Say Hello to Meandering Eats!

Cupcakes from the lovely Influx Cafe in San Diego's Golden Hill neighborhood

Well, it's been happening for a while. The changes in layout and color. The new (and intentionally temporary) header. Larger photos, better photography, and hopefully better writing. Last, but certainly not least, a new name.

This humble little piece of the interweb is now Meandering Eats.

What? Not enough fanfare?

(Note: The transition will be taking place all day today. Please bear with me as the URLs transfer and I change a bunch of little things. Definitely let me know if I missed anything!)

I've been working on this for a while, and I am really excited to switch over to a brand-new name. In many ways, it's reflective of 2011 so far. New start, new approach, new outlook.

I had been thinking of changing the name for a while. When I started Adventures of an Amateur Foodie, I intended the title to reflect my belief that a good meal can be found anywhere and I was going to chronicle the good ones in my life. "Amateur" because I was an enthusiastic student. "Foodie" because I loved food.

I'm one of those people who plan trips around where to eat. I love geeking out about techniques. I read cookbooks, for crying out loud. I eat. I eat too much for my own good. Somewhere along the way, "foodie" began to take on a negative connotation. It wasn't just about being enthusiastic or knowledgeable. Words like "sanctimonious" "fussy" "arrogant" and "obnoxious" began to be associated with it.

Whoa, there. Hang on a minute. I'd like to think (hope) that none of those words describe me. Okay, I hope they don't describe me regularly.

The name is also a mouthful. It isn't very imaginative. Based on the amount of "Adventures of..." blogs out there, it definitely isn't unique. And when the word "amateur" is in your blog's name, you are bound to receive visitors looking for, um, more prurient images. Hey, I do dabble in pictures of things that can drive one wild with desire... but not those kinds of photos!

It was when I found that someone had arrived on my blog with the keywords "amateur fat tuber" (?!) that I realized it was time for change. After Food Blog Camp, I knew it was going to happen. I was asked about my blog and my intentions for it. Actually, I was asked about my goals, to which I answered, "Ummm... med school?"

Yeah, that wasn't the answer I was supposed to give, but in thinking about the answer, I realized that I was a blogger with many hats. I want to write about the great eating in my life with fabulous photos. I post recipes, I write about restaurants, and I log my travel adventures. In the end, this is a chronicle of food. And the food comes from my kitchen, my trips, my adopted hometown, my actual hometown, my friends' kitchens, and the list goes on. My path to good food is a windy one, hence Meandering Eats was born.

The Nitty-Gritty

• URL is changing to http://www.meanderingeats.com (the old address will redirect to it)
• My contact information is moowiesqrd [at] meanderingeats [dot] com
• My feed will still be done via Feedburner and the links will be updated. However, you will have to resubscribe to the new feed.
• I am unable to switch email subscriptions over, so you'll have to resubscribe when the Meandering Eats subscription form goes up. Sorry!
• Twitter is the same. Follow me @moowiesqrd.
• The switchover to the new URL will finish in a few days and might have glitches, so please let me know if you encounter any problems

As Meandering Eats starts to build its own identity, look for future posts about:

• An amazing San Diego bakery combining two wonderful things: cupcakes and beer
• Treats I had in New Zealand, a place that holds many wonderful memories for me. I can't properly express the sorrow I feel at seeing the recent devastation in Christchurch
• An event to combat childhood hunger while bringing together San Diego's awesome food bloggers and bakers

Please join me in spreading the word about Meandering Eats! I'm really excited about continuing to work and improve on this blog. My life has taken so many unexpected turns in the last couple of years and blogging fell by the wayside. Now, it's become a place of solace and relaxation. I have met so many awesome people and experienced so many fun things because I've been posting swill on the internet.

Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!