What you missed
We're one month into the new year, and I have a suggestion for a doable New Year's resolution, now that you realize you're not going to exercise every day or give up chocolate.
I think you should bookmark this blog and check it three or four times a day.
Don't know how to bookmark a page? Just ask your resident computer techie (aka your 10-year-old -- and don't look at his or her list of bookmarked sites). If you don't have a 10-year-old, it should say "bookmarks" or "favorites" on the toolbar at the top of your screen. Just follow the directions and then you can get here with one click of a key.
I know this is shameless self-promotion, but it's not just me. Something changed on this blog this month. ...
I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it seemed to reach some sort of critical mass with commenters. People (with notable exceptions) stopped worrying so much about what I was saying ("You're a fraud, Ms. Large, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG; you must take kickbacks and your mother wears combat boots") and started having conversations with other posters.
True, some of those conversations got a little ugly, but we moved on. I've been learning about places I didn't know about because there's only so much ground I can cover, and I hope other readers did too. One result is that I and the other foodies at The Sun may end up writing about a wider range of restaurants when we do round ups and dining guides. (See my post on the G & M Effect.) This may irritate readers who insist that we be the only experts, but realistically I think it's a good thing.
Anyway, here are what I think were the highlights of the first month of '08 in case you missed them:
* The fact that we got 91 comments on burgers
* The in-some-ways even more amazing fact that 40 people had something to say about fries. Love 'em when I'm craving salt and grease, but it still surprised me.
* The ongoing discussion of whether chains are worthy of foodies' consideration
* Our 3,000th comment posted by none other than Owl Meat Jerky
* A discussion of foods of our youth that have since disappeared
* We tried to define diners. Diner-o-philes should use the search function to the right to find all the posts on diners, and there were several this month.
* The foie gras debacle. The three posts on the subject are now closed for discussion, so please don't bother to comment on them. (This was a first for this blog.)
* The more good-natured locavore vs. global discussion, which I'm sure will be ongoing
* The very helpful advice on how to get rid of bats
(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)
Comments
Check it multiple times a day????
Sheesh, I'm already doing that - and I'm still in Europe!!!!
OK, that's impressive.
Posted by: Jay C. | January 31, 2008 5:47 AM
Well, OF COURSE I have it bookmarked and check it several times a day! (But never at work ...) And I posted from the Caribbean as well, without rubbing it in anyone's face about how nice and warm it was in January.
Posted by: Darlene | January 31, 2008 6:43 AM
I'm not in Europe, but I definately "check in" here at least three times a day. There's always an interesting "discussion" going on.
Posted by: Flipkid | January 31, 2008 7:03 AM
Buzz bee buzz. Honey bee result.
Posted by: Owl Meat Jerky | January 31, 2008 7:53 AM
True believers will already have this Blog their home page. Bookmark, indeed. I'm even considering a dedicated computer.
Posted by: Robert (the Single One) | January 31, 2008 8:18 AM
"I'm not sure what exactly happened."...it's not just me."
Actually, Elizabeth, I think it *is* you. Since this blog began you have been so welcoming and fairminded and inviting and openhearted. Your posts are not only interesting, but a delight to read. The sincerity with which you encourage readers to weigh in with comments and opinions spurs us all to want to join the discussion. As you share your personal stories of travel with your husband and to visit your daughter, and your brother chimes in from time to time, it feels like you're a neighbor comin' in through the kitchen door.
Well done. Keep up the great work. We love you out here.
Posted by: mededitor | January 31, 2008 8:25 AM
Me too, Hon, right here in Bawlmer, Merlin.
Posted by: Dottie | January 31, 2008 8:46 AM
Why do you want me to downgrade to only checking 3 or 4 times a day?
Posted by: Hal Laurent | January 31, 2008 8:58 AM
Favorites? Do they still make those? How ... yesterday.
What you really need is for all of us to add Dining to our RSS feeds.
You deserve at least that consideration, even if you are a kick-back taking, chunk writing, chain reviewing, daughter of a combat boot wearer.
Posted by: jl | January 31, 2008 9:02 AM
Okay, so maybe a dedicated computer is creepy. On a related point, without naming names (unless you want to shame Mr. Seesa) how many hits does the most popular Sun Blog receive. (Just so we know what we have to do to make the BA number one.)
And since I know you don't have enough material, how about Best, Favourite, Last Meal. What I mean is what would you pick for your favourite meal. For me it would be Rock stuffed with Imperial Crab, local sweet corn and local tomatoes. Simple, but to die for.
Well, I don't like to brag, but my high for page views was 36,467 one week and I average 20,000-25,000. Of course, there are only six people actually visiting the site and then I pay my daughter to hit the refresh button.
Posted by: Robert (the Single One) | January 31, 2008 9:02 AM
At the beginning of the year I decided to replace my nicotine habit with something less destructive if not more conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Imagine my surprise when I realized my newest obsession was (and is) Dining@Large! I don't need a bookmark ... my 'puter automatically knows where it's supposed to go. BTW: I'm still waiting to find out if there will be a group outing to celebrate Robert-The-Single-One's birthday on February 10th.
Posted by: Rob | January 31, 2008 9:34 AM
I haven't been commenting here for very long, but even in the short time I've been here it seems like the mass of users has increased. Good job.
Posted by: Jon Parker | January 31, 2008 9:47 AM
Actually, you have caught on to the way blogs are supposed to work: encourage and engage conversation among authors and commenters. Kudos to you for being an old media type and embracing this medium.
The bigger problem, Ms. Large, is that I don't need to bookmark your blog if I have an aggregator to get the blog's feed. A bit technical, of course, but it sure beats hitting refresh on the main page of the blog. It does make your surfing a bit more concentrated, though, and can potentially lead to information overload for the uninitiated.
Finally, would it be too much to ask for full text feeds for your blog. Nothing is more annoying and disappointing for me having to click through to finish reading a blog entry. If it continues, I will do what I have done with other blogs: remove it from my aggregator and pay it scant attention. So, do me a favor, and do full text feeds and don't do the whole "continue reading" link. I know it is a stupid MovableType trick that needs to stop.
The problem is that not every entry is of interest to everyone, so I want you to be able to scroll through quickly to get to the ones that do interest you. When my entry is short, I do keep all of it on the main page.
Posted by: JJT | January 31, 2008 10:14 AM
"PAY your daughter?" I am outraged. Gailor should be pushing that refresh button every 108 seconds out of sheer love of her mother! LOL. But let's see: There's Robert from Cross Keys; Robert (the Single One); Rob (yours truly): Owl Meat Jerky; Darlene; Janice - that's six. Are the other contributors' names merely nom de plumes?
Posted by: Rob | January 31, 2008 10:30 AM
Seeing new postings on your blog in my RSS feed is a highlight of day (shhh, don't tell my boss!). If only there was an aggregator for the "comments" section, too!
Posted by: Jessica | January 31, 2008 10:43 AM
Elizabeth, you have been on my favorites list since I started reading the blog last May. I am so happy that I chanced upon it
Now, here we go again. I am not up on computer jargon so, would someone tell me what the heck an aggregator is? In simple english please...lol! I learn so much on this site.
And, Regina is not a nom de plume though I wish I had been clever enough to come up with something entertaining when I started posting!
Posted by: Regina | January 31, 2008 11:47 AM
Regina, an aggregator - aka news reader - is a program that allows you to "subscribe" to blogs. Each time an entry is made to a blog, it shows up in the reader. You should also be able to turn on a notify function that pops up whenever a new entry appears on any blog you subscribe to. There are at least a few free reader/aggregators out there. I'm familiar with Sharp Reader. Not sure of it's geek rating but it works for me.
Posted by: jl | January 31, 2008 12:07 PM
I was very into the up and coming Baltimore food scene (and an active BaltFoodies.com member, among other foodie groups) before I moved to Arizona in 2006. I love your blog and check it about twice a day. There are some great restaurants in Scottsdale and Phoenix, but the food blogging at the Arizona Republic newspaper site leaves much to be desired - certainly not the interactivity of the truly food-obsessed that you have here. Next time I am in Baltimore, I'll know exactly what new places or old favorites I want to visit. Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Alisa | January 31, 2008 12:28 PM
Rob, its a food blog: so its a non de plumB.
Speaking of Bday, did you see the poor misguided soul who want to auction me off. That's sad at soooo many levels. (Well not for me, I'm flattered, but ...)
Posted by: Robert (the Single One) | January 31, 2008 1:32 PM
My only complaint about your blog is that since I started reading I've found more restaurants than I have the time to dine at!!
Posted by: Greg S | January 31, 2008 1:43 PM
Nom de plum....oh man, the apperance of food puns. I hope this isn't a sign that Dining at Large has jumped the shark.
Posted by: Robert from Cross Keys | January 31, 2008 3:14 PM
Every 108 seconds? Rob, you must be a fan of "Lost," huh?
Posted by: Darlene | January 31, 2008 3:25 PM
Thanks, JL; I will give it a try.
Posted by: Regina | January 31, 2008 5:30 PM