The 17th Anniversary of The Passionate Foodie

Today, it's time for me to open a special bottle of wine to celebrate a milestone as The Passionate Foodie blog celebrates its Seventeenth Anniversary! During all those years, I've seen many other food & wine blogs come and go, but I've chosen to continue my writing, and to continue to challenge myself. I've posted over 5400 articles on my blog, covering a vast myriad of food and drink topics. 

I'm very proud of all I've written and accomplished, and I look forward to continuing to write, continuing to share and spread my deep passion for food & drink. I've actually been writing about food and drink for 18 1/2 years, as I wrote for another blog, Real World Winers (since defunct), for 1 1/2 years before I started The Passionate Foodie.

During the past 17 years of The Passionate Foodie, I've learned so much about food & drinks, exploring a wide variety of topics, essentially about anything I can eat or drink. My blog has provided me a myriad of wonderful opportunities and experiences, creating a vast storehouse of fantastic memories. I've sampled so much excellent and exciting food and drink, in this country and many others.

I've gotten to travel to some amazing destinations, including Canada, Croatia, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, England, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Argentina and Chile. In the United States, I've visited a number of wine-producing states, including California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, and more. 

Over all these years, I've met so many interesting people, which has enhanced my experiences as I've long said that food and drink when shared is even better. Some of those people have become very close friends. It's been fascinating to meet numerous wine makers, distillers, brewers, wine & liquor store owners, importers, distributors, farmers, restaurant owners, chefs, and much more. From each, I've learned something new, which has expanded my understanding and enhanced my writing.

During these seventeen years, what began as a hobby transformed into my profession. I'm now a freelance writer, having been published in a number of magazines and newspapers. I'm also a Sake educator and consultant, having worked for a variety of clients, from restaurants to distributors, conducting Sake classes, tastings, dinners and more. I also work part-time at a wine shop. 

It has been my ardent pleasure to showcase and promote under-appreciated and/or lesser known wines, spirits and other drinks, such as Sake, Croatian Wines, Greek Wines, Georgian Wines, Uruguayan Wines, Portuguese Wines, Sherry, Franciacorta, Mezcal, Baijiu and more. I've championed many of these underdogs, all which are worthy beverages deserving of much more attention by consumers as well as other writers. We all need to expand our palates and seek out the liquid wonders that can be found all around the world.

Within the last several years, especially because of the pandemic, I've dedicated more time to researching and writing numerous historical articles about food and drink, and I'm especially proud of these articles, many breaking new ground in our understanding of certain topics. I've compiled links to all of these fascinating articles in All About My Historical Food & Drink Articles. 

I owe many thanks to all of my readers, as it's their support and encouragement which has helped motivate me to continue writing year after year. I also owe thanks to my family and friends who have been so supportive for all these years. In addition, I am grateful to everyone in the food and drink community, from chefs to wine makers, who have helped contribute, in a myriad of ways, to my blog.  Life is about connections, about the relationships we make, and they all contribute to what we do.

If I didn't thoroughly enjoy what I've been doing, then it would have ended years ago. I find it fulfilling and satisfying, and hope that my passion for food, drink and writing never dims. I look forward to celebrating my 18th anniversary next year (and eventually my 20th), and I hope my readers keep reading me year after year.

If you've enjoyed my articles during the past year, or more, please consider Donating to me through Venmo at @Richard-Auffrey-1, so that I can continue to provide interesting and educational content. My largest expense is the cost of the resource sites that I use, especially newspaper archives, allowing me access to fascinating information which provides the background for my historical articles. Donations also allow me to continue operating this blog without any advertising, which I have done from the start. I appreciate any and all of your contributions.   

It's time to celebrate!

Non-Rant: Food/Drink Friends

"There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship."
--Thomas Aquinas 

As 2024 begins, I want to add some positivity rather than start the New Year with any negativity. I want to highlight an important aspect of food and drink, one which you may know about but one which you might not give enough thought. As I recently reviewed my food and drink experiences of 2023, selecting my Favorites of the past year, there was a common element which I didn't highlight in those end-of-the-year articles. 

That common element is friendship.

It is a given that the circumstances surrounding us when we eat and drink will affect our perception of that food and drink. If you're vacationing in Europe, drinking local wine at a picturesque cafe, you'll probably think the wine is stunning, partially a reaction to your amazing surroundings. If you had that same wine at a dirty, noisy and crowded little restaurant, you might not enjoy it as much. Besides your surroundings, the people with you at the time will also play a role in your enjoyment. When you are dining with the people you most love, those closest to you, you're more likely to have a better experience.

As I have repeatedly said before, good food and drink is even better when shared. My best dining and drinking experiences have always been with good friends and/or family. I sincerely hope that you have at least one good friend who enhances your own dining and drinking experiences. As this new year begins, maybe you should thank those friends for enriching your life. I also hope that you do the same for your own friends, making their own food and drink taste better. Appreciate the friends in your lives and make your life even better. Without friends, your life is empty and shallow.

On Facebook, I posted a link to my recent article, 10 New Year's Resolutions For My Readers, and one of the comments I received was from food-lover Gary Goldblatt. He stated, "Good list that covers all the bases. If there’s one thing I’d add, it’s to be a better food friend: invite people to try a cuisine or item you’re familiar with and they are not. And, as I’ve quipped before, use your food knowledge as a bridge, not as a wall. While it’s great to have that knowledge, it doesn’t make you better than the rest. But sharing that knowledge with the rest does make you better. 

That's an excellent addition, dovetailing well into this post. Sharing your knowledge of food and drink is beneficial for many reasons. It will enhance your own experiences, as well as those who dine and drink with you. I love introducing people to new foods and drinks, providing them interesting information to make them a better educated consumer. We need more people to do so, rather than keep their food and drink knowledge to themselves. I'll note that Gary is a fine food bridge, always open to sharing his food knowledge with others, and I have benefited from his shared information in the past. 

Cherish your food and drink friends, and try to be a better one yourself. 

"Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief."
--Marcus Tullius Cicero 

Rant: Food/Drink Writers, Challenge Yourself!

"They say the longer a man goes without facing a challenge, the weaker he becomes."
--Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa (originally serialized 1935-1939, first English translation 1981)

Musashi is an excellent (and huge!) novel about samurai in 17th century Japan, and as I recently reread it, I was struck by the above quote. As I pondered it, I saw its applicability to many different areas, including food and drink writing, a topic I want to address now. 

Food/drink writers, are you challenging yourself? Or are you simply doing the same writing that you've been doing for years? Do you have five or ten years of writing experience, or just one year of experience that you have repeated five or ten times?

If your writing has become stagnant, if you haven't challenged yourself in years, then maybe now is the time to change it. None of us are perfect so we should take the opportunity to improve, and we do that by challenging ourselves, to become better. It's a never-ending objective, and fortunately there is so much to learn and experience in the food & drinking arena that we will never lack for challenge.  

When the pandemic raged, it was a more difficult time for food and drink writers. Restaurants closed, wine tasting events were canceled, and were much less food & drink opportunities for writers. Some writers simply wrote very little, failing to up their game, failing to create their own opportunities. They didn't challenge themselves, and their writing suffered.

For myself, I took the time to write more historical articles about food and drink, original pieces often looking into the origins of these items. Even with restaurants closed and tasting events canceled, I still found plenty to write about. I just had to be more inventive, and devote my energies in a slightly different vein. I challenged myself to improve my writing, and to expand the scope of my blog, to continue to make it fresh and relevant.

What did you with your writing when the pandemic raged?

Take a look at your writing and consider whether you have been challenging yourself or not. If not, then step up and start challenging yourself. Don't just keep repeating the same old stale writing you've been doing for years. Up your game! Make yourself a better writer. 

The 16th Anniversary of The Passionate Foodie

Today, it's time for me to open a bottle of Bubbly to celebrate another milestone as The Passionate Foodie blog celebrates its Sixteenth Anniversary! During all those years, I've seen many other blogs come and go, but I've chosen to continue my writing, and to continue to challenge myself. I've posted over 5200 articles on my blog, covering a vast myriad of food and drink topics. 

I'm very proud of all I've written and accomplished, and I look forward to continuing to write, continuing to share and spread my deep passion for food & drink. I've actually been writing about food and drink for 17 1/2 years, as I wrote for another blog, Real World Winers (since defunct), for 1 1/2 years before I started The Passionate Foodie.

During the past 16 years of The Passionate Foodie, I've learned so much about food & drinks, exploring a wide variety of topics, essentially about anything I can eat or drink. My blog has provided me a myriad of wonderful opportunities and experiences, creating a vast storehouse of fantastic memories. I've sampled so much excellent and exciting food and drink, in this country and others.

I've gotten to travel to some amazing destinations, including Canada, Croatia, France (Bordeaux and Champagne), Spain (Sherry region), Italy (Tuscany and Collio), Portugal (Douro region), Argentina and Chile. In the United States, I've visited a number of states, including California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, and more.

During the past year, I spent two weeks touring multiple regions of Croatia, a wonderful trip where I visited 28 wineries, finding many worthy wines. I also spent a week in Nova Scotia, exploring their food and wine scene, including some excellent lobster dishes. I made a quick trip to southern Vermont, as I needed to pick up a Wagyu Roast for Thanksgiving. And I also spent several days in Portland, Maine, exploring that fun city. This year, my major plans is to travel to Portugal for a week, to visit Vinho Verde, the Douro and Porto. 

Over all these years, I've met so many interesting people, which has enhanced my experiences as I've long said that food and drink when shared is even better. Some of those people have become very close friends. It's been fascinating to meet numerous wine makers, distillers, brewers, wine & liquor store owners, importers, distributors, restaurant owners, chefs, and much more. From each, I've learned something new, which has expanded my understanding and enhanced my writing.

During these sixteen years, what began as a hobby transformed into my profession. I'm now a freelance writer, having been published in a number of magazines and newspapers. I'm also a Sake educator and consultant, having worked for a variety of clients, from restaurants to distributors, conducting Sake classes, tastings, dinners and more. 

It has been my pleasure to try to showcase and promote under-appreciated and/or lesser known wines, spirits and other drinks, such as Sake, Croatian Wines, Greek Wines, Georgian Wines, Uruguayan Wines, Portuguese Wines, Sherry, Franciacorta, Mezcal, Baijiu and more. I've championed many of these underdogs, all which are worthy beverages deserving of much more attention by consumers as well as other writers. We all need to expand our palates and seek out the liquid wonders that can be found all around the world.

Within the last few years, especially because of the pandemic, I've dedicated more time to researching and writing numerous historical articles about food and drink, and I'm especially proud of these articles, many breaking new ground in our understanding of certain topics. I've compiled links to all of these fascinating articles in All About My Historical Food & Drink Articles. 

I owe many thanks to all of my readers, as it is their support and encouragement which has helped motivate me to continue writing year after year. I also owe thanks to my family and friends who have been so supportive for all these years. In addition, I am grateful to everyone in the food and drink community, from chefs to wine makers, who have helped contribute, in a myriad of ways, to my blog.  Life is about connections, about the relationships we make, and they all contribute to what we do.

If I didn't thoroughly enjoy what I've been doing, then it would have ended years ago. I find it fulfilling and satisfying, and hope that my passion for food, drink and writing never dims. I look forward to celebrating my 17th anniversary next year, and I hope my readers keep reading me year after year.

If you've enjoyed my articles during the past year, or more, please consider Donating to me through Venmo at @Richard-Auffrey-1, so that I can continue to provide interesting content. My largest expense is the cost of the resource sites that I use, especially newspaper archives, allowing me access to fascinating information which provides the background for my historical articles. Donations also allow me to continue operating this blog without any advertising, which I have done from the start. I appreciate any and all of your contributions.   

It's time to celebrate!

The 15th Anniversary of The Passionate Foodie

I'm going to open some Bubbly as it's time to celebrate! Today, The Passionate Foodie blog celebrates its Fifteenth Anniversary, a significant milestone. During all those years, I've seen many other blogs come and go, but I've chosen to continue my writing, and to continue to challenge myself. In December, I published my 5000th article and I'm now working on reaching 6000 next. 

I'm very proud of all I've written and accomplished, and I look forward to continuing to write, continuing to share and spread my deep passion for food & drink. I've actually been writing about food and drink for 16 1/2 years, as I wrote for another blog, Real World Winers (since defunct), for 1 1/2 years before I started The Passionate Foodie.

During the past 15 years of The Passionate Foodie, I've learned so much about food & drinks, exploring a wide variety of topics, essentially about anything I can eat or drink. I never wanted to limit my writing to a specific cuisine, type of drink, or other specialty. I want the freedom to explore whatever perks my interest and I know I'll never run out of subject matter. Every time I learn something new, I realize how much more there is to learn. That is one of my favorite aspects of blogging and it helps that I'm a voracious reader and love to research new topics.

My blog has provided me a myriad of wonderful opportunities and experiences, creating a vast storehouse of fantastic memories. I've sampled so much excellent and exciting food and drink, in this country and others. I've gotten to travel to some amazing destinations, including Canada, Croatia, France (Bordeaux and Champagne), Spain (Sherry region), Italy (Tuscany & Collio), Portugal (Douro region), Argentina and Chile. In the United States, I've visited a number of states, including California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, and more.

I've met so many interesting people, which has enhanced my experiences as I've long said that food and drink when shared is even better. Some of those people have become very close friends, and I think those friendships will last for many years to come. It's been fascinating to meet numerous wine makers, distillers, brewers, wine & liquor store owners, importers, distributors, restaurant owners, chefs, and much more. From each, I've learned something new, which has expanded my understanding and enhanced my writing.

During these fifteen years, what began as a hobby transformed into my profession. I'm now a freelance writer, having been published in a number of magazines and newspapers. For two years, I've been writing a column for Sampan, a bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England, and have written over 40 articles for them. I'm also a Sake educator and consultant, working for a variety of clients, from restaurants to distributors, conducting Sake classes, tastings, dinners and more. 

It has been my pleasure to try to showcase and promote under-appreciated and/or lesser known wines, spirits and other drinks, such as Sake, Croatian Wines, Greek Wines, Georgian Wines, Uruguayan Wines, Portuguese Wines, Sherry, Franciacorta, Mezcal, Baijiu and more. I've championed many of these underdogs, all which are worthy beverages deserving of much more attention by consumers as well as other writers. We all need to expand our palates and seek out the liquid wonders that can be found all around the world.

Within the last few years, especially because of the pandemic, I've dedicated much time to researching and writing numerous historical articles about food and drink, and I'm especially proud of these articles, many breaking new ground in our understanding of certain topics. I've compiled links to all of these fascinating articles in All About My Historical Food & Drink Articles. 

I owe many thanks to all of my readers, as it is their support and encouragement which has helped motivate me to continue writing year after year. I also owe thanks to my family and friends who have been so supportive for all these years. In addition, I am grateful to everyone in the food and drink community, from chefs to wine makers, who have helped contribute, in a myriad of ways, to my blog.  Life is about connections, about the relationships we make, and they all contribute to what we do.

If I didn't thoroughly enjoy what I've been doing, then it would have ended years ago. I find it fulfilling and satisfying, and hope that my passion for food, drink and writing never dims. I look forward to celebrating my 16th anniversary next year, and I hope my readers keep reading me year after year.

If you've enjoyed my articles during the past year, or more, please consider Donating to me through Venmo at @Richard-Auffrey-1, so that I can continue to provide interesting content. My largest expense is the cost of the resource sites that I use, especially newspaper archives, allowing me access to fascinating information which provides the background for my historical articles. Donations also allow me to continue operating this blog without any advertising, which I have done from the start. I appreciate any and all of your contributions.   

It's time to celebrate!

All About My Historical Food & Drink Articles

I've always been fascinated by history, delving into the past and learning about the origins of so many matters. Our historical origins can tell us much about the present, and sometimes even the future. As such, I've written numerous articles on my blog delving into the history and origins of a myriad of foods and drinks. During the pandemic, as restaurants closed and large-scale tasting events were canceled, I shifted to writing even more of these types of articles. I've haven't stopped writing these historical articles, and are always pondering the next topic to research.

These historical articles require much more time and effort, perusing through thousands of old newspapers and books, using a variety of research tools. However, all that work can be rewarding and satisfying when you uncover startlingly information that had laid hidden for many years. And you might be contributing to our increased knowledge of some food or drink topic. 

For example, I was once informed that the earliest known document referencing Pechuga Mezcal was from the 1950s. Through my own research though, I was able to uncover numerous older printed references, extending back to 1863. This was an amazing discovery, furthering our knowledge of this niche beverage. 

To help bring more visibility to all of my historical posts, 65+ articles so far, and to make it easier to find them, I've compiled all of the links into this single post. It will be a repository for all of these articles, and I'll update it when I write a new historical article. This should be helpful to my readers who want to delve deeper into the fascinating historical stories and origin tales that I've uncovered. 

With my original research, I've written some extensive articles, sometimes breaking new ground and unearthing new information. I've shattered a number of origin stories, the commonly accepted tales, proving that these origin tales weren't true. In some respects, these articles can be considered works in progress, as I try to update them whenever I engage in new research.

I'm working on other historical topics for future articles. I hope you enjoy and would love to hear feedback. 

You might want to begin your reading with this relevant Rant:

Rant: Be Skeptical of Food & Drink Origin Stories

My numerous articles on Boston's Chinatown and Chinese Cuisine have their own Compilation Page. You'll find links there to my Nine-Part series on the History of Boston's Chinatown, as well as a multi-part series on the History of Chinese Restaurants Outside Boston and in Connecticut. There's also articles on the Origin Tales of various items, from the Pu-Pu Platter to the Eggroll. There's enough information in all of these articles to fill an entire book (or two), which I hope to do one day.

Food-Related Articles

The Origin of the Steak Bomb

The Origins of the Frozen Drumstick & Nutty Buddy

Hummingbird Muffins: Some History

The Origins of Chicken Fried Steak

The Origins of Chicken Fingers: Traditional & Chinese

George Clemmons: Hot Dogs & Murder Accusations

Hot Dog Joe: From Simple Hot Dog Vendor to National Celebrity

The Origins of Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

National Whipped Cream Day: Its Origins, Aaron Lapin & Reddi-Wip

Rant: Candy Apple vs Caramel Apple (With Some History)

Hot-Dogs & Ketchup: A Historical Look

The Origins of Spam, the "Miracle Meat"

The Origins of American Goulash

The Origins of American Chop Suey

The Origins & Early History of Chess Pie

The Origins of ABC: Almond Boneless Chicken

Bringing Back a Thanksgiving Tradition: Doughnuts

The Mosaic Sandwich: The First Double Decker?

Two-part series on A History of the Club Sandwich

A Brief History of Rappie Pie in the U.S.

Some Balut History: Duck Eggs to Quail Eggs

The Origin of Fried Chicken & Waffles

Pizza History in the U.S. (Part 1)

The True Origins of Hawaiian Pizza

Pastitsio: A Short History of a Greek Classic

Origins of the Hamburger: The First 20 Years (Part 1)
Origins of the Hamburger: The Sandwich Appears (Part 2)
The Origin of Salisbury Steak: The Hot Water Cure & Meat Diet
The Origin of Jimmies aka Chocolate Sprinkles

Origins of Manhattan Clam Chowder

The Origins of Ceviche, Tempura and Fish & Chips

What's Traditional Shepherd's Pie: A Historical Look

Three-Part Water Doughnuts: Some Bagel History 

More on the Origin of the Everything Bagel

Revealed: The First American Sources About Carrot Cake

A History of Bacalhau: A Portuguese Staple

Restaurant-Related Articles

An Early History of Slade's Barbecue

Closed For Nearly 50 Years: A History of the Sahara Syrian Restaurant
The Nile: "The Most Famous Syrian Restaurant This Side of the Pyramids"
Early History of Greek Restaurants in Boston

The First Vietnamese Restaurants in the U.S.

A Short History of Peruvian Restaurants & Chifa in the U.S.

Drink-Related Articles

The Origins of the Orange Julius: Who Actually Invented It?

Tranquilo Prosecco: A Still Wine, Not Bubbly

The Origins of Frappes & Milk Shakes

A History of Vinho Verde in the U.S.

The Origins & Early History of White Port
Historical Tidbits About Shochu in the U.S.
A History of the Sherry Cobbler (19th century)
A History of the Sherry Cobbler (Early 20th century)
Moonshine? A History of Sotol in the U.S.

Two-Part Historical Tidbits About Baijiu: The World's Most Popular Spirit 

Krug Champagne: Early History in the U.S.

A Short History of Franciacorta in the U.S.

The Birth & Evolution of the Mai Tai

Animal Alcohol: Lamb Wine, Pigeon Blood Wine, Spirit of Goat & More

The Rise of Tequila in the 18th & 19th Centuries

An Expanded History of Pechuga Mezcal

Switchel: A Colonial Drink from Russell Orchards

Ikalto Academy in Georgia: The Oldest Winemaking School

The Alsatian Connection to Tequila

The Manhattan Cocktail: Then & Now (Part 1)

Three-Part An Early History of Champagne

Four-Part The Origins of Port

Five-Part History of Sherry

Sake-Related Articles

A History of Sake Brewing in the U.S. (Currently under contruction)

Historical Tidbits About Sake in the U.S.

A History of Sake Brewing in Brazil

Early History of Sake Brewing in British Colombia

Three-Part The Origins & History of Sake

Please Donate to The Passionate Foodie

Today, I posted my 5,000th article on The Passionate Foodie blog. That's quite an achievement and I hope to continue writing for many more years to come. I've been writing for sixteen years and hopefully can continue doing so for another sixteen. And maybe one day I'll reach 10,000 articles! There's certainly plenty of topics involving food and drink which I could write about. 

As you probably know, I don't advertise on my blog, preferring to keep my blog free of such matters. Others may advertise on their blogs, and that is fine for them, but I simply chose not to go that route. However, I do incur expenses for my blog, including gaining access to the research archives that I use to write my extensive historical articles. Writing is a tough profession, and it can be very difficult to acquire paying gigs. And even when you acquire paying gigs, they often pay only a small amount. 

So, if you appreciate my blog, if you have found value in my numerous articles, and if you'd like to see me continue to write, please consider donating to me through Venmo at @Richard-Auffrey-1. A donation, of any amount, would be greatly appreciated. 

In addition, if you have any ideas for future articles that you would like to see on my blog, please leave a comment here or send me an email. I'm always seeking out new items to write about, and some of my readers have suggested topics in the past.

Thanks very much for your consideration! 

Quite A Milestone: My 5000th Article!

This is my 5,000th post for The Passionate Foodie!

5,000 articles? It almost seems impossible that I've written that much. And that number doesn't even include all the various articles I've written for a number of newspapers and magazines. If I truly weren't passionate about writing, and food & drink, then I never would have reached this summit. 

I've been writing for 16 years, since 2005, and 14.5 years of that time with The Passionate Foodie blog. 5000 posts averages out to about 6 blog posts every week for the last 16 years. I'm amazed myself about my prolific writing longevity. I still find immense enjoyment in writing and continue to challenge myself, which is probably an important reason for why my blog has lasted for so many years. 

Another key to my longevity and prolific nature is that I've never had a narrow focus on my blog, though there are definitely subjects which capture more of my attention than others. I especially love to champion the underdogs, those niche food & wine items which don't receive as much attention as they deserve. Sake, Sherry, Port, Greek wines, Croatian wines,  Baijiu, and more. 

I've had the freedom to write about any food or drink topic which grabs my insatiable curiosity. I love that diversity, the ability to expand my palate in so many directions. It has also allowed me to learn about so many different foods and drinks, restaurants and wineries, food markets and distilleries. As I don't limit my explorations, I'll never run out of ideas to write about.

Back in May 2007, my first two posts on The Passionate Foodie were Which Wines Should You Drink? and Choosing A Wine Store. Both articles still stand up well after all these years. However, I also know that my writing has improved over the years, and continues to do so. My blog has also evolved over the years, continuing to try to inject something new, to challenge myself and continue to make it appealing to my readers. 

One of the most transformative of my articles was A History of Sake Brewing in the U.S., which was first posted in April 2015. I engaged in extensive research, especially in old newspaper archives, to complete this comprehensive history. I'm extremely proud of the results, and have revised and expanded this article over the years. This was my first major historical article and would lead the way for many more such articles over the years. It has become a major component of my blog, and one that will continue to be so for years to come. 

These historical articles have broken new ground, expanding the known history of numerous foods and drinks, as well as dispelling origin myths. For example, An Expanded History of Pechuga Mezcal extended the known documented history of Pechuga back to 1863, when previously the oldest known documents were only from the 1950s! 

More recently, I'm also very proud of my lengthy series, The First Restaurants in Boston's Chinatown, which continues to grow over time. These extensive articles have opened a window into the fascinating history of Boston's Chinatown, showcasing many stories that have largely been forgotten. You won't find a more complete history of Chinatown and its restaurants anywhere else. 

In addition, I've written histories of the first Chinese restaurants in other communities in New England. Plus, I've written numerous origin tales of various Chinese dishes, examining (and sometimes disputing) the claims of those who state they have invented certain dishes. 

Because of my blog, I've been fortunate to have many fantastic experiences, including travel to some amazing wine destinations, such as places like Croatia, Portugal, Argentina, Spain, Italy and France. I've also met so many interesting people over these past 16 years, some who have become good friends. My blog has opened many doors and I'm so grateful for those opportunities. 

I look forward to continuing my writing for many more years to come, to continuing to learn more about food and drink, to exploring all the world has to offer. Thank to everyone who has contributed in any way to all that I have done. There are far too many people for me to name them all individually. And there will be even more people who will assist me, in a myriad of ways, in the future.

Now, it's time to celebrate my achievement of 5,000 posts!

For my Readers: What's your Favorite Post from The Passionate Foodie?

Rant: Food & Drink Bloggers, I Challenge You!

I'm throwing down a gauntlet and challenging all food and drink bloggers, especially those who have been in existence for an extended period of time. 

My challenge is for you to Step Up Your Game. Will you accept my challenge? Will you dare to challenge yourself and work harder to make your blog better? 

On Wednesday, I shall reach a huge milestone, posting my 5000th article on The Passionate Foodie.  Through all of these years, I've challenged myself to improve my writing, and to expand the scope of my blog, to continue to make it fresh and relevant. I'm sure I've made mistakes and there's still room for improvement. As I've mentioned before, it's a never-ending objective, to continue to hone my writing, to improve my blog.  

I don't view other food and drink bloggers as competitors but rather as colleagues. As such, I freely share suggestions and advice with other bloggers, helping them and hoping others will reciprocate. Even if these other bloggers attend the same event as me, writing their own articles about that event, they each bring their own unique viewpoint to their story. So, my advice here is given with the objective of helping others. 

Step Up Your Blogging Game! I don't want to hear excuses. I don't want to hear the reasons why you think you can't do so. I want to see results, to see other blogs improve and shine.

As the pandemic has raged, it has been a difficult time for food and drink bloggers. Restaurants closed, wine tasting events were canceled, and there have been less food & drink opportunities for bloggers. Some bloggers simply wrote very little, failing to up their game, failing to create their own opportunities. It's said you can best judge a person when you see how they react to a crisis. How did you handle the issues of the pandemic on your blog?

For myself, I took the time to write more historical articles about food and drink, original pieces often looking into the origins of these items. For example, I wrote A History of the Sahara Syrian Restaurant, which ended up being one of the most popular articles on my blog in 2020. Although the restaurant had been closed for nearly 50 years, the building remained largely unused and its iconic sign on Shawmut Avenue was familiar to many. I delved into the mystery of its existence, providing history about the restaurant and building.  

During this past year, I've written historical articles about topics including The Origin of Chinese Duck Sauce, The First Vietnamese Restaurants in the U.S., Origins of the Hamburger, The Origin of Salisbury Steak, The Origin of Jimmies aka Chocolate Sprinkles, Pizza History in the U.S., Some Balut History: Duck Eggs to Quail Eggs, Origins of the Pu-Pu Platter, and more. Even with restaurants closed and tasting events canceled, I still found plenty to write about. I just had to be more inventive, and devote my energies in a slightly different vein. 

Are you ready to up your blogging game? I hope so. 

Of course you don't have to follow my advice. Maybe you don't have sufficient free time or maybe you don't care about upping your game. I'm trying to reach those people who do care, to wake them up and hopefully stir them to action. I would like to see the food & drink blogging community improve overall, and that requires many of us to work harder at our craft. It takes us looking more critically at our own writing, to see where we can improve.

Are you willing to do so? Will you accept my challenge?

Rant: Be Skeptical of Food & Drink Origin Stories

Over the years of writing historical articles about food and drink origins, I've realized how often the most popular origin stories aren't true. However, those same origin tales get disseminated by many different sources, creating an illusion of the veracity of those origins. Thus, those erroneous origins become "common knowledge" and trusted by many people. You need to be more skeptical of these origin tales, to seek out evidence proving or disproving these origin stories.

Companies and individuals like to be seen as the inventor of something, or at least be connected in some way to the inventor, such as a family member or community member. This helps them stand out, and gives them a sense of pride, of accomplishment. It can also sometimes be a marketing ploy. Many of these origin tales don't arise until years after the alleged invention, when it may be more difficult to disprove their claim. 

Fortunately, the digitization of newspaper archives has made it easier to conduct research, to assess the veracity of these claims, and I've done so with numerous food and drink origin tales. Sometimes, I've even found evidence to dispute a claim of invention within ten minutes of research. It certainly takes much longer to put together a fully researched article, but you can often quickly determine whether your research will be fruitful or not. 

For example, when I was researching A History of Sake Brewing in the U.S., the prevailing opinion was that the first Sake brewery outside of Japan was established in Hawaii in 1908. Some of the support for this opinion came from employees of the brewery during the 1970s. My research proved that wasn't the case, and that the first Sake brewery was actually founded in Berkley, California, in 1902. The Hawaiian Sake brewery was actually around the 4th or 5th Sake brewery in the U.S. I even found evidence that the original owners of the brewery were fully cognizant of the prior Sake breweries. 

I was once told that the earliest known written documentation concerning Pechuga, basically a flavored Mezcal which commonly adds meat to one of the distillation steps, was from the 1950s. As I was intrigued by this topic, I did my own research and wrote An Expanded History of Pechuga Mezcal, and found multiple documents referencing Pechuga, extending back to 1863. This has enhanced our knowledge of Pechuga, and shows what can be accomplished with some determined research. 

Most recently, I posted The True Origin of Hawaiian Pizza, disputing the common claim that Sam Sam Panopoulos, a Greek-born Canadian, invented Hawaiian pizza in 1962. On May 10, 2021, the Economist even published an article on Hawaiian pizza, repeating this claim about Panopoulos. However, I proved that pineapple on pizza existed for at least nine years prior to its alleged invention in 1962. It was even in a Boston restaurant prior to 1962. 

Like with most topics, you should be skeptical of food and drink origins. Even origin tales that seem to be the most popular and widely publicized can turn out to be false. Seek out evidence and proof of these origin tales. 

Rant: Food/Drink Bloggers, Step Up Your Game!

Food & drink bloggers, listen up and carefully consider my words. I'm challenging you to Step Up Your Game! Are you willing to accept that challenge? 

Yesterday, The Passionate Foodie blog reached a milestone, its 14th Anniversary, and during that time I've written nearly 5,000 articles. Through the years, I believe my writing has improved but there''s definitely still room for improvement. It's a never-ending objective, to continue to hone my writing, to better myself.

I've also learned so much about food and drink over these years, and I continue to learn new things all the time. To me, that's part of the joy of blogging, researching and learning about so many fascinating topics. It's also a never-ending objective as there will always be more to learn. 

There are plenty of other food & drink bloggers, some who have been around for as long as I (if not longer) and many others who are much newer. I don't view any of them as competitors but rather see them as colleagues. As such, I freely share suggestions and advice with other bloggers, helping them and hoping others will reciprocate. Even if these bloggers attend the same event as me, writing their own articles about the event, they each bring their own unique viewpoint to their story.

Now, I've also seen some lost blogging opportunities as well as food & drink articles which could be improved. I freely admit that I'm guilty of such offenses and that means I continually try to up my game, to eliminate such offenses. Today, I'm calling on every other food & drink blogger to follow my lead. 

Step Up Your Blogging Game! I don't want to hear excuses. I don't want to hear the reasons why you think you can't do so. I want to see results, to see other blogs improve and shine.

The past year, as the pandemic has raged, has been a difficult time. Restaurants closed, wine tasting events were canceled, and there have been less food & drink opportunities for bloggers. Some bloggers simply wrote very little, failing to up their game, failing to create their own opportunities. It is said you can best judge a person when you see how they react to a crisis. How did you handle the issues of the pandemic on your blog?

For myself, I took the time to write some historical articles about food and drink, original pieces often looking into the origins of these items. For example, I wrote A History of the Sahara Syrian Restaurant, which ended up being one of the most popular articles on my blog during the past year. Although the restaurant had been closed for nearly 50 years, the building remained largely unused and its iconic sign on Shawmut Avenue was familiar to many. I delved into the mystery of its existence, providing history about the restaurant and building.  

Also during this past year, I've written historical articles about topics including the Sherry Cobbler, Peking Duck, Greek Restaurants, Peruvian Chifa, Salisbury Steak, Vietnamese Restaurants, and more. Even with restaurants closed and tasting events canceled, I still found plenty to write about. I just had to be more inventive, and devote my energies in a slightly different vein. 

Are you ready to up your blogging game? I hope so. 

Of course you don't have to follow my advice. Maybe you don't have sufficient free time or maybe you don't care about upping your game. I'm trying to reach those people who do care, to wake them up and hopefully stir them to action. I would like to see the food & drink blogging community improve overall, and that requires many of us to work harder at our craft. It takes us looking more critically at our own writing, to see where we can improve.

Are you willing to do so? Will you accept my challenge?

The 14th Anniversary of The Passionate Foodie

Open some Bubbly as it's time to celebrate!

Today, The Passionate Foodie blog celebrates its Fourteenth Anniversary, a significant milestone. During all those years, I've seen many other blogs come and go, but I've chosen to continue my writing. With nearly 5,000 posts, I'm very proud of all I've written and have accomplished, and I look forward to continuing to write, continuing to share and spread my deep passion for food & drink.

I've actually been writing about food and drink for 15 1/2 years, as I wrote for another blog, Real World Winers (since defunct), for 1 1/2 years before I started The Passionate Foodie.

Because of the pandemic, this past year has been very challenging. Restaurants had to close for a time, and some never reopened, while those that did reopen had to adjust to numerous restrictions. Large food and drink events, such as the Seafood Expo, were canceled. However, the most unfortunate aspect has been the deaths of over 500,000 people from Covid. We have all been touched by this tragedy, and hopefully we are now moving in a positive direction, with vaccinations helping to protect us.  

During the past 14 years of The Passionate Foodie, I've learned so much about food & drinks, exploring a wide variety of topics, essentially anything I can eat or drink. I never wanted to limit my writing to a specific cuisine, type of drink, or other specialty. I want the freedom to explore whatever perks my interest and I know I'll never run out of subject matter. Every time I learn something new, I realize how much more there is to learn. That is one of my favorite aspects and it helps that I'm a voracious reader and love to research new topics.

My blog has provided me a myriad of wonderful opportunities and experiences, creating a vast storehouse of fantastic memories. I've sampled so much excellent and exciting food and drink, in this country and others. I've gotten to travel to some amazing destinations, including Canada, Croatia, France (Bordeaux and Champagne), Spain (Sherry region), Italy (Tuscany & Collio), Portugal (Douro region), Argentina and Chile. In the United States, I've visited a number of states, including California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, and more.

I've met so many interesting people, which has enhanced my experiences as I've long said that food and drink when shared is even better. Some of those people have become very close friends, and I think those friendships will last for many years to come. It has been fascinating to meet numerous wine makers, distillers, brewers, wine & liquor store owners, importers, distributors, restaurant owners, chefs, and much more. From each, I've learned something new, which has helped my writing and understanding.

During these fourteen years, what began as a hobby transformed into my profession. I'm now a freelance writer, having been published in a number of magazines and newspapers. For over a year, I've been writing a column for Sampan, a bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England, and have written over 20 articles for them. I'm also a Sake educator and consultant, working for a variety of clients, from restaurants to distributors, conducting Sake classes, tastings, dinners and more. 

It has been my pleasure to try to showcase and promote under-appreciated and/or lesser known wines, spirits and other drinks, such as Sake, Sherry, Franciacorta, Croatian Wines, Greek Wines, Georgian Wines, Uruguayan Wines, Portuguese Wines, Mezcal, Baijiu and more. I've championed many of these underdogs, all which are worthy beverages deserving of much more attention by consumers as well as other writers. We all need to expand our palates and seek out the liquid wonders that can be found all around the world.

Within the last few years, I've dedicated much time to researching and writing numerous historical articles about food and drink, and I'm especially proud of these articles, many breaking new ground in our understanding of certain topics. Some of these articles during the past year include:

• Historical Tidbits About Shochu in the U.S.
• A History of the Sherry Cobbler (19th century)
• A History of the Sherry Cobbler (Early 20th century)
• The First Restaurants in Boston's Chinatown: A Deeper Look into Two Restaurants (Part 8)
• Chinatown, Little Syria and Its Restaurants
• Closed For Nearly 50 Years: A History of the Sahara Syrian Restaurant
• The Nile: "The Most Famous Syrian Restaurant This Side of the Pyramids"
• Peking Duck: A History in the Local Region & Chinatown
• Early History of Greek Restaurants in Boston
• Pastitsio: A Short History of a Greek Classic
• The Origin of Chinese Duck Sauce: Did Boston "Invent" It?
• The First Vietnamese Restaurants in the U.S.
• A Historic Look A Chinese New Year in Boston (1870-1890)
• Origins of the Hamburger: The First 20 Years (Part 1)
• Origins of the Hamburger: The Sandwich Appears (Part 2)
• The Origin of Salisbury Steak: The Hot Water Cure & Meat Diet
• The Origin of Jimmies aka Chocolate Sprinkles
• A Short History of Peruvian Restaurants & Chifa in the U.S.

I owe many thanks to all of my readers, as it is their support and encouragement which has helped motivate me to continue writing year after year. I also owe thanks to my family and friends who have been so supportive for all these years. In addition, I am grateful to everyone in the food and drink community, from chefs to wine makers, who have helped contribute, in a myriad of ways, to my blog.  Life is about connections, about the relationships we make, and they all contribute to what we do.

If I didn't thoroughly enjoy what I've been doing, then it would have ended years ago. I find it fulfilling and satisfying, and hope that my passion for food, drink and writing never dims. I look forward to celebrating my 15th anniversary next year, and I hope my readers keep reading me year after year.

If you've enjoyed my articles during the past year, or more, please consider Donating to me, so that I can continue to provide interesting content. My largest expense is the cost of the resource sites that I use, especially newspaper archives, allowing me access to fascinating information which provides the background for my historical articles. Donations also allow me to continue operating this blog without any advertising. I appreciate any and all of your contributions.   

It's time to celebrate!

2020: Favorite Food-Related Items

What were some of my favorite food-related items of the past year?

Let me continue the lists of my best recommendations and favorites of 2020. I've already posted my Favorite Restaurants of 2020. Now, I want to address my Favorite Food-Related Items of the past year.

This is certainly not a complete list but it is more a sampling of memorable food items I've experienced and/or posted about over the past year. This is also a purely subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. But all of the items here have earned my strong recommendations and I hope you will enjoy them as well. For more food-related items, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.

Favorite Culinary School: NECAT is a local culinary school which trains people from challenging backgrounds, from ex-convicts to recovering addicts, from the homeless to the chronically unemployed. NECAT fills an important need for culinary help while helping numerous people achieve a better life. It is such a worthy school, helping to transform lives, and it really touches my heart. It helps individuals while also helping the community, and I continue, year after year, to try to raise awareness of NECAT so that its good work can continue and even expand. It is one of my favorite causes and is well worthy of your continued support. 

Favorite Food Market: The Greek International Food Market, in West Roxbury, is an amazing place, with so much excellent Greek food and ingredients, from prepackaged items to freshly made dishes. Lots of Greek cheeses and olives, spreads and pastries, wine and olive oil, and so much more. I tried numerous foods from the market and they were generally excellent and delicious. I plan to return there again soon to stock up for the winter. I highly recommend this market to anyone who loves food, to anyone who loves Greek cuisine, to anyone who is adventurous.

 

Favorite Food Rant: At the start of the year, I wrote, We Need More Bread Pudding! It's been a cause of mine for years, and there still aren't enough restaurants and bakeries offering delicious bread pudding. I wish there was a bakery that even specialized in Bread Pudding. It is a relatively simple dish to prepare, can be made in many different flavors, and is so tasty. So why isn't it more readily available? Why isn't it more popular? Let's hope 2021 seems Bread Pudding become a new trend. 

Writing For The Sampan: In April, I started a new gig, writing for the Sampan, the only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England. The newspaper, which was founded in 1972, is published bi-weekly by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association and is distributed free-of-charge. It is also available online. Most of my articles deal with the history of Chinatown, especially its restaurants, though I also write restaurant reviews and related articles. Please check out my various Sampan articles here.

Blogging During A Pandemic: This year has been tough for food writers and some have simply written sporadically, whenever they had a topic idea. For myself this year, I devoted many hours to researching and writing numerous historical articles, combing through thousands of newspapers and books, especially about Boston's Chinatown and related topics. Many of the links to those numerous articles can be found in this compilation post.

I greatly expanded my previous five-part series on The First Restaurants in Boston's Chinatown, and it became an eight-part series, consisting of over 100,000 words (making it the size of a book). I'm especially proud of this series, and was surprised and enlightened by the information I found in my research. Some day, I would like to turn it into an actual book.

I also wrote a seven-part series, The First Chinese Restaurants Outside Boston, and a three-part series, The First Chinese Restaurants in Connecticut. In addition, there are histories of Dim Sum in the U.S., Origins Of The Chop Suey Sandwich, What's A Chop Suey Sundae?, The Origins of American Chop Suey, Origins Of The St. Paul Sandwich, Origins of Crab Rangoon, PA History of Peking Duck, and Chinatown, Little Syria & Its Restaurants. 

For non-Asian historical articles, I also wrote Origins of Manhattan Clam Chowder, Early History of Greek Restaurants in Boston, and Pastitsio: A Short History of a Greek Classic. Maybe the most poplar historical article I wrote this past year was Closed For Fifty Years: A History of the Sahara Syrian Restaurant. Who knew so many people were curious about a restaurant that has been closed for about fifty years? (And I have some new information which I will be presenting in an expanded article in 2021). 

What were some of your favorite food-related items this year?

Celebrating Local Diversity: People of Color Blogging About Food & Drink (Updated)

"So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned - my conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
--American History X

In July 2015, I first published this post and considering recent events, the murder of George Floyd, the hate that is spewing from ignorant racists, the protests, the violence and more, we need to stand united against the forces that seek to divide our country. We need to embrace diversity, opening our minds to new ideas, and to eliminate our biases and prejudices. Embracing diversity will only make us better human beings. And don't we all want to be better people?

As a tiny contribution to this issue, I want to once again showcase local people of color who blog/write about food & drink. I want to bring to the forefront all the valuable contributions and unique voices of these bloggers. And it is certainly time for an update. In light of recent events, it would likely benefit us all to post about it again.

I've been blogging about food and drink in the Boston area for over 14 years, and the vast majority of bloggers I've seen at local events have been white. I've spoken about this before, stating we need to find ways to attract more people of color to these events. An initial step would be to identify those people of color who blog, to showcase their talents. This could be a motivation for other people of color to get involved and start blogging too. It will also present blogs with different voices, a way for all of us to expand our own experience and knowledge.

The following is an initial list of people of color, living in New England, who blog/write about food and/or drink. This is by no means a comprehensive list but provides a starting foundation. Check out these food & drink blogs and I am sure you will like what you find.

If you are or know of any other local people of color with food & drink blogs in the New England area that are not on this list, please have them send me their info, including their name, URL and a brief description of their blog, and I will add them to the list.

Embrace diversity!

Bianca of Confessions Of A Chocoholic

Chanie of Life By Zen: Chanie shares her adventures and experience with delicious foods, drinks especially great wines, and life in Boston. She cooks and is always testing new recipes or looking for fun foods but prefer to talk about her food adventures and dining experiences.

D. of A Little Bit About A Lot Of Things: This is a food and lifestyle blog. D has been been writing since 2010 and her photos have appeared in Boston Magazine, Boston Common, Thrillist, BostInno and others.

Fiona of Gourmet Pigs; Gourmet Pigs was started in Los Angeles in 2007 and Fiona moved to Boston in 2014. The blog reviews restaurants, bars, and events in the two cities and wherever she travels to around the globe.

Jen of Tiny Urban Kitchen

Korsha of Korsha Wilson

Kristina of Appetite For Instruction

Lisa of Anali's Next Amendment: Lisa writes about life, food and current events. She’s been blogging since 2006 and is a freelance writer and attorney. She regularly writes for LegalZoom and manages Free Yoga Boston. She’s also an organizer and contributing editor at Kwanzaa Culinarians, where recipes and food stories from the African Diaspora are shared.

The 13th Anniversary of The Passionate Foodie!

Pop the Bubbly as it's time to celebrate!

Tomorrow, The Passionate Foodie blog celebrates its Thirteenth Anniversary, a significant milestone. During all those years, I've seen many other blogs come and go, but I've chosen to continue my writing. With over 4700 posts, I'm very proud of all I've written and have accomplished, and I look forward to continuing to write, continuing to share and spread my deep passion for food & drink.

I've actually been writing about food and drink for 14 1/2 years, as I wrote for another blog, Real World Winers (since defunct), for 1 1/2 years before I started The Passionate Foodie.

During the past 13 years of The Passionate Foodie, I've learned so much about food & drinks, exploring a wide variety of topics, essentially anything I can eat or drink. I never wanted to limit my writing to a specific cuisine, type of drink, or other specialty. I want the freedom to explore whatever perks my interest and I know I'll never run out of subject matter. Every time I learn something new, I realize how much more there is to learn. That is one of my favorite aspects and it helps that I'm a voracious reader and love to research new topics.

My blog has provided me a myriad of wonderful opportunities and experiences, creating a vast storehouse of fantastic memories. I've sampled so much excellent and exciting food and drink, in this country and others. I've gotten to travel to some amazing destinations, including Canada, Croatia, France (Bordeaux and Champagne), Spain (Sherry region), Italy (Tuscany & Collio), Portugal (Douro region), Argentina and Chile. In the United States, I've visited a number of states, including California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia, and more.

Last fall, I visited Croatia for the first time and had such a wonderful time, filled with great food and drink, gorgeous scenery, fascinating history, and fine people. I've written about 27 articles about Croatia, and am sure there will be more to come. It's such a compelling destination and I highly recommend you consider it as a possible future travel destination. Plus, you should buy some Croatian wines and experience their quality and taste.

I've met so many interesting people, which has enhanced my experiences as I've long said that food and drink when shared is even better. Some of those people have become very close friends, and I think those friendships will last for many years to come. It has been fascinating to meet numerous wine makers, distillers, brewers, wine & liquor store owners, importers, distributors, restaurant owners, chefs, and much more. From each, I've learned something new, which has helped my writing and understanding.

During these thirteen years, what began as a hobby transformed into my profession. I'm now a freelance writer, having been published in a number of magazines and newspapers. I've recently started writing a column for Sampan, a bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England. I'm also a Sake educator and consultant, working for a variety of clients, from restaurants to distributors, conducting Sake classes, tastings, dinners and more. Plus, I work part time at a local wine store, gaining an insight into wine consumers.

In addition, I write fiction, and have published three novels and a book of short stories. The fiction is mostly part of the Tipsy Sensei series, about a Sake expert in Boston who learns that the supernatural creatures of Japanese folklore are real. In addition, this past year, I've publishing a crime novella, The Lion's Diamonds. I was also a contributor to a comprehensive whiskey guide, The New Single Malt Whiskey.

It has been my pleasure to try to showcase and promote under-appreciated and/or lesser known wines, spirits and other drinks, such as Sake, Sherry, Franciacorta, Croatian Wines, Greek Wines, Georgian Wines, Uruguayan Wines, Portuguese Wines, Mezcal, Baijiu and more. I've championed many of these underdogs, all which are worthy beverages deserving of much more attention by consumers as well as other writers. We all need to expand our palates and seek out the liquid wonders that can be found all around the world.

Within the last year, I've spent lots of time researching and writing numerous historical articles about food and drink, and I'm especially proud of these articles, many breaking new ground in our understanding of certain topics. Some of these articles include:

• The three-part Water Doughnuts: Some Bagel History and More on the Origin of the Everything Bagel
• Expanded/revised versions of A History of Sake Brewing in the U.S., Historical Tidbits About Sake in the U.S., A History of Sake Brewing in Brazil, and Early History of Sake Brewing in British Colombia
• The two-part Historical Tidbits About Baijiu, The World's Most Popular Spirit 
• What's Traditional Shepherd's Pie: A Historical Look
• Expanded/revised version of Moonshine? A History of Sotol in the U.S.
• Origins of Manhattan Clam Chowder
• A seven-part series on The First Restaurants In Boston's Chinatown
• A seven-part series on The First Chinese Restaurants Outside Boston
• A three-part series on The First Chinese Restaurants in Connecticut
• Blob Joints: A History of Dim Sum in the U.S.
• Origins Of The Chop Suey Sandwich: A New England Invention?
• What's A Chop Suey Sundae?
• Origins Of The St. Paul Sandwich: A Missouri Invention?
• Origins of Crab Rangoon
• Expanded/revised version of The Origins of American Chop Suey

I believe my writing has improved over all these years but some of my earliest articles still stand the test of time. I hope to continue writing articles that make me proud, articles that my readers find interesting and enlightening. And I want to keep challenging myself, to write better and better articles each year.

I owe many thanks to all of my readers, as it is their support and encouragement which has helped motivate me to continue writing year after year. I also owe thanks to my family and friends who have been so supportive for all these years. In addition, I am grateful to everyone in the food and drink community, from chefs to wine makers, who have helped contribute, in a myriad of ways, to my blog.  Life is about connections, about the relationships we make, and they all contribute to what we do.

If I didn't thoroughly enjoy what I've been doing, then it would have ended years ago. I find it fulfilling and satisfying, and hope that my passion for food, drink and writing never dims. I look forward to celebrating my 14th anniversary next year, and I hope my readers keep reading me year after year.

It's time to celebrate!