Saturday, January 17, 2009

Closing up shop for awhile

A Man Has to Eat came into existence almost a year ago as a way for my wife and me to better remember meals we had. Although I shy away from the foodie label, those who know Chrissie and me were always asking for dinner recommendations. The blog format began as a personal journal and I had no expectation that anyone outside of my family and friends would ever discover its existence.

To my surprise and delight readers began stumbling upon, and actually reading, my tiny little corner of the internet. It has given me great pleasure to serve and entertain those who have enjoyed my writing and it was educational and interesting to look at food and the dining industry from a critical perspective.

We have cut back on our dining, but not nearly as much as my lack of writing suggests. The fact that there has been no entry in so long signifies a waning interest on my part to continue updating. This lack of interest comes from me wanting to go back to a time when dining didn't involve deconstructing every aspect of the meal for analysis.

If we have a meal that is great or an experience that is disappointing enough to warrant a warning I intend to write about it, but I no longer intend to write up each new restaurant we visit.

Thank you to everyone who has spent some time here and used A Man Has to Eat as either a resource or for entertainment.

Thanks and Credit-

  • I'll begin with Diana, the art teacher from my school, who is a working artist and a teacher. Her passion to practice what she teaches inspired me to want to write again.
  • Chrissie, my wife, must come next. In my reviews I often switch between I and we. This is because Chrissie, even though she has nothing to do with the design or writing, is an equal partner in the content and direction of this blog. I could have done none of this without her love of food, her desire to see this page succeed, and her input.
  • I'd like to thank Liz Johnson, the food editor for The Journal News, for linking my blog on her website and for including my updates in the local links section of her food blog, SmallBites. Liz's links accounted for ten percent of my site's traffic. Writing A Man Has to Eat as a hobby provides some insight into the tremendous amount of time Liz must spend keeping her readers up to date on dining, cooking, entertaining, the blogosphere, and even gardening.
  • I must thank my family for providing a model that taught an appreciation for food and drink and the importance of value. Both my parents and my aunt and uncle were pivotal in our food education.
  • Cara, Brenda, and Steven, our very dear friends, were the first people to read the blog and were the largest contributors to the comments section. Even if no one else was reading what I wrote I would have written because I knew they would ask for the next review. Their support means the world to me in all endeavors.
  • Everyone who has emailed or commented on the blog, especially the very suportive commenters from Chowhound and the chefs/owners who wrote to give thanks for praise or to explain their positions.

Some A Man Has to Eat Statistics and Facts
  1. From April 1, 2008 (when I added the GoogleAnalytics tracking code) to January 16, 2009 we had 4,067 visits. 2,520 of them were unique visitors.
  2. The average visitor spent 2 minutes and 29 seconds on the site.
  3. The most readers in one day was 54 on December 15, 2008.
  4. Visitors were led to the site from 33 different countries. People from 9 of those countries actually stayed to read.
  5. Total money made- $18.43, but I can't collect it until I raise $100.
  6. 28 total entries. 18 full reviews. 13 partial reviews.
  7. Calories consumed- I don't even want to know.
Enjoy the New Year, support your favorite restaurants, try a new one when you can, and spread the word about what you like.

-James

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Too bad. I always thought they should have gotten you to write for Westchester.

Unknown said...

Gonna miss A Man Has to Eat!! I guess I am lucky since I can just call you up for a review or a suggestion!!

Ms. Brenda O'Shea said...

I'll definitely miss reading the updates, but have enjoyed all of your entries. Let me know when the inspiration hits for another entry!