Blog Day 2006!

Happy Blog Day 2006!

This is my first Blog Day, and I am inspired to post by one of my blogosphere heroines, Chef Melissa de León from Panamá. Her award-winning blog, The Cooking Diva, is one of the best food blogs, and comes a with Latin flavor. When I grow up, I want to be like her.

Was it fate or the Pachamama that led me, after a two month blogging hiatus, to start blogging on Blog Day Eve?

We ponder these questions on this memorable Blog Day:

Why did you start blogging? What do you blog about mainly?

I started blogging because I love writing and I felt compelled to communicate with others. I discovered the subject most interesting to me was the nexus between Peru and California, the two constructs and societies that shape and influence me. I started three blogs at the same time, but the one that has received the most attention from others in cyberspace is the one about Peruvian food.

I think, in time, I will expand some of my other blogs, which have been left by the wayside.

At some point, I would like to have a completely personal, idiosyncratic, and semi-anonymous blog, like so many I've seen, in which I rant and rave to my heart's devotion, but I have to work up to that degree of freedom in writing for an internet public.

Do you blog in your first language or in another language and why?

My first language is Spanish, but my dominant language is English. My blog about Peruvian food is in English, since there is a dearth of information on the subject in this language. Another blog of mine is in Spanish, and others are bi- and/or multi-lingual, just like me.

What motivates you to keep blogging even if (like most bloggers) you're not paid for it?

I've noticed an inconsistency in my blogging; at times, I'll blog madly, and at others, I just won't care. This is why I admire such blogging superstars like The Cooking Diva. Then again, I do have a demanding job, if that's any excuse. But in the short time I've been blogging, I have always returned.

Is your audience mainly inside your own country or around the world?

What I loved most at the onset of my blogging story is discovering how people all around the world accessed my blog.

Every time I saw a visitor from Singapore or Tanzania or Estonia, I was thrilled. The majority of my visitors are from the US or Peru, but I receive visitors from all continents (except Antartica, at least not yet).

What do your family and friends think about the fact you're a blogger?

I don't think anyone I know 'gets it'. I tell them I'm blogging, but for me, blogging is a creative experience, and when I'm done, I feel like one of my creations is out there in the world, and I come back to it, and fine tune it, and fuss over it until I'm truly done. People I know don't understand blogging, the Philistines!

When you blog, how would you describe what you write? Is it part of a conversation? Is it ranting? Is it a daily diary? Is it journalism? Is it some or all of these things at different times? Does the definition matter?

The definition certainly does not matter. Blogging is meant to be personal, idiosyncratic, what you make it to be. I just write how I feel at the moment. I write what I wish to share.

I think more than anything, blogging is about seeking contact with others, sharing information or viewpoints. The means are not as important as the end.

And now, in keeping with Blog Day tradition, I am must share with you one new blog I have discovered in the past year.

Mine is Peruvian food-related.

In Spanish, a very good blog by René about Peruvian wine and piscos:

Peru Viní­cola

I will try to be a better blogger in this upcoming year. But most of all, I hope we all continue to enjoy Peru Food.


Saludos!


Alejandro




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TAGS: Peru, Peruvian, food, cooking, cuisine, cocina, comida, gastronomía, peruana