Venetian Hours: Looking for a Nonna

Published by Thursday, March 3, 2016 Permalink 0

Venetian Hours: Lost in Italy and Looking for a Nonna

by Jonell Galloway

If you live in Italy, you have to have a nonna. Having just lost my “adopted” Italian grandmother, Nonna Margherita, in Switzerland, the time was right, and it happened in the most unlikely place: Bellaria-Igea, a seaside town in Romagna, known as the Italian region of land-and-sea because of its plentiful bounty of both fish and meat. As a result, the cuisine is varied and copious, playing on unending themes of the two. The hillsides beyond the shores are verdant and rolling, producing excellent wine, meat and cheese, while traditionally, the inhabitants by the seaside are fishermen.

Fishing net of a batana fishing boat in Adriatic Sea, Igea-Bellaria Marina, Nonna Violante, #lovingromagna

Originally, Bellaria-Igea was a village of solely fishermen and their families. Their wives supplemented the family income by renting out rooms in their seaside cottages. While the men were fishing, the wives tended to the guests by cooking, cleaning and generally making them feel at home.  Over the years, they added extra rooms and their homes became locande, or “inns,” and eventually pensioni, or “small hotels,” and this became a seaside resort. This is the story of the family of my new nonna, Nonna Violante.

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Understanding Your Type as a Food Writer

Published by Tuesday, April 28, 2015 Permalink 1

Is This You?

by Elatia Harris

No one is a pure type. But, as writers, we all correspond loosely or tightly to certain types. You are not alone, or utterly unlike all others, or without the ability to contrast and compare yourself to writers whom you resemble — if only slightly. The deepest and best reason to do this is to grow in self-knowledge, and in the ability to tell your own tent from the tents of others.

As a writer, do you know your type?

No type below will be 100% you, but one will be much closer than all the others. You will glimpse key aspects of yourself in two or three. You will feel a strong disaffinity for one or two.

Type 1 – The Literary Writer

Love of language gets this writer to her desk. No pleasure she can experience rivals using language to its fullest – whether to break your heart, deliver you the subtlest of foods for thought, shake the dust off you, or simply to knock you down. Not that she needs an audience – she writes to be writing. When she writes about food, it’s not about food, but about the language that conjures the food. Maybe the world knows her, maybe it doesn’t, but you’ve sized her up: She’s an artist, deep and true.

Is this you?

If yes, then your greatest strength is the quality of your gift. Obstacles you may meet include perfectionism, isolation, making deadlines, debilitating bouts of writer’s block, crises of doubt, and being too thin-skinned for the marketplace.

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Food Writing Tips & Resources

Published by Wednesday, November 5, 2014 Permalink 0

library shelf antique books wallpaper border
This site has a helpful list of tips and resources for food writers. Although outdated, it still serves as a good source, and recommends books, periodicals, works and websites. Click here.

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TRE Food Writing Community

Published by Saturday, August 23, 2014 Permalink 0

The Rambling Epicure is a food writing community full of resources. Food bloggers and student writers  join hands with experienced writers to form a true online community where food writing is central, with Jonell Galloway and Elatia Harris leading the way.

Explore the food writing world through our classes, programs, and one-on-one work with clients. We offer a full-service network of support for food writers. Would you like to talk with us about what we could do for you? Say hi, with a brief intro, and email us a sample of your work so that we can give you our best estimate.

And, for a good time in good company, join our food writing forum on Facebook at The Rambling Epicure, Mastering the Art of Food Writing. You will make some excellent connections there and  pick up some good advice, too.

 

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TRE Certificate Program

Published by Friday, August 8, 2014 Permalink 0

The Rambling Epicure Certificate Program is for individual writers who desire, over six weeks, a powerful alliance with their teachers. For many, instruction + accountability = the fast route to success. You will graduate with an education you can use, insight into your best options, and a plan. We don’t do overkill around here. We go for the sweet spot. Yes, there is homework — how otherwise would we nurture your talent? Curated course materials, that you will enjoy rather than resent, are provided.

We offer the program in two modes.

Mode I is a voyage of discovery into the scope of your own gifts. You will drop some baggage, and set new goals. Have you noticed that the definition of  “food writer” keeps expanding? It’s no longer about a great dinner in Paris, or a fascinating trip to a place where unfamiliar foodways rule. It’s a demanding role, requiring culinary literacy and a broadening base of knowledge. What do you need to know to develop your authority in this field? If you’ve read inert food writing by people who lack the descriptive or analytic skills they need for the job, then we’re betting you’ve sworn you’ll do better than that. Mode I is about eliminating those disadvantages from your writing life, forever, and about wisely choosing your next steps.

Duration: 6 weeks, including a 1-hour phone call each week, email as needed, reading and writing assignments. Count on a 3 to 4 hour commitment of time, each week, from both yourself and from us. If you put in more time than this, we will reward and applaud you!

Mode II is for focusing intently on creating or upgrading a body of work, and learning how to be competitive in your chosen niche. Mode II is for writers at all levels who are prepared to make a strong commitment to food writing. Perhaps you are a fluent writer in another field, and you would like to bring to your food writing the skills and background you already possess. But, it’s not easy switching gears or transitioning your brand. You may need an ally to attend swiftly and successfully to these career shift issues. If writing is a second career for you — and for many, it is — you may want to save the time it takes to make a lot of false starts. With Mode II, you will need more writing time than in Mode I, and you will leave with some great stuff to shop around.

Duration: 6 weeks, including a 1-hour phone call each week, email as needed, reading and writing assignments. Count on a 3 to 4 hour commitment of time, each week, from both yourself and from us. If you put in more time than this, we will reward and applaud you!

We recommend Mode II for any writer who has already made a good beginning, and Mode I for any writer who is set on making a good beginning. You might greatly benefit from both, and if you decide on this option, we are pleased to offer you a 10% discount.

Because our certificate program is proprietary, our process unique, and our services highly customized to the individual writers whom we serve, we do not publish full details of the program. If you have a strong interest in the TRE Certificate Program, we invite you to tell us about yourself, using the form below. Ask us what you need to know to make a decision to enroll. We’ll make our best recommendations based on your needs. We look forward to hearing from you.

To talk about how the program would work for you, contact us, and tell us a bit about yourself. We’ll schedule some complimentary phone time with you.

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The Rambling Epicure History

Published by Tuesday, July 29, 2014 Permalink 0

The Rambling Epicure is a daily international food chronicle, and the first online journal to follow global food trends and news. It was founded by Jonell Galloway (LINK to TRE About) in 2009.

Based in Switzerland, The Rambling Epicure innovated by joining the voices of food writers and artists from around the world to promote a mindful, responsible approach to real food shopping, cooking, and eating. Then as now, big interests around here are food politics, sustainability, safety, history, and the art, literature and philosophies that accompany accompany those concerns.

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Writing Doctor

Published by Tuesday, July 29, 2014 Permalink 0

Writing Doctor: This Pen is for Hire

How’s your prose?

Let me find what ails you, and set you to “writes”. Whether through modest adjustments or major overhauls, let’s get your prose in good health!

You are a food blogger, but your dream is to become a food writer. Writing is a craft, and like all crafts, it takes time and patience to learn. Think of it as a house. You start with a solid foundation, with a frame and a floor, but you have to finish the building so you can house your family.

Working with a writing coach is like adding a roof, insulation and siding to suit the climate you live in. The climate can be compared to the market or the type of writing you aim to do. You have to hone your writing to that market and meet the expectations of publishers and of your audience. Writing free of spelling and grammatical errors is not enough.

The longest part of your “house” is the finishing work: painting, trim, doors, cabinets, etc. “Finishing work” is the long series of steps you follow to produce a final draft. It includes proofreading, developmental editing and copyediting.

Making your way to the perfect final draft is not so different from getting fitted for a tailor-made dress or suit. You choose the fabric, cut, color, etc., but that is just the beginning. Each draft is like a fitting. Some of them will work; others won’t. Just as your dressmaker doesn’t hesitate to take out the basting stitches and start again, you mustn’t hesitate to rework, add, cut, or even throw a draft in the bin. It’s part of the process.

Like most people, you have the basic tools to become a writer. Take the first step and build on your writing skills. Learn how to find your inspiration, find the right time and spot to work, get organized, and set goals. Find your voice and let it speak through your writing. Learn to be kind to yourself as you perfect your craft and to tap into your creativity at any time. Add to your skill base. Become the food writer you’ve always dreamed of becoming.

If you’re a beginning writer or a food blogger, you probably need to polish your writing skills. From proofreading to mentoring, to developmental or copy editing, let me be your Writing Doctor and get you to the finish line!

See also Food Blogging 101: 10 Writing Tips for Beginning Food Writers, How to Start a Food Blog, Why Start a Food or Author Blog?Food Blogging 101: 10 Steps for Starting a Blog

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Food Writing Prompts: Style Guide

Published by Monday, April 14, 2014 Permalink 0

Keep calm and use a style guide.

 

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Last-minute Christmas Gift Idea: Food Styling and Photography Workshop with Meeta K. Wolff

Published by Friday, December 21, 2012 Permalink 0

by Jonell Galloway

The Perfect Last-minute Gift for the Foodies in your Life

Meeta Khurana Wolff, a professional food photographer and stylist, and ongoing contributor to this site, will be holding a Supperclub food styling and photography workshop in London in the U.K. from February 15-16, 2013, along with Sumayya Jamil, and special guest Jeanne Horak-Druiff, at the Central Street Cookery School. Click here for more details and to reserve. Only 12 places available.

 

 

 

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Food Art: Rustic Food Composition, food photography by Simone van den Berg

Published by Monday, March 19, 2012 Permalink 0

Simone van den Berg is a food photographer in the Netherlands. She runs a professional photography studio, Junglefrog Images, as well as a personal food photography site, Fresh Food Photos. She also gives photography workshops for food bloggers and beginners, teaching them to use the photo gear they have to the best of its advantage. She also runs the culinary magazine De Glazen Vork in Dutch.

 

 

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