Does A Food & Drink Blog Matter?

During the past year, I've lost several family members and friends, including two people who were younger than me. It makes you ponder your own mortality, the realization that any of us could be gone at any time. From cancer to Alzheimer's, there are many threats we all face. I know I'm not alone, as I know other friends who have faced similar losses recently.

With all I've been pondering, I've thought about my food and drink blog, questioning whether it matters at all. I've written about some important issues, from sustainability to drunk driving, but I've also penned plenty of reviews of restaurants, wines, and other drinks. Is that largely irrelevant in the larger scheme of things? Or is there a connection to more important issues, making it worthy to continue writing?

We all eat and drink, and sometimes it is merely an ingestion of fuel, something we don't think about beyond getting basic nutrition. However, food and drink can also be integral to our interactions with other people, contributing to the creation of memorable experiences. We dine out with family and friends, sometimes for special occasions, and sometimes for no particular reason though the dining experience still becomes memorable. As I've long said, wine is best when shared with others, again creating memories.

When a loved one passes on, we are left with our memories, and I suspect a number of those memories will include food and drink. One of my family members passed a little over a week ago, and we have plenty of excellent memories to cherish, and a number of those memories involve food and wine, from the wines she regularly enjoyed to the Rappie Pie parties that brought our family together. Yes, food and drink have been important in our lives, and the memories we hold of our loved ones.

So, though writing reviews of food and drink might see superfluous on the surface, it actually connects to the larger issues of our lives, often being an important element of our favorite memories. It helps to bring people together, to share with loved ones, to form a foundation for many life events. And that is not even considering how such reviews affect those creating and producing the food and drink we consume. These reviews can benefit restaurants, bakeries, wineries, distilleries, and much more, helping them thrive.

Yes, a food and drink blog can matter. Maybe more than you initially think. The best things in life are often our experiences, and food & drink often fit into those experiences. And please also try to live your life the best you can, knowing that our lives could end at any time.