I Love Blogging: 'A Great Meal Can Bring Happiness'

February 12, 2009

This post is part of our I Love Blogging Valentine's Day celebration. Alex Deve, our resident hungry Frenchman, reveals why he loves blogging:

I believe in people, and I believe that in every one of us, there exists a huge potential. This potential comes in many forms: for good, to bring peace, to love, and to help your neighbor. There is also the potential to invent the next big thing that will change the world for the better or simply the potential to evolve ideas.

I also believe in listening and in talking - the art, as they say, of conversation. Conversations can do a lot: they can bring an understanding of different opinions, for example, or exposure to different points of views or religions. You can hear new ideas and talk about how you can contribute to them. You can disagree. You can agree. You can talk about the things you like or dislike, and you can lend your voice to the dialog that exists all around you. You can, at the end of the day, be heard, and even listen for calls from others that want to be heard. In effect, you can help.

Spring-rolls That's why I love blogging: because I believe in people, and I believe in the power of conversations. Because it's our differences that make us stronger, and our conversations about those differences that make us human. There are millions of bloggers, communicating every day, on millions of different topics, important only to themselves, and occasionally to a few others. That exchange is fundamental to our lives and to our happiness.

I blog about food and drinks on the Hungry Frenchman. I do not pretend to be a great writer. Actually, because English is not my mother tongue, I cannot express myself fully, which is frustrating. But even though my words are limited, my ideas are infinite and I strive to convey these ideas in my blog. It is the idea that a great meal or dish can bring happiness. It is the idea that sharing a drink (and sometimes more) with good friends is a priceless moment that one should fully enjoy. It is the idea that great quality food is such a gift that we should cherish it. And, most importantly, it is the idea that food and drink bring people together, perhaps to share face to face that long lost art of conversation.

The aim of my blog, with every recipe I give or restaurant I review, is to help the few who read me. I love hearing their comments. I love when they disagree and provide suggestions on how to make things better. I've learned so much from the people who read my blog. My absolute favorite is when they thank me for a recipe they've tried at home. It usually goes like this: "Thank you so much for the recipe. I've tried it at home, and it was a great success! My family loved it!" Every time I receive that type of comment, it's overwhelming. I imagine that conversation in my head, and realize I have just created a moment of happiness for some folks. So, that's my small contribution to the world and its ongoing conversation.

And that's why I love blogging.