some of our foodie posts can be. Keep it up - I will definitely keep checking back for more of these!

Debbie said...

Please continue this segment. It is so funny. Reminds me of my fav tv show - "The Soup". The world needs your humor. I don't even read two of the blogs you blogged about but still it was so much fun. Who knows maybe I will have to find time to catch up with the awsomeness of the bald one.

kathie said...

very well written and very funny. i think food bloggers will be lining up for your take on their lives.

what i want to know is this "food bloggers using cereamic spoons with holes in the handles" trend. where do they come from?

Lauren said...

This was akin to watching a stand-up comedy routine ... sooo funny! Keep 'em coming :)

Oh She Glows said...

This blog idea is genius and is going to be a HUGE hit

Alis said...

This is great! So funny! It's the first time for me reading your blog, I'll definitely come back!

Anonymous said...

hysterical! gotta make this a weekly thing. i think A LOT of the same things abt these blogs...very refreshing to have someone else post 'em.
keep up the great work.

Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point said...

hahahahahhaha

i think the stock up and stock down were the best part.

i want more, with pictures!!

Erin said...

This was amazing....So right on the money!

Mandy said...

What a GREAT idea! I loved every bit of it! Please, sir, may we have some more?

HEAB said...

Nice recap. Hilarious!

Anonymous said...

I think this was hilarious! Definitely want to hear more.

free free to write about my food blog!

write about many more too- keep it up!

Jane Beall said...

This is freaking hilarious. Love it, keep it up.

Kelli said...

Isn't it funny (funny weird) how funny (funny haha) stuff is just because it is 100% TRUE?! this was why Seinfield was such a hit! Like the show or not, the truth of it is just too hilarious.

I loved the Jenna bit, have to say. You could expand on a bit though and talk about how one month she decided to be a bodybuilder, and one month she was a vegan, and one month etc. etc. It's cute (may or not be using "cute" as a left-handed, partially snide compliment) how she gets excited about things easily ("hey everyone, i want to be a sommelier").

Ryane said...

Ohhhhh hilarity!

Nicole said...

Hahah, I love it! I was wondering about this fake signature trend.

Adi (oatonomy.com) said...

My sides hurt... from laughing, not doing yoga or swimming or ab exercises or whatever else the blog world is up to!

This *must* be a regular thing Nate! Please?!

Anonymous said...

This is AWESOME! You can't stop now....

Christy said...

This is the best commentary on the blog world! Definitely keep it up. It especially helps those who miss posts now and then. :)

Tyler said...

that was awesome! please do this every week!

Anonymous said...

This might be the greatest thing I've read all week.

Fancy said...

I loved reading this---you really should do this every week! :)

Nate said...

Whoa. Thanks for all the comments everyone.

You are giving me the motivation needed to start a new fancy blog - devoted entirely to talking about other blogs. And yes Caitlin, it'll have pretty pictures.

Thanks again...glad y'all like the idea, and I'll do more of the same next week.

RunToTheFinish said...

OMG you are hilarious!! This is just the kind of post I need to make a gray crappola day better!

Wiggs (The Beholder) said...

HAHA, I totally had that same picture of the monk in my dermatologist's office! Oh man, there's nothing I love more than dry humor like yours. Sure, some people might not get it (the commenters on my blog sometimes seem to be at a loss) but I think it's golden.

sandy said...

lol that was funny esp the stock up stock down thing! I predict black tar heroin will be a stock up next time as a tasty cereal/oatmeal topping comparable to the flax seed in popularity! And sadly, the breakfast cookie will see it's demise and be forced onto the street turning tricks for Mr. Quaker himself! )=

sandy said...

OH! and I live in san diego and sometimes i still do see people rollerblading by the beach! My friend and her boyfriend just bought roller blades! I think its makin a comeback! WATCH OUT flannel shirts and light wash ripped jeans and doc martens!your next!

Derek said...

Well done, Nate. The Easter Bunny gives it two thumbs way up! It's almost like, as many also said, a Perez Hilton site for bloggers (or for those that have a thing for a particular blogger)...but I wanted to add that it has a 'roast' feel to it as well. Maybe expand on the roast idea? Take it easy!

Anonymous said...

I've also noticed:

up: oat bran
down: oatmeal (sorry kath)

up: odwalla bars
down: larabars

Anne P said...

lol... this is amazing. so true!!

polly said...

Oh my goodness, Nate.. you gotta keep this up, so funny! LOVE IT! xoxo

Anonymous said...

hysterical!!

Rose said...

This made my day. SO hysterical! I read some parts aloud just because it was so funny.

Please keep doing this recap (!)

Anonymous said...

so funny please keep it up Nate!!!

Anne said...

nicely played

Anonymous said...

nice work nate. you are an incredible writter with a great sense of humor. keep the posts coming please, i think you've got a future with this!

kirsten said...

this is amazing

Anonymous said...

Love your reviews. Awesome and so funny. Have a look at my site- keeping it fun and as healthy as can be (and no- not a contradiction)

Susan said...

Just wanted to be the bazillionth person to say that this was HILARIOUS!! Oh shoot, I just commented in caps!

Anonymous said...

This was hilarious! LOVE the stock up/stock down. :) Blog added to Reader!

Anonymous said...

I just died reading this! Hilarious!! Thanks for typing this up!

Anonymous said...

This was soooo funny and you should definitely make it a regular thing. I don't think it was mean at all either. Maybe some of the bloggers can say better whether they thought so though.

You should also add Sarah from Lovinmytummy to this. She's hilarious!

If you're going to do t-shirts of your blog, make sure to include tons of glamour shots of yourself modeling them like one blogger does. (No, not Kath!)

Laura in Pittsburgh said...

You are absolutely hysterical! The funniest blogger out there by far ... while reading I kept busting out laughing - my hubby thinks I'm nuts! Keep the posts coming,

Anonymous said...

This is amazing, I'll be checking back often to read more =)

Anonymous said...

I love your humor!

Anonymous said...

Pllllease continue with this! Funniest thing I've read all day! (which is not much but still). :-)

Anonymous said...

you have some SERIOUS talent!!

Anonymous said...

This is the BEST thing EVER!!!

Fitnessista said...

i've been WAITING for someone to do a perez hilton style take on the food blog world! thank you!!! :D please be nice to me? haha
have a great weekend!

Katrina said...

Awesome hilariousness!

Anonymous said...

1. I'm pretty sure all of the comments by "Anonymous" were either written by Nate himself or some stalkerish ex-girlfriend. Why else say something nice, anonymously?

2. My Nemesis + Oatmeal troubles = Ma Nature striking a blow against Purina Human Chow foes everywhere.

A@ Please Don't Eat Me! said...

this was possibly the funniest thing i have read this week!

i guess with all the positive and encouraging comments you realize the need for the Perez Hilton/TMZ of blog land!

I am a serial CAPS user!!!!!!!!!!! and i love exclamation points!

adding you to my blogroll man.. this is some seriously funny shit!

Rocco said...

You MUST continue to write these posts!!!! too funny

Anonymous said...

haaaaaaaaaaahahaha, i love this. kath's linked to you so many times, and i finally took the bait. so glad i did. you hit the nail on the head with this whole community AND you're so going on my google reader this second :-)

lizzie said...

You need to keep doing this every week. So funny.

Melissa said...

hilarious. You'll probably look better in a bikini than me :)

Ashley said...

This is definitely hilarious- sort of reminded me of that show on VH1 "Best week ever"- but a lot funnier.

I have to admit, I too was relieved when Kath and oatmeal made up because I just don't know what I would do without some stability in my life :-P

Anonymous said...

You should review wholefoodswholeme. She seems like a nice enough girl, but I wish she'd tone it down on the excessive patriotism and race-centeredness. How many times has she mentioned her boyfriend is French, for example? Is that his only defining trait? It just seems a little weird to me.

haya (living and learning) said...

oh my goodness!!!! you said everything i've been thinking over the last little while in the funniest way possible. SO AWESOME. good job. i hope for many more posts ;-)

Amber said...

Love it, seriously hilarious, I think this is exactly what the world of food blogs needed. Keep it coming!

Laura said...

Too funny!!

Micapie.blogspot is a good blog too, she is really funny and witty! You must review it!

Kelly said...

Wow! That was hilarious. Please do one of these every week.

Anonymous said...

You should do one on NHerShoes.

Grace said...

You HAVE to do this every week! It's so funny

Ryan (Chase Daylight) said...

Ahhh hahaha...PLEASE keep doing this!! Amazing and I can't wait to see more :)

Anonymous said...

haha this is the funniest thing ever! i hope you keep these up! I was cracking up the whole time :) loved every word!

Anonymous said...

I'm offended. Did he say you could touch his head?! SMILES! :)

TexanCouture said...

Loved it! This was hilarious!

Elina said...

Haha, that was hilarious! Is it bad that I read every single blog you mentioned?

Samantha said...

I loved this - great way to start my Saturday. You did such a great job - I can't wait to read the next round.

Olga said...

hahahah this is excellent. Just what my google reader was missing.

Keep it up!

HangryPants said...

This is excellent - Best Week Ever for food blog drama!

Anonymous said...

hahahahaha THIS WAS SO HILARIOUS!!!!!!! (wrote that in all caps and with exclamation points so that I too, could be repping what's "stock up" in the blog world right now

Anonymous said...

Haha this is great and very funny! :D

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