This is my one year anniversary writing Duck Fat and Politics! Thank you to all of you who have come to this blog a second time! I don't know how you got here the first time, but I appreciate that some of you have returned for another look.
I've thought about food for a long time but it took until last year to start a blog and write for an audience. As I look at a year of posts I'm surprised to see how conservative I seem! So many entries express my fundamental love for food, cooking, and gardening in the context of family, tradition, and God. I thought my entries would be serious pieces about food, but I find that when I start writing I can't separate the food from the context in which I understand it, and that context is my family. As I write about tomatoes or beets or Sunday dinner I find myself pulled into the question of how food fits into a larger picture of life and meaning. Maybe if this blog was called Duck Fat and God I'd find myself writing more about politics. I've found it harder to write about food politics than I thought it would be because if I'm going to write about food politics I want to be informed and add a new perspective to what's already been written. Currently, I find that I don't have the time to do the reading, thinking, writing, and editing needed to write solid pieces on food politics. Maybe I'll begin by asking a few questions aloud.
I'm even more surprised by how little I've written about wine; I thought I'd be doing it much more regularly. But, as I read other blogs I find myself less interested in writing wine reviews. If I can figure out where my love of wine fits into this blog, I'll do more.
As I look ahead, I hope to write longer pieces about certain foods I prepare and things that I grow in my garden. I also want to write more about food's place in a family and, by extension, a community.
For now, thank you for reading Duck Fat and Politics. I love to read your comments and I look forward to another year of writing.
birch and grasses alone on the snow, grey sky indistinguishable. the flat
world falls into the edge of time, lifeless, dull wedge of horizon and
soundless ...
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Dear Patrick,
ReplyDeleteYou can not seperate who you are with the God who has created you. You were and are weaved with love, family, God, food, and fellowship. You are the epitome of community. May God continue to bless you and your family. And may the creativitiy of words fill your blogs. When I sit to read your blog, I am taken back to quite times, to simple family meal times, games and coffee and chit-chat. If only I can taste the meals with you once again. We all miss you..
the West Family
Congratulations on your anniversary. I understand that it is hard to wax political without doing substantial research. My blog, too, has developed in a direction that focuses much less on one of the original issues that motivated me to get started. Food and family/friends are deeply intertwined with each other, and spending quality time with both (and, I believe, with the natural world, and so that's one of the things I focus on) is something that does need advocacy in this fast-paced, dual-career culture. Carry on!
ReplyDeletePatrick - Your inviting style of writing makes me feel i am at the table with you and your family. It is such a nice way to keep in touch with you since food defines you so much. I have noticed that many of your entries combine slices of our childhood and moms traditions that we all cling to - especially now. I always look forward to reading your site, i miss you!!
ReplyDeleteI am one of the many who love reading your blog! And having been lucky enough to actually eat some of your home cooking, drink some of your wine (ok, lots!) and dine at your table with your family, I consider myself blessed.
ReplyDeleteMuch love,
Katie K.