So Many Dishes

There’s a short answer and a long answer as to why I blog, and I’m going to give you both answers.

Short answer: I love to write, and I really enjoy writing a blog. The school district encouraged classroom blogs the last two years I taught, and I had fun with “Mrs. P’s Singers and Ringers.

The long answer has to do with how this blog came about. I explained this in my original post, but it’s worth telling this story again.

We all know about Covid lockdowns in the spring of 2020. We all stayed home. Restaurants were closed. Life changed.

My friend Frank is one of the most social people I’ve ever known. He is always organizing groups to dine out together, and other types of outings. I think he was a cruise director in another life. Lockdown made Frank restless, and he looked for a way for people to connect. His idea was an online group he called “flash mob dining.” He would set a weekly food theme, such as a type of cuisine or a particular ingredient. The idea was to either cook something or get takeout that fit the theme, and then share with the group about what you ate. It really was a great way to stay connected.

I volunteered to help Frank with the newsletter when, during the summer of 2020, he and his wife moved into a new home. After they were settled, he asked me to send the weekly reminder email, and suggested that I include recipes. And, after vaccinations became available and restaurants reopened, he handed the project over to me entirely.

As life returned to normal, fewer people participated, but whenever I suggested ending the group, someone would say, “oh, but I love your recipes!” Finally, in late 2022, I wrote the last newsletter.

I missed writing, though. So, last July, I started this blog. I truly didn’t care if anyone else read it. A few of the flash mob group subscribe. What I didn’t expect was to connect with people from all over, and to find a new community of online friends. There are benefits to blogging that I never realized.