Tastes and Toasts
a recipe, a wine, not paired, but with pairing suggestions...
I’ve been busy this fall; it seems I always am busy. The whole having to earn a living thing gets in the way of what I wish was paying all my bills… *cough, cough* become a paid subscriber today!
I have had a food and wine project that I have been wanting to do for well over a year now. Many of my friends have been pushing me to do something like this for well over a decade. But, I am slow to be convinced of the need to show my face online. Yet, a couple of these friends (and therapist) broke me down this fall and convinced me to at least give it a try.
This new series I have named Taste and Toasts. It is a sort of spin-off from my ‘A Wine, a Recipe and an Album’ series I do here. Every wine I drink and talk about of course will be Portuguese. My plan is to release it on YouTube and then go into detail here about the wine, producer and all that fun stuff. I may even add in an album that you need to listen to.
I admit, I’m nervous about the hate comments I may receive, because people on the internet are mean. Which is why, for years, I have avoided showing my face online and pushed this idea aside. But I am doing it. Or at least trying. It won’t be anything crazy. Very low budget, so low budget that I have two tripods, my iPhone and myself. I will not be getting dolled up; I am not scripting it. I am unadulterated me. Like it or not, I am not here for the overly stylized fake stuff on the internet about food and wine. I will edit very little and you will see my full personality. I apologize in advance.
In short, I will bake or cook on camera and enjoy a Portuguese wine while I film. I'll use some of my simple, staple recipes. My best friend advised me against using any over-the-top, crazy recipes. I can get carried away in the kitchen. I am most likely only releasing one or two a month max. I don't want to work so much that I never get a day off.
I feel super awkward about this. I don't like being in front of a camera anymore. It's weird, since I was a professional singer in my youth and thrived on stage. But I digress. Cancer changed a lot about me; now I do prefer to hide away behind the scenes. But I am stepping out. This project may be an epic fail, but at least I can get my friends off my back for at least trying it. Who knows, people may actually like it. Stranger things have happened. If nothing else it gets Portuguese wines out there more. Which in the end, is my goal. So if this interests you in the least, stay tuned. If not- don’t worry, my normal content will still be the focus here.
This is a fantastic idea! You know I love your Wine, Recipe, and an Album pairings! One thing doing the podcast (and prior to that, a livestream) has taught me - until you blow up and become viral/famous in some way, the trolls really don't find you. My interactions online have been 99.9% positive thus far, with steady (but nothing approaching viral) growth. When you begin, you'll mostly be watched by those who already follow you because they like what you do already, so it's a surprisngly safe space to find your sea legs at the beginning. Here's to getting comfy with it in due time!
Well done for putting yourself out there, Kate! I've had similar conversations with my friends over the years, and similar fears about the internet being a mean place. In the end, my experience has been that when your audience is fairly small, most people are very positive. And in fact the videos and photos I've posted that show my face seem to get more traction than others. So set aside your fears and go for it, I say!