This is my 50th blogpost so I would like to thank all those who have visited this blog, left a comment, written privately or else posted comments and given me suggestions in various forms in these amazing first two months.
When I set up to write this blog I had one aim in mind. As someone with a passion for good food, wine, travel and writing, I wanted to first and foremost record things for myself because many friends come to me for recommendations of where to eat not only in the places where I live or have lived but also in the places I have visited.
While it is quite normal for me to remember what I have eaten even many years ago in a particular restaurant or even at a friend’s place, I start to forget the names of places I visit and which have left their mark.
So this is a great way to catalogue my discoveries.
Mostly, however, I also wanted to prove to myself that just by the power of habit, I could find the time, despite a busy schedule (a full-time job, a family with two young children) to pursue my passion.
In this trip, I have been extremely lucky to find the full support of my dearest wife Giulia who is a constant source of encouragement and suggestions.
This blog also came about thanks to two great experiences in May/early June which gave me both the drive and the energy to set on this adventure.
The first was an unforgettable lunch at Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana. His philosophy of following your passion struck a chord. The second was Rene Redzepi’s visit to Gent to promote the publication in Flemish of his new book. Both episodes allowed me to write about the experience and get me going. It provided the right source of creativity that I needed to get me going.
From there, ideas on what to write have kept flowing. The only real constraint is time. But I have managed to squeeze time to try and post five to six posts a week. When I look back to two months ago, when I started, I would never have imagined that I would reach 50 posts in such a short time. I hope to be writing my 100th post in two months time.
Once this becomes a habit, it just gets easier and easier. It is the same when you have not exercised for a while. You find that you no longer have the time. It becomes very hard to start. But once it becomes routine, then it becomes so much easier.
If you are aiming to do something, then I would fully encourage you to go ahead and do it. It does not have to be perfect. The blog is still very much a work in progress. I try to add functionalities and structure as I go along. What this experience has shown is that you just need to take a step at a time. First, you need to make that first step. Then a little step after that.
Please do keep coming back and provide your feedback on how to make this better and better.
For those who started following this blog only recently these are my three most popular blogposts:
Osteria Francescana – the pursuit of perfection
Jigger’s – one of Gent’s best kept secrets
Modena – a delightful city for the gourmet traveller
Next month, I hope to give you many insider tips to my home country Malta be it in the form of restaurant reviews, different city guides as well as ideas of what to do in the land of sun, sea and lots of culture.
The above photo is a teaser. It is the silent city called Mdina which used to be Malta’s old capital.
Ivan Brincat 