Have you ever thought about what it must be like to be the significant other of a food blogger (or any blogger for that matter)? I often wonder if my boyfriend minds what I put him through. I don't worry too much because I know he would tell me if he did, but I do sometimes feel as though I ask a lot.
He never complains about dinner being cold after spending 20 minutes trying to capture the perfect photos for me (and yes, he's the one taking the photos most of the time). Sometimes, I even get to the point where I say, "Okay, forget it, let's just eat." But he'll convince me that we should take a few more shots and instruct me to hold this here or move that there.
He doesn't gripe when I sprinkle herbs all over his plate, just to make it look pretty for the picture, even when he'll have to brush them aside to be able to enjoy his food. He even keeps quiet -- for the most part -- when I make foods he doesn't like, just because I insist on following the recipe. Not to mention how silly he must feel when we go out to eat, and his crazy girlfriend must photograph his plate and her own before a fork can be lifted.
There's also all the planning I do before cooking and writing. I'm constantly asking him to take me to the grocery store (or two different stores) because I have this or that recipe in mind, and we just need to make a "quick trip" to get some fish or fresh veggies. But luckily, I often choose recipes I know that he'll like, so there's a little bit of motivation there.
We have very different after-work attitudes. He's apt to veg out on the couch with Sports Center on, while I'm dying to cook anything that's been running through my head all day that I wasn't able to make at the time I thought of it because this little thing called work prevents me from having that sort of lifestyle. I'm ready to hop in the car and graze the Whole Foods' aisles, but to him sometimes it's a bit of a hassle. (Someday I'll have off-street parking....)
And beyond the preparation for a blog post, he's usually always a part of the actual post, sometimes even the focal point. Where do I get off writing about him? I never thought about whether he'd actually want all of our meals broadcast to everyone who stops by to check out my blog.
And after I've written a post, I still need him. When I have a lot of page views, I agonize over why people don't leave comments, even though I'm following every suggestion ProBlogger can give (ask questions, involve your readers, etc.). He's there to remind me to be patient, to talk about things I can do differently, and to help me brainstorm new ideas.
He has to put up with my regular emails directing him to look at this blog or that blog and see how her pictures come out or how his page is arranged. He has to deal with my constant pestering and worrying, "Can we do that? How can we do that?"
Sometimes I'm sure he must feel like he's doing just as much work as I am to make my blog successful, and yet, it's still MY blog. I'm happy that it doesn't seem to bother him and that he's so incredibly supportive of what I'm trying to do. He's definitely my No. 1 fan.
Food For Thought
What do you think? Do you have a blog? Is your significant other affected by it? Is your significant other supportive of your blog? Are you the significant other of a blogger? How do you feel about this?
