Simple storytelling is a core component to success. Complexity is a distractor. The Back of the Napkin (B.O.T. N.) column of Bon Appetit values a short story: your story should fit on the back of the…
Food, Media, & Culture
Plan Your Life: Lessons from Cooking Shows
“You know those seasoning packets that come with the ham?” says Sunny Anderson on her cooking show Cooking for Real as she makes a holiday spiral ham. “Just can’t do it,” she says, shaking her…
Storyteller’s Tools: Passion, Smiles, Friendliness
We can learn from celebrated television personalities how to improve our performance in front of an audience, whether it is for your next meeting, classroom, blog, podcast, YouTube channel, or even television show. Storytelling requires…
How to Write a Thank-You Letter
Sending a note of thanks is a wonderful way to recognize someone and to let them know you care about them. Writing has become more informal over the years, and people are sending fewer hand-written…
The Secret to Compelling Storytelling: Simplicity
The Secret of Compelling Storytelling is Simplicity. Compelling stories start with great headlines that convey the one key message behind one idea. Keep it simple. According to Colin Powell, “Great leaders are almost always great…
3 Sources of Inspiration for Describing Food Color: Crayons, Eggplants, Rubies
Have you ever tried to describe a food or dish you recently had and wished you had the words for it? If you are a food blogger and writer, you have experienced creativity block (like…
5 Ways to Spark Your Creativity in Food Writing
Are you eager to develop your food writing skills but lack the time and inspiration to write? Has your source of creativity run dry? Here are 5 ways to spark your creativity in writing. With…
Thanksgiving and TV Dinners: The Surprising History Between Them
Thanksgiving is a celebration usually composed of food (turkey, sides, and pie, of course), family (and friends for Friendsgiving), and football (humorous commercials!). Gathering around the TV, Thanksgiving revelers let the stomach digest before the…
What does pumpkin taste like? Tips and more for describing boring foods
In writing about food, we realize that certain foods are boring and subtle in flavor, like an aimless road tripper that relies on others for direction and a plan. Take pumpkin for instance. Most think…
10 Best Practices to Learning the Language of Food
Have you tried learning another language? Then, you know it takes practice, but there are tricks and best practices to make it easier for you to succeed at learning another language. Here we take the…