There are many food bloggers who have inspired me in many ways and one such blogger is Mansi of Fun and Food. I love her dedication. With a full time job, there are many bloggers like her, who put their heart and soul to keep their blog running. I really appreciate their hard work and hats off to you guys! Now let us carry on with what Mansi has got to say.
Why and when did you start blogging?
I was always interested in cooking, and trying different flavors and recipes was a favorite activity. Slowly, the love grew into a passion, and my husband convinced me to start a blog about my recipes and all the things I loved. I did not know about the food-blogging world before I actually started my blog! Named after a small road-side cafe in my hometown, my blog is called Fun and Food, and reflects my thoughts, ideas and opinions about having loads of fun while cooking!
Why did you choose this topic to blog?
Cooking should not be a boring chore, and that's precisely why I started blogging about Food - to help home-cooks discover the chef inside them and enjoy cooking good food to share with friends and family! Moreover, "Food" is a universal subject that everyone likes to read about, including myself! But I also write articles about health, Fitness, Travel and Entertaining from time to time, to keep the diversity alive!
I know you have a full time job. How do you manage both?
It does get tough at times managing both, but that's when my "sane & patient" husband comes to my rescue and makes me see that Blogging is just a hobby, not something I should get frantic about! So when my wrist starts paining with all the typing, I know its time to Stop! Now, I have a schedule so that I don't over-indulge in my blogs:)
In a day, how many hours you spend blogging?
With my new schedule, I spend about 2-3 hours per day, mostly at night to keep my drafts ready. Over the weekend, I get all my photos ready, and spend a couple hours organizing posts for the coming week.
Do you have any other hobbies other than blogging?
Yes, I love singing, and would've pursued it if I could! I also love reading, traveling & adventure-sports. Over the weekend, we simply drive to a nearby place with a picnic basket and do hiking or nature-stuff.
What advice do you give to the new comers?
Be passionate, and believe in what you do! This blogging community and my friends have taught me the importance of sharing, and being truthful and patient in what you pursue. That's the only way you can enjoy what you do. Like any other field, blogging take time and persistence, so just hang on! You'll see yourself improve over time.
Which is your favorite cuisine and why?
I love Indian Food, and try to make a global cuisine out of it by adapting International cuisines for Indian palates. But I do like Italian, Thai and Mexican food the most after Indian.
Your favorite food blogs
Oh boy, there are 100's of blogs to list, but I'll just mention a few that I really admire!
101Cookbbooks, Tartelette, FatFree Vegan, La Tartine Gourmande, Cafe Fernando, Closet Cooking
Who/what is your inspiration?
Initially, it was my mom who inspired me to learn about flavors, aromas and tastes. Now cookbooks, food shows and food celebrities inspire me everyday to try something new and create simple or exquisite meals in my kitchen. And of course, my husband, who's my best critic, and loves his job! Baking is one of my favorite cooking activities, and I'd love to have a restaurant of my own someday!
Do you host your blog in your own domain? what blog hosts you suggest for a new blogger/experienced blogger.
No, I still maintain my blog with "Blogger", while I have my main site hosted at my own domain. Blogger is easy for a novice-blogger, and free, so I stuck to it. However, I'm thinking I should have explored more, especially about "Wordpress" as it offers more themes, is customizable, and has more professional layouts and designs.
How do you cope up with the technical requirements for being a blogger?
I do know some basic HTML and CSS, which is sufficient for the time being. But most of the time, I find answers to my technical dilemmas online, or I take help from friends who can help answer them for me:)
Your Photography secrets
I'm really not that great with my photos, and I'd love to be half as good as some of the blogs I've mentioned above, which are truly inspiring! But I try to learn from others; see cookbooks and magazines for food styling, try natural or diffused white light for taking pictures, use a basic editing software like GIMP or Photoshop for post-editing, and try to focus more on food than backgrounds and styling, especially if you not a natural food photographer:)
Now coming to a more personal question, How was your recent Europe/India trip?
It was amazing, one of the most awaited vacations in my life!:) We had a great time in Rome, Venice, Paris & Switzerland. I've shared a few photos on my blog. We planned the entire trip ourselves, so it was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it, and we had a great time!
I would like to Thank Mansi for this lovely interview.
If you know anyone whom I can interview for this series, please let me know.
Don’t miss the interview series. Do subscribe
in a READER
OR via EMAIL to my blog!
Checkout the previous foodie chats.
Why and when did you start blogging?
I was always interested in cooking, and trying different flavors and recipes was a favorite activity. Slowly, the love grew into a passion, and my husband convinced me to start a blog about my recipes and all the things I loved. I did not know about the food-blogging world before I actually started my blog! Named after a small road-side cafe in my hometown, my blog is called Fun and Food, and reflects my thoughts, ideas and opinions about having loads of fun while cooking!
Why did you choose this topic to blog?
Cooking should not be a boring chore, and that's precisely why I started blogging about Food - to help home-cooks discover the chef inside them and enjoy cooking good food to share with friends and family! Moreover, "Food" is a universal subject that everyone likes to read about, including myself! But I also write articles about health, Fitness, Travel and Entertaining from time to time, to keep the diversity alive!
I know you have a full time job. How do you manage both?
It does get tough at times managing both, but that's when my "sane & patient" husband comes to my rescue and makes me see that Blogging is just a hobby, not something I should get frantic about! So when my wrist starts paining with all the typing, I know its time to Stop! Now, I have a schedule so that I don't over-indulge in my blogs:)
In a day, how many hours you spend blogging?
With my new schedule, I spend about 2-3 hours per day, mostly at night to keep my drafts ready. Over the weekend, I get all my photos ready, and spend a couple hours organizing posts for the coming week.
Do you have any other hobbies other than blogging?
Yes, I love singing, and would've pursued it if I could! I also love reading, traveling & adventure-sports. Over the weekend, we simply drive to a nearby place with a picnic basket and do hiking or nature-stuff.
What advice do you give to the new comers?
Be passionate, and believe in what you do! This blogging community and my friends have taught me the importance of sharing, and being truthful and patient in what you pursue. That's the only way you can enjoy what you do. Like any other field, blogging take time and persistence, so just hang on! You'll see yourself improve over time.
Which is your favorite cuisine and why?
I love Indian Food, and try to make a global cuisine out of it by adapting International cuisines for Indian palates. But I do like Italian, Thai and Mexican food the most after Indian.
Your favorite food blogs
Oh boy, there are 100's of blogs to list, but I'll just mention a few that I really admire!
101Cookbbooks, Tartelette, FatFree Vegan, La Tartine Gourmande, Cafe Fernando, Closet Cooking
Who/what is your inspiration?
Initially, it was my mom who inspired me to learn about flavors, aromas and tastes. Now cookbooks, food shows and food celebrities inspire me everyday to try something new and create simple or exquisite meals in my kitchen. And of course, my husband, who's my best critic, and loves his job! Baking is one of my favorite cooking activities, and I'd love to have a restaurant of my own someday!
Do you host your blog in your own domain? what blog hosts you suggest for a new blogger/experienced blogger.
No, I still maintain my blog with "Blogger", while I have my main site hosted at my own domain. Blogger is easy for a novice-blogger, and free, so I stuck to it. However, I'm thinking I should have explored more, especially about "Wordpress" as it offers more themes, is customizable, and has more professional layouts and designs.
How do you cope up with the technical requirements for being a blogger?
I do know some basic HTML and CSS, which is sufficient for the time being. But most of the time, I find answers to my technical dilemmas online, or I take help from friends who can help answer them for me:)
Your Photography secrets
I'm really not that great with my photos, and I'd love to be half as good as some of the blogs I've mentioned above, which are truly inspiring! But I try to learn from others; see cookbooks and magazines for food styling, try natural or diffused white light for taking pictures, use a basic editing software like GIMP or Photoshop for post-editing, and try to focus more on food than backgrounds and styling, especially if you not a natural food photographer:)
Now coming to a more personal question, How was your recent Europe/India trip?
It was amazing, one of the most awaited vacations in my life!:) We had a great time in Rome, Venice, Paris & Switzerland. I've shared a few photos on my blog. We planned the entire trip ourselves, so it was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it, and we had a great time!
I would like to Thank Mansi for this lovely interview.
If you know anyone whom I can interview for this series, please let me know.
Don’t miss the interview series. Do subscribe
in a READER OR via EMAIL to my blog!Checkout the previous foodie chats.
8 comments:
Yes it is and it is yum...I made my own orange candy...just use the orane peel and cook it in sugar syrup for a little time n bingo..candied peels are ready!
btw great foodie chat!
Enjoyed the interview!
I've never timed myself on how long I spend on my blog, but I hope it's less than 2-3 hours. I have too many hobbies to allow myself to spend that much time blogging. :}
Thanks for providing me this opportunity to share a bit about me and my blogs with your readers Sangeeth! it was fun indeed!:)
It was nice to know Mansi thru sangeeth..good job done dear !
Another interesting foodie chat! Enjoyed reading it Sangeeth!
Very nice interview Sangeeth. It was nice knowing more about you Mansi.Loved your candid views and suggestions.
nice foodie chat. good way to know our fellow bloggers
Thanks for giving us the inside peek about Mansi and her "fun and food" blog. It was nice pleasant read.
As always kudos to you!
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