New Year’s resolutions really aren’t my thing. Too easy for me to get hyped up in early January and then lose steam a few weeks later. Then I feel bad about not fulfilling my goals. . .and then the whole notion of starting the year on a positive path is sort of negated, isn’t it?
As I shared in an unusually personal post on Instagram, I had quite a busy January! Given the big life changes already happening, coming up with other goals really wasn’t on my agenda. Nevertheless, in the past few weeks I’ve thought about what I’d like to see from food blogging this year. No pressure, of course. But hopefully I can look back and say I made the most of 2020 with these goals as my guide.
More Color
This year, I want my meals to embrace all the colors of the rainbow, from crisp red peppers and sweet orange carrots to golden pan-fried pork chops and fudgy chocolate brownies. Add in some savory green Brussels sprouts, juicy blueberries, and obviously the many colors of frosting I love to put on homemade cupcakes.
I want real, balanced colors. Real meals. Not just curated, photo-enhanced frozen smoothie bowls for the ‘gram. I’m tired of the current kitchen trend of a single washed out plate of food on a white marble counter surrounded by white cabinets. Too often the execution is cold and clinical. Maybe as a reaction to the chaotic and unsettling times we live in? Nevertheless, I want my food to feel warm, inviting, and overflowing with excitement in 2020.
More Family Style
As my site’s tagline suggests, what fascinates me is the link between food and culture. What we eat, who we eat it with, and where we eat puts us into context of our larger communities. No wonder that even when we’re alone, many people seek technological solutions to share meals together. Part of the appeal of South Korean mukbang videos featuring streaming eaters is helping viewers feel like they have company over their own meals. Yet it’s easy to forget that food is commonly a social thing when you’re scrolling through an array of solitary ice cream cones on social media.
I want to do more to capture the communal experience of breaking bread. I want to learn more about stories behind food. I want my words to help connect people through the common thread that we all need to eat.
More Nutrition
A nutritionist once advised me that one of the best things almost anyone can do to immediately improve their diet is to add more more leafy greens and colorful veggies. Consider ways to cover your plate in more of this nutritious stuff, instead of obsessing over foods to cut. I like focusing on what I can say ‘yes’ to instead of ‘no,’ so thinking about additions instead of subtractions really resonated with me. I want 2020 to be about embracing smart choices instead of centering on dietary restrictions.
Sadly, the Internet is full of self-appointed wellness influencers shilling fad diets under the guise of legitimate nutrition advice. My recommendation is to use a discerning eye when browsing these accounts; this sounds obvious, but sometimes we all get caught up in glossy photos and too-good-to-be-true promises. Ask yourself, what is this person’s basis of knowledge about nutrition? Are they focused on their anecdotal personal experiences or broader research? Is their content monetized, and if so, how? (No shame in professionals making money off their work. This is mostly a reminder to be wary of scams like multilevel marketing companies.)
More Fun
We live in very serious and uncertain times. So yeah, while I am that person who stops to take a dozen photos of my meal before eating it, I don’t want to let my quest for the perfect shot interfere with my overall enjoyment of my food. Sometimes delicious things look terrible. Sometimes the light sucks and you can’t do much about it. Oh well. I capture food moments when I can and rarely regret the ones I can’t. I still have good food, good company, and good memories.