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The CulinaryLore Manifesto: Beyond the Recipe
The internet doesn’t need another food blog.
Most food sites fall into two camps. They either recycle the same surface-level myths you’ve heard a thousand times, or provide you in academic jargon that lacks any practical connection to your kitchen. CulinaryLore is the one-stop shop that bridges that gap. By refusing to stay in a single “academic silo,” I’m able to provide a 360-degree view of food that no one else can match:
- Food History: I go beyond the “fun facts” to do real historical sleuthing—tracking idioms back to 1st-century Roman medicine and debunking the viral hoaxes that clutter your feed.
- Food Science: I deconstruct the “why” behind the “how,” translating complex chemistry into the practical math of your stovetop.
I don’t just research and write about food; I investigate the “Lore”—the intersection of science, history, human behavior, and the socio-economics that makes every bite interesting.
My approach to CulinaryLore is forged from a career that spans military service in the Middle East, medical experience, and years in the professional restaurant and fitness industries. I don’t just look for “fun facts.” I apply a background in Social Psychology and Linguistics to deconstruct why we eat what we eat, and why we believe the myths we do.
I am fiercely evidence-oriented, but in a forever practical way. My background in Science means I value precision, but my years in Professional Kitchens mean I value efficiency. You won’t find me recommending a ‘two-hour steak’ for a marginal difference no one will notice. I provide the high-level sleuthing, but I keep the results grounded in the reality of your kitchen.
I combine this with experience in restaurants, food retail, military discipline, extensive travel throughout the Middle East. I mix it up with an unmatched knowledge of fitness honed through years of research, writing, and work as a strength coach.
The No-Nonsense Health Filter: I apply years of research in the fitness and health industry to separate evidence-based nutrition from the ‘charlatans’ who prey on food fears to empty your wallet. I’ve taken on these charlatans to their face. I’ve brough that in the trenches attituded, honed by the gentling of age, to you in these pages.
It’s All About You
If I could tell you one thing, instead of everything else I’ve told you on this page, it’s that I do this with my ideal reader in mind. It’s about YOU, not about myself. So, here on this page is the only time you will see me selling what I do.
One thing I will point, out, again and again, is that food preference is a subjective experience and reliant upon a great many overlapping factors. Just because someone tells you one method is the absolute and only correct cooking method does not mean you will find that it produces the results you prefer. Food preferences and how we acquire them is another topic that deserves as much attention as anything else tackled on this site!
Who is my ideal reader, then? A person that really likes to cook, sure, but is extremely curious about food on another level. Or, a person who is curious or just needs reliable answers that they can trust.
Doing Something About Food Versus CulinaryLore
I’m often reminded of what Bruce Lee said about rote, regimented systems (of Martial Arts). He described these systems as failing to “go immediately to the heart of things” and instead using flowery forms and artificial techniques , so that they are “doing something about combat” rather than experiencing it. Using food history as a subject, I often quip that most food bloggers who mention food history are “doing something about food history.” So, I won’t write an article about an heirloom tomato I bought at the farmer’s market and tell a colorful story about the colorful fruits and vegetables, then label it food history because I used the word “heirloom.”
At the same time, I won’t go deep into the weeds about an esoteric food science subject that has no relevance to you, your everyday food experiences, or your kitchen. While food scientists love to wax on about the deep nuts and bolts of food chemistry, this, again, is “doing something about food science.” In other words, it is about what you can observe in a rote and detached way versus what you actually experience. I strive to bridge the gabs between those esoteric nuts and bolts and our shared food culture. My deep dives are written with you in mind, not with how impressive I want to sound.
Guest Articles
I get many messages from individuals wishing to publish articles on the site. Please understand that I do not respond to “article pitches.” At this time, I am not interested in publishing guest articles on the site. I’ve found that accepting articles takes up too much of my time, especially since authors ask me what they should write.
If you do wish to publish an article on CulinaryLore, then take the time to familiarize yourself with the site and what I write. Then write an article that you think would fit well and send it to me (or send a representative excerpt). I will then let you know if I wish to publish it, and we can work out any details. If you do not do this, then it is clear you didn’t bother to read the about page, so why should I wish to work with you?
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