I’m a month late and a dollar short, but it seems, somehow, important to note that I started this blog a full ten years ago. Yes, I haven’t posted here in more than three years, but, I have continued to write and occasionally post on my website, Healthier Kitchen, in the interim.
It seems like a milestone and an opportunity for a little reflection. Having trained as a lawyer first, and having begun some food related work and training in the aughts, 2009 represents when I first saw myself as a someone working in food. Not quite professional at first, as I never monetized my blog, but when I look back at my posts, I have to give myself a little credit that I was very much ahead of the curve on the “healthier” trend and my posts about food policy still make sense today.
Part of me feels frustrated that in ten years, I still haven’t found a way to properly make a living from my passion about healthier eating and food policy, but I continue to teach and write and advocate in as many ways as I can. I’m proud of the volunteer work that I do with Crossroads Community Food Networkand the Montgomery County Food Council, and feel that I’m helping my local community in some small way. I keep learning more about the food system, both on the local and national level, and I keep trying to stretch and acquire new skills outside my comfort zone.
Perhaps the dissatisfaction I feel is that I had high hopes of turning what I was doing into a permanent position with an organization working in this space. That has proven to be depressingly hard to do, whether because of a lack of an appropriate degree, my age, or just a general failure for my skill set to match up well with an existing organization. I keep trying though, and networking, and freelancing in the meantime.
The freelance life agrees with me on many levels: I like the flexibility in schedule, I like the variety of different tasks and issues I work on, and I enjoy having time to continue to experiment with my own recipe development. However, I miss working as part of a team, which is one of the best parts about volunteering with not-for-profits. It keeps me working with others who are also passionate about helping others and improving our local food system.
In the near future, I plan to write about a new book, Pressure Cooker, which has nothing to do with the Instant Pot and everything to do with how hard it is to make dinner every evening. I have a lot of thoughts, have engaged with one of the authors online, and hope to pull my ideas together soon.
If anyone is still reading this blog (truly, I have no idea if the email notices are still active at this point), please let me know what you’d like to hear, and what you think I could be writing about that would be helpful in feeding yourself and your loved ones.
And, please weigh in on headnotes above recipes, communal cooking ideas, and if you think that the idea of people cooking at home is passed its expiration date. I look forward to continued conversations on all these issues.
In the meantime, if you're so inclined, head over to the Jewish Food Experience and you can see my most recent piece for them about a favorite family dish for Passover...and some feelings.
In the meantime, if you're so inclined, head over to the Jewish Food Experience and you can see my most recent piece for them about a favorite family dish for Passover...and some feelings.
