The Simplest Aphrodisiac was born on 7 January 2008, and as such has been around the local food blogging scene for more than two years. Since then, this food blog has certainly come a long way and has experienced its share of changes and adjustments, in large part because it has tried to meet the demands and expectations of the many hungry food-loving people out there. Nevertheless, I must say it has been a really rewarding experience so far as I've gotten to meet new friends as well as received many good recommendations on places to go. To my family and all my relatives, friends and fellow readers, thank you so much for all your support through the years and I will do my best to keep this going strong! :)
If you're wondering about the title, The Simplest Aphrodisiac, yes it was meant to be a little bit cheeky. But food can be the simplest aphrodisiac of all really, because good food simply gets you in a good mood, and makes you game for (almost) anything and everything. It gets you on a high too if it's really that good. It's either that or I'm really an easy person to please. Of course, the name was never meant to be controversial in any way (unlike those who would try to stage an identity crisis for attention) and it's all in the name of good fun.
It has always been my intention to keep this blog (and the food it features) simple and unpretentious. Even though I will be entering the workforce soon, it is still essential that I keep to my interest in finding and trying out delicious, affordable and "value-for-money" food around the island. I am well aware that some of my colleagues in the scene would rather compete on visiting the most luxurious, fine-dining restaurants, but since I am confident enough not to use the restaurants I visit as a significant marker of my social identity, you will be spared from such pompous or pretentious displays. It's only pure love here baby.
Speaking of pure love, it has also been my honour to meet many fellow food bloggers who are as passionate as me in food, and eating. These are the very people who have made the many blogger outings that I've organised so successful and memorable, and you can say I look forward to these occasions with much excitement every month. I'm also always glad to meet new bloggers (and in time, friends!) who share the same love as me. At the end of it all, food blogging is very much a hobby for many of us, even if some hopelessly hang on to it for personal fame.
It is largely because of my disillusionment (and disgust) with some of these fame-thirsty bloggers that I've recently made the decision to step away from food tasting sessions, a relatively new phenomenon that has targeted bloggers as a "fresh" mode of publicity. Other than my reluctance to be associated with these bloggers who throw namecards around begging for such (read: free) sessions, I am also aware that with more readers now I am more accountable for what I write. You can read all about my decision in the link here.
So, one may ask: what makes a good food blog? Well, I would say, good writing, good pictures and personal integrity. It's important not to get carried away giving your food a makeover (both in food styling and photo-editing) and then trying to get away with sloppy writing (or worse, writing in a sing-song manner and passing it off as some warped fairy tale). I can't say this blog scores top points for all three criteria that I've pointed out, but it is definitely a work in progress and something to be achieved. Of course, don't expect me to spend hours editing my pictures, since most of them thus far have merely been edited using Picasa 3 through a simple click on "I'm Feeling Lucky" (the wonderful auto-edit feature).
Finally, and as always, there's usually a need for a disclaimer and this blog is not without one. I'm not a representative for any restaurant, company or food outlet here in Singapore, and neither am I out to tarnish the good names of anyone or anything. Much of these reviews you see in my posts are based on my own opinions, levelled or clarified occassionally by those I dine with, and could differ for anyone at any other (worse or better) time. We all know taste is subjective, and I promise to do my best to differentiate between instances where the food/restaurant is clearly lacking in something against that of my personal, at times unique, preferences.
I suppose that's all for now, and hopefully I manage to keep this blog up and running for as long as I can! Do share with me your experiences or recommendations on what you've eaten (the "Foodie Comment" links are available on every post), and I welcome critiques or disagreements too as these could help moderate the expectations of the other readers. While I may have had a particular experience at a certain place, some of you may have discovered inconsistencies, which is perfectly normal and I would definitely like to hear about it as well! Rest assured I won't be like those insecure enough to delete negative comments (which are often egotistically dismissed as rude or mean), because I think we're all here for a common interest: food.
With all that said and done, here's to good food, and to a good life! =)
Cheers,
Harris Chai
Author, The Simplest Aphrodisiac
If you're wondering about the title, The Simplest Aphrodisiac, yes it was meant to be a little bit cheeky. But food can be the simplest aphrodisiac of all really, because good food simply gets you in a good mood, and makes you game for (almost) anything and everything. It gets you on a high too if it's really that good. It's either that or I'm really an easy person to please. Of course, the name was never meant to be controversial in any way (unlike those who would try to stage an identity crisis for attention) and it's all in the name of good fun.
It has always been my intention to keep this blog (and the food it features) simple and unpretentious. Even though I will be entering the workforce soon, it is still essential that I keep to my interest in finding and trying out delicious, affordable and "value-for-money" food around the island. I am well aware that some of my colleagues in the scene would rather compete on visiting the most luxurious, fine-dining restaurants, but since I am confident enough not to use the restaurants I visit as a significant marker of my social identity, you will be spared from such pompous or pretentious displays. It's only pure love here baby.
Speaking of pure love, it has also been my honour to meet many fellow food bloggers who are as passionate as me in food, and eating. These are the very people who have made the many blogger outings that I've organised so successful and memorable, and you can say I look forward to these occasions with much excitement every month. I'm also always glad to meet new bloggers (and in time, friends!) who share the same love as me. At the end of it all, food blogging is very much a hobby for many of us, even if some hopelessly hang on to it for personal fame.
It is largely because of my disillusionment (and disgust) with some of these fame-thirsty bloggers that I've recently made the decision to step away from food tasting sessions, a relatively new phenomenon that has targeted bloggers as a "fresh" mode of publicity. Other than my reluctance to be associated with these bloggers who throw namecards around begging for such (read: free) sessions, I am also aware that with more readers now I am more accountable for what I write. You can read all about my decision in the link here.
So, one may ask: what makes a good food blog? Well, I would say, good writing, good pictures and personal integrity. It's important not to get carried away giving your food a makeover (both in food styling and photo-editing) and then trying to get away with sloppy writing (or worse, writing in a sing-song manner and passing it off as some warped fairy tale). I can't say this blog scores top points for all three criteria that I've pointed out, but it is definitely a work in progress and something to be achieved. Of course, don't expect me to spend hours editing my pictures, since most of them thus far have merely been edited using Picasa 3 through a simple click on "I'm Feeling Lucky" (the wonderful auto-edit feature).
Finally, and as always, there's usually a need for a disclaimer and this blog is not without one. I'm not a representative for any restaurant, company or food outlet here in Singapore, and neither am I out to tarnish the good names of anyone or anything. Much of these reviews you see in my posts are based on my own opinions, levelled or clarified occassionally by those I dine with, and could differ for anyone at any other (worse or better) time. We all know taste is subjective, and I promise to do my best to differentiate between instances where the food/restaurant is clearly lacking in something against that of my personal, at times unique, preferences.
I suppose that's all for now, and hopefully I manage to keep this blog up and running for as long as I can! Do share with me your experiences or recommendations on what you've eaten (the "Foodie Comment" links are available on every post), and I welcome critiques or disagreements too as these could help moderate the expectations of the other readers. While I may have had a particular experience at a certain place, some of you may have discovered inconsistencies, which is perfectly normal and I would definitely like to hear about it as well! Rest assured I won't be like those insecure enough to delete negative comments (which are often egotistically dismissed as rude or mean), because I think we're all here for a common interest: food.
With all that said and done, here's to good food, and to a good life! =)
Cheers,
Harris Chai
Author, The Simplest Aphrodisiac
