State of the food blog ecosystem

Kate at Accidental Hedonist recently wrote about missing the food blogging scene of 2005. Her touchstone was that the corporate site Epicurious won 2nd place in the 2007 Weblog Awards, which to her was a blow to individuality. Other things on her mind were the ballooning number of food blogs, the rise of PR flackism, and the loss of a sense of community.

I can see where she's coming from; the same has happened to many specialized blogging communities over the last few years. It's a recurrent pattern in any online community. In some ways it's unstoppable.

I like to find the good in it. What I've seen is an explosion of hyperlocal blogs, smaller but more engaged communities, and budding niche writers like Eating in Place, the folks at Underground Food Collective, and Wisconsin Fish Fry Reviews (just as a quick sample - there are more great ones out there). Admittedly I'm biased towards the locals because of my project, but I see nothing but room for growth in the food blog scene.

On the other hand, Kate may be right that the wider food blog world is oversaturated. It's tough to form a large community around food blogging, especially writing about cooking. At best it can inspire others to try their hand at recipes and share a meal in spirit. At worst it can be just as narcissistic as any average online diary.

This ultimately means that the winners of national blog polls will lack character, like Starbucks winning Chicago Magazine's "Best Coffee" vote, and Pedro's placing in the Mexican food category in Madison magazine (both recent true stories). The votes for "best food blog" will necessarily be split because the field is so specialized. But that's OK. Quality isn't measured in chicklets.