[Update:] Comments are now closed, since I'm no longer actively updating my blogrolls. Thanks for your interest.
While going through the entries for Food Destinations #2 [1], I was struck by the number of people who are expatriates. Alanna Kellogg wrote about this briefly on BlogHer [2] a while back too. I am myself an expat, even several times over: born in Japan, American citizen, lived for some time in England, living in Switzerland now, but who knows where I’ll be in 5, 10 years? In my case it’s not like I set out on purpose to become a world wanderer - my father’s job required that we move around quite a bit when I was growing up, and when I became an adult I just sort of continued in that way.
Anyway, I became intrigued by the number of people who were in a similar situation to me. I think that when you are an expat, and a food lover, your senses become attuned to food on two levels: nostalgia for the things you used to take for granted, which you can’t get that easily any more, and a newcomer’s appreciation for the things that are perhaps taken for granted in your new home. That’s certainly been my case, and is perhaps what best defines my food blogging persona. Reader Jesse recently sent me an email which described this much more eloquently than I could.
I am finding it increasing entertaining that you have so much to say and do with food. I think I get it. I have been an expat off and for almost nine years. You’re walking down the street and suddenly you catch a whiff of something… You know that smell, but you look around and nothing should be creating that smell even though you’re not quite sure what it reminds you of. Then it hits you. That’s the smell that used to emanate from that tonkotsu ramen shop near your house. It comes to you all at once. You want that ramen, but you know that it’s at least 7000 miles away. Now you really want it, because you know you can’t have it and you start to try to find ways to recreate it home, alas unsuccessfully. You always fall short.
I live in Japan and so I know what that’s like. It used to happen to me and Mexican food, and when I’ve been home (US), I would get that way about zaru soba.
(Emails like this really make my day, and keep me motivated to continue writing here. Thanks, Jesse!)
So, I have started to compile a list of fellow expat food bloggers, which I'll update periodically. My list (after the fold) is rather short so far - please let me know who I'm missing, by leaving a comment here or emailing me at maki (at) makikoitoh dot com.
(Unless noted otherwise all the blogs below are written in English.)
Added Sep 11th:
Added Sep. 13th:
Added Sep. 16th:
Added Sep. 18th:
Added October 2nd:
Added Jan. 7th:
Added March 12th:
Links:
[1] http://extra.justhungry.com/fooddestinations
[2] http://blogher.org/node/2976
[3] http://kochtopf.twoday.net/
[4] http://becksposhnosh.blogspot.com/
[5] http://chiliesvanilia.blogspot.com/
[6] http://chocolateincontext.blogspot.com/
[7] http://cooksister.typepad.com/
[8] http://www.davidlebovitz.com/
[9] http://desarapen.blogspot.com/
[10] http://eatingasia.typepad.com/
[11] http://ilforno.typepad.com/il_forno/
[12] http://lucullian.blogspot.com/
[13] http://msglaze.typepad.com/
[14] http://noodlepie.typepad.com/
[15] http://www.nordljus.co.uk/en/
[16] http://www.phnomenon.com/
[17] http://www.posiesplace.net/
[18] http://savourysnark.blogspot.com
[19] http://thepassionatecook.typepad.com/thepassionatecook/
[20] http://www.toomanychefs.com/
[21] http://travelerslunchbox.com/
[22] http://veggieway.blogspot.com/
[23] http://wemusteat.blogspot.com/
[24] http://www.whistlestopcaboose.blogspot.com/
[25] http://lindamathieu.com/
[26] http://garlic-breath.blogspot.com/
[27] http://frenchtoastfrance.blogspot.com/
[28] http://thegoldenshrimp.blogspot.com/
[29] http://kitschenette.typepad.com/redkitchen/
[30] http://www.beaskitchen.com/blog/
[31] http://www.expatriateskitchen.blogspot.com/
[32] http://sooishi.blogspot.com/
[33] http://kitchen-notebook.blogspot.com/
[34] http://blue_moon.typepad.com/blue_lotus/
[35] http://manne.typepad.com/tummyrumble/
[36] http://cioppino.blogs.com/hungrig_in_san_francisco/
[37] http://realitybitesdiary.blogspot.com/
[38] http://blog.goo.ne.jp/fleurdesel
[39] http://reified.typepad.com/
[40] http://fieldtofeast.blogspot.com
[41] http://oyamake.com/blog/
[42] http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/