I really enjoy making New Year’s Resolutions. Are they silly? Maybe. Do I actually keep them? Sometimes. But for some reason I do it every year. I figure that even if I only keep them for half the year it is usually better than nothing.
I’m making a number of goals and resolutions this year that are specific to this website and I figured the best way to keep myself honest would be to publish them.
300 Posts in 2009 – Lately I’ve been posting on Macheesmo almost daily and I like that schedule. I don’t want to set a goal of posting every day though because I might find myself writing content without a purpose which is the last thing I want. This gives me a very reachable goal that will still push me to write daily (some posts take more than one day to write).
Get a Camera and Learn How to Use It – Guess what. I don’t even own a camera. I use my girlfriend’s point and shoot digital camera to take 99% of the photos on this site. This has got to change in 2009 because I’ve hit a wall with that camera. I don’t think I can improve the quality of the photos much more without a new one. Also, Betsy might want to actually use her camera someday and then I would be screwed.
So in 2009 I’m going to splurge for a new DSLR and learn how to use it. There might be a period of adjustment where some of my photos suffer, but it should make the site better ultimately.
Monthly Food Newsletters – This is an idea I came up with that I will start tomorrow. On the first of each month I’m going to post a medium length summary of the upcoming month through the lens of food. This will include what things are in season, but also other information specific to that month like holiday dishes.
Good food is made possible by knowing what environment is right for what dish and I want to start each month with that idea in mind. I know very little of what I’m going to write in these bad boys, but I’m looking forward to the research. Hopefully they provide a lot of info that you all will enjoy.
Eating Good Food – This is something that I already do, but I want to kick it up a notch in 2009. I’m not a crazy guy when it comes to processed foods (I like Diet Coke and Doritos), but I only enjoy those on occasion. In general, I eat well and try to pass on good food recipes to you all.
Here are some of the guidelines I’m going to use to help me achieve this:
Organic Meat - I generally prefer organic meat to the non-organic stuff, but I’m making a concerted effort to eat only organic meat and grass-fed beef in 2009. Due to price this will probably mean that I eat less meat in general which is also to my benefit.
Note: I’m not all high and mighty about organic stuff. It’s not a perfect solution, but I do think it is healthier food and I’m willing to pay a bit more for it even if I know some of that increase in cost is due to marketing drivel.
Local Produce – Bets and I already frequent the farmer’s market pretty regularly, but I’m going to up that even more in 2009. When possible, I want to buy all of our produce from local farms to support them.
When pressed, I would choose a local apple over an organic apple that was shipped from California. Most of the time though I don’t have to make that choice and a lot of the local produce is in fact organic.
Anything else? As always I’m open to suggestions on ways to improve this site. If there are things that you think would improve Macheesmo (design ideas, posts, functionalities, etc) let me know. No better time than 2009 to make improvements!
Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you have ideas or food related resolutions of your own.
Photo by TallCJ.
I totally agree with these. As I have accepted and embraced my foodie (so much so that I’m making the leap and venturing forth into food writing and food photography), I have also started going out of my way into inquiring about sustainable good, purchasing from local markets, organic and grass-fed meat and beef, etc. Pinky-swearing to hold these things to be self-evident! Happy 2009, man.
Great resolutions! One of mine is to eat many more vegetarian meals and much less red meat. I’ll probably never give up on burgers and the occasional steak, but less has got to be better in every way.
Oh – and I love Macheesmo.
Very good resolutions. The 300 posts one is quite ambitious. You’re basically posting 6 days a week. Personally, I’d find that to be quite difficult to maintain.
I do encourage you to get a digital SLR, even a used one in good condition would be fine. Get the fastest lens you can afford.
I’m really impressed that you take all of your photos with a point and shoot; they’re quite good. You must have a lot of light in your place.
You should buy an entry level SRL. I use a Canon.