Foodbloggers With Benefits

photos by Mario Buttali

(readers, cue New Order - Touched By The Hand of God) (clicking on link should open YouTube in a new browser tab so you can hear my selected audio track playing, but you will have to click back on this tab to return) (this finally works again)

I was invited to a free Boston Food Bloggers event back a bit ago. I had a great time and met some nice fellow food bloggers, especially Molly and Rich from Cheap Beets, Rachel from Fork it over, Boston! and Emily from A Plum By Any Other Name.

Everyone was very friendly, though it was a bit overwhelming with the amount of people.  I did get some suggestions that I hope will help me with the blog.

The oddest part of the evening had to do with us wearing name tags (in my case pseudonym) with our blog title on it.  I guess I had not completely thought through all of the consequences of authoring "There's god in that food!". It made sense to me and my family who heard my Grandmother say it time and time again. I explain the reason in the header of the blog and in my profile too. If readers looked around, the title makes sense for me to use. To most, this title leaves a lot open to conjecture. Everyone was sort of scoping out name tags before making eye contact.

I got a plenty of double takes at my badge. I don't think it was my "name" or the legibility of the tag. The one person brave enough to comment on the title quickly asked if I was very "ecumenical" and noted that we were near the largest church in New England.

Jesus Christ! I guess the easy assumption is that I am some kind of religious nut (apologies to religious nuts). I use lower case g in spelling god in my title, but that detail is easily lost. Or helps in the assumption that I am some illiterate religious zealot (skip the oxymoronic comment here-apologies again for the offensive stereotyping).

I don't think I was looking, well...chaste, spiritual or penitent...and certainly not having accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior (no W.W.J.D. bracklet).  I may, however, have sounded like I was speaking in tongues trying to politely converse after the third I.P.A.  Rich was quite observant. He caught a detail in something I wore that tied me to my vanilla life which helped continue a very nice conversation.

Do I need to explain the story of the title if people are curious enough to talk to me? And do I also bring up being an atheist (who are more distrusted than Muslims or homosexuals in the US)?

So to the few that commented, I went with the Grandmother story explanation. It is less controversial and leads to fewer awkward pauses. Yet, it does not quite capture the irony in the title. And it does not dissuade anyone from their initial assumption. Do I need start shopping at Landover Baptist for shirts to wear at blogger events? Do I need to give everyone my life's story when I tell them the title of my blog. Oh well kids, the lesson today is you can't judge a blog by its title. Next event (coming up soon), I'll buy the first Boston Food Blogger who approaches me to explain the origin of my title a drink of their choice. I hope someone is reading this far down...

Ok, to the food report...

The event was at The Gallows in the South End.

The staff was great...very attentive and friendly (though what would you expect if a horde of food bloggers were there). The space was very comfortable. Several foods were passed, including Buffalo fried chicken livers, crostini, poutine and flat patty beef burgers. All were excellent. Beer samples were passed (an Americain style). They had a cash bar which even offered Dogfish 60 Minute I.P.A. much to my enjoyment.

The culinary highlight of the night for me was the table in back serving ice cream from SoCo Creamery. I had both the Dirty Chocolate as well as the Espresso Cookie. I'm glad some anonymous blogger urged me to try it. It could be the best ice cream I've ever had.  And it went pretty well with the I.P.A. as you can see.

Great coverage here and here.

Thanks to those who organized, especially Christine Liu, Rachel Blumenthal and Urbanspoon, and those who donated prizes and goodies.