I recently received a comment from a reader questioning the motives behind my videos. He was commenting on the video that I posted recently, of the Fennel and Orange Salad. Even though I provided text instructions within the video, and linked to a full recipe for the salad, he was upset that I hadn’t also included a written recipe on that blog post as well. He wrote “I don’t mind going video, but it’s a terrible loss not to also include a printed version of the recipe. I’ve given up trying to copy them. I suspect entertainment and marketing is winning out over cooking.”
Ok. I realize that in the grand scheme of things this is not a very critical comment. But even though I hear that the internet is full of horrible people writing nasty things, I NEVER receive any sort of criticism. I live in some sort of happy bubble where almost all I ever receive is lots of love. (Except, of course when I get dates and spelling completely wrong and truly appreciate the help with that.)
The upshot was that this comment got me thinking quite a bit. Have I chosen to do videos just as a marketing ploy? Am I simply trying to entertain you?
First of all, one of the main reasons I’ve turned to video is because I love it. I’m always about learning new crafts to express myself. In the past it’s been knitting, quilting and canning. While I’m always looking to improve my writing (which I consider a craft) though this blog I’ve also upped my game when it comes to photography. Learning new means by which to communicate my passion keeps me engaged, regardless of how my readers react.
Getting back to the the main question, though: Is it a marketing ploy? Am I trying to entertain you so that you’ll keep coming back to my blog and hearing what I’ve got to say?
Of course I am.
Otherwise, what’s the point? Me sitting at my computer writing for myself?
But at the same time I also believe it is always about the cooking. Nothing is ‘winning out’ over that. Cooking is a fundamental, central part of not just this blog, but my life. And it all revolves around that, whether it’s in the form of a video, recipe, instagram post or a 140 character tweet.
As a sort of reaction to this comment, and to express myself, this week, I’ve decided to embrace with open arms the true marketing power of internet. This week I bring you snippets of a trip Sophie and took yesterday to visit a goat farm in Umbria. We are researching day trips out of Rome which are centered on food artisans, and the goat farm we visited produces some of the best, most beautiful cheeses I’ve had in central Italy. And even though they weren’t making cheese that day (since the milk was going to feed the kids) Sophie and I decided we had to go anyway. So this is not a video about food or cooking. (just warning you)
If you’d like more information about this goat farm you can see this post. And for some recipes using their amazing goat cheese you can go here and here. And if you’d like to join me for a day at the farm, see my day trips.
Or. You can just sit back and watch some baby goats. Because, really, that’s what you want to do be doing 24/7, right?
And don’t worry. I”ll be back with a non-entertaining, non-marketing-driven blog post next week. Promise.
filmed at
I enjoy the videos, especially when they’re of worthy subjects like baby farm animals.
I don’t suppose it would ever be possible to add subtitles to some of them?
You mean translate goat to english?
Well, according to this website (http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/personal/dabbott/animal.html), since they’re Italian goats, they’re saying “bee”, so that might be useful too.
Your blog is fabulous no matter what you are posting, whether it is a recipe, newsletter or video. Everything I view that you post takes me away to a great escape for a few minutes of my day. Can’t wait to show my daughter these adorable goats. Don’t let the criticism get to you!
I love your blog – writing, recipes, photos and videos. I look forward to the next one. Love the baby goats – how many did you take home?
Sophie slipped three under her jacket.
Perhaps Elizabeth you have not received more scathing comments, because you do not receive negative albeit constructive remarks in a positive way, so perhaps people who follow you are afraid of your wrath, albeit a disgused wrath….I once asked you to also put your weights into grams and kilos, but you responded to me that you figure that everyone has a cup measure…I do have a cup and teaspoon measure, but I have lived in Italy for over 35 yrs and I find using grams and kilos much more accurate than the other system…but honestly Elizabeth, you just blew me off….NB: most of the recipes in the NYTimes also include grams and kilograms, as does my old Fanny Farmer cookbook….so that is what I think….
Anne, I’m so sorry to hear you describe my response to any comment as disguised wrath. What you are describing is so not how I ever respond to people, that I had a hard time understanding what you were referring to. I would never just blow people off, nor would I assume everyone has a cup measurement. So I went back to look for our original exchange, because I felt horrible that you thought I had responded harshly. I found the comment here:
http://www.elizabethminchilli.com/2013/08/chickpea-zucchini-soup/
On August 20 2013 you asked me why I didn’t put grams and kilos in my recipes.
I responded to you that I tried to, when referring to quantities like pasta, but with other ingredients I admitted that using cups was my lazy way to approximate ingredients.
I’m not sure how I just blew you off? You asked me why I did a certain thing, and I responded honestly, admitting it was my failing. And I realize that it would be helpful to others and in fact now do put metric measurements when I can. But I don’t think you can refer to my response as ‘disguised wrath’. Wrath? Really? About measurements?
My question is why, if someone is “afraid of your wrath” would they continue to follow you?
Besides, in my opinion, you are always gracious in your replies and seem to anticipate your readers’ questions before asked. And the blog is fantastic – whether a video, a review of a restaurant or a recipe. In fact, I have several of your recipes in constant rotation.
Thanks for what you do.
Yeah….hard to work in the words ‘wrath’ and ‘baby goats’ into the same post, right? Thanks for your words of support!
Dear Elizabeth, thank you for your blog. I am looking forward for your recipes and articles. Cooked by your instructions and Cabbage soup is my favourite!! Grazie Mille!!! Tatiana. Canada
Glad to hear the Cabbage Soup turned out well!
I enjoy all of your videos and drop everything to watch them. They are always fun and upbeat and a perfect slice of enviable Italian life! They make me happy, as I suspect they do for everyone who savors them! As for recipes, I can extract enough from the videos or your narrative to figure them out. For example: Casio e Pepe…pecorino, hot water and pepper. Simple and perfect!
James and I learn so much by watching. Your videos are superb with a good dash of humor built in. (with music and subtitles). After watching one of your cooking videos, we find we must immediately make whatever it was you (or a guest cook )prepared, carbonara for instance. The sound of a fork scratching the pan while stirring pasta at Taverna or seeing all of those eggs being broken into that tiny pan for frittata was fun to watch, kinda like being there.
And today, the farm with the baby goats, so delightful. How can anyone not have a big smile on their face while watching them. We miss Umbria. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Elizabeth! So happy to hear you enjoy – and are inspired by – the videos. You’ll be in Umbria soon enough!
I wouldn’t worry. You can only so much. Readers should be at least a little more self-sufficient and resourceful than baby goats.
My Dear Elizabeth, please continue on in your merry way, I look forward to your writings an videos.
I have no problem copying recipes suggested by you or others. I appreciate the effort, weather in g. or oz
as my laptop converts with little or no effort.
Wow Elizabeth! That was some blog! Feeding the goats was terrific for a city girl and the original “comment” was surprising but Anne’s was hard to understand. Using wrath and Elizabeth in the same sentence just doesn’t compute. I really liked your description of how you have developed your various crafts. You are a fine writer and your photography skills contribute greatly to your blog! In conclusion, you’re great! xox
Kathy, you’re making me blush! (you’re great too, by the way)
Enjoy ALL your post Elizabeth. Must have bee a full moon that day for that persons remarks!
I love your videos — fun as well as informative.
I’m puzzled by some of the goat video. Not that they are astoundingly cute. No. You mention that the farm wasn’t making cheese because they had no milk. But they were feeding the kids steaming milk on the video, which implies mama goats in milk somewhere in the background. Wouldn’t this be the prime time to be taking milk for cheese? If this is so, why not eliminate the middleman and let the kids take their milk from their moms?
Sorry, I should have explained more carefully what you were seeing. The milk you see is indeed the Mother’s milk. The goats are milked, then the milk is pasteurized. This is to prevent certain diseases from being passed on from mother to baby. They are also trying to wean the baby goats as fast as possible, and that is easier when they are bottle fed.
Well…you know what they say Elizabeth…you can’t please everyone…I have never found a problem printing a I want to make and I think the videos are enjoyable…and after all, those of us with blogs have to keep up with trying to keep our readers interested and engaged (so ya…marketing.). Sour grapes from the lady about the measurements…but then I guess I could complain to the authors of the English or European cookbooks I have because I, like you, use cups and tablespoons…you have a great attitude…so don’t let a few Negative Nellies get to you. Keep up the good work and good words!
Wrath, you ? I’ve read, watched and listened to you for ages, and wrath isn’t a word I’d ever connect to your name.
You’re a fun, happy, loving gal who enjoys her life, amd those in it.
If anyone is unhappy, don’t read the blog, and don’t try to kill our enjoyment.
I adores the goats and you Elizabeth…..thanks you for our grins and happy tummies.
Ciao bella
Cynthia
under 60+ inches of snow!
60 inches? Are you in Boston? Digging out my care during college in Boston, now that was wrath inducing.
I am new to your blog, which I have been enjoying. However in your story about baby goats, there are quite a few instances of words left out, and in one paragraph you state that the goat farm produces some of the best most beautiful cheeses, and then in the next sentence, you say “even though they don’t make cheese”. ???
I would suggest that you proof read your articles more carefully. Maybe it’s just me, but I get annoyed reading things with poor spelling, grammar etc. I guess you were asking for it when you said you never get negative comments. Sorry! I really had no intention of writing you a negative comment, and love your photos of the adorable goats. And I do enjoy your blog, it’s my way of traveling vicariously.
Thanks, I always appreciate corrections to spelling and try to fix them right away. And actually depend on the kindness of strangers for this. I’m not sure if you’ve ever written for living, but one problem is that it is very difficult to proof your own work. The brain works in funny ways, and even if you read something over and over and over again, your brain often converts it back into what you think it should say. This not only affects spelling and grammar, but also content and left out meaning and words.
And then, of course, there is the time factor. Just not enough time to do everything I’d like (books, blog, apps, tours, videos, family, life). I guess I could cut my posts down to twice a week, instead of three. But somehow that just makes me sad, to think of going backwards. So I forge ahead, knowing that I don’t have enough time to do everything (proofing for the 5th time for example) rather than just not do it.
You are a writer AND a storyteller, which is a dynamic combination. Your love of cooking, travel, adventure, Rome and Italy shines in every post. Thank you for sharing la bella vita!
I think the videos you make are wonderful, I feel more connected to you and Italy when I watch them. Photographs are fine but a video has more substance for me. You could just film the view from your Todi house for hours and I would watch, maybe I am giving away my stalker side, Ha ha!! Please keep the videos coming!! xo
I adore the videos – especially when it shows technique as with the Cacio e Pepe – a bit of an obsession of mine, so having the video is invaluable.
Same with the ladies making orecchiette – seeing how they press the dough with a knife is definitely a case of a picture worth a 1000 words.
Plus they’re a lot of fun. And beautifully done.
My only wish is to know the music so I could seek it out.
The music is by Gigi Stok,and Italian accordian player. Fabulous, right?
Thank you so much for such a beautiful video of these baby goats! It put a big smile on my face….
I keep watching it over and over. And smiling too!
To be honest, I don’t love the videos, but only because I prefer reading to watching. I’d take a book over a movie almost any day! But today, I opened your post with my three kids sitting next to me, and of course we had to look at the baby goats. I’m glad we did, too. I was very pleased to see that they seem well taken care of, and now I’ll be following your links through to where the milk goes for the cheese. (I also was a bit confused about the lack of cheese on the farm, but I figured it out myself – no biggie.)
Don’t worry about writing vs. video-ing vs. interpretive dance, if that’s what you want to do next! : ) Keep doing what you love, and it will follow that people will love what you do. In fact, they already do!
And if I’m perfectly honest, I do look at some of the videos because I want to see how certain things are made…
Thanks for your feedback! Very glad your kids liked my kids. And I realize the whole cheese thing was confusing. Which is what comments were created for I think. (thank god!) And very happy to hear you watch the videos to see how things are actually made. That is about 80% of why I make the videos, to provide instruction (albeit entertaining instruction) for technique.
I can’t help but wonder why someone that is afraid of your “wrath” would continue to follow you? Also – in my opinion, if someone has a correction to your spelling, grammar, etc it is much kinder to send you a private email than to “reply all” for everyone to see it. And you are correct, it is VERY difficult to catch your own typos.
Your blog – in all its forms, whether a recipe, a video or an article, is fabulous. There are now quite a few of your recipes in my standard cooking rotation and I always look forward to escaping to your Italy when I read your posts. Thank you for what you do.
Elizabeth – if possible, I would prefer that my whole name not appear in the comment i posted. Can it be changed to just “Teri”?
Thanks.
I’d love to help you, and change your name, but I am pretty sure it’s on the settings on your end, for how you appear? But let me double check.
Hi Teri , it must have to do with something at your end, since on one comment your full name appears and on another just Teri. I checked, and I have no control over how your name appears.
Hi Elizabeth!
My name is Marzia…or Marcia to my American friends and family. I’ve since returned to Italy, but I grew up in Upstate New York. And though I’m vegetarian… I absolutely love your blog! So… I found a few of the comments in this post… well… interesting to say the least….
I know I’m a little late… but… I felt the “need” to weigh in.
1) You’re reading a blog… it’s supposed to be fun! If you’re looking for heavy… go read a medical journal…
2) The grammar…. Did I get the gist… Yes? Then who gives a hoot! No? There’s a polite way to ask for clarification… I learned that in elementary school…
3) “Constructive remarks”… are supposed to be constructive… not hurtful… otherwise they’re not constructive….
4) Weights and measurements…. If you’re reading a blog…. You’ve obviously got internet… so Google! Amazon… it’s a great place to find: scales that convert weights, as wells as cup and spoon measurement utensils… Or… drive yourself to the nearest Ikea… they also have them. Otherwise…. http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking/ Did you think I threw out all my American recipes?!
5) Videos…. Now… I love me my beautiful cookbooks… the pictures….the stories behind the recipes… But… let’s be honest… how many times have we been in the middle of a recipe and thought “Why haven’t they put a DVD in this book… how in the HELL am I supposed to be crimping this stupid ravioli?!?!?!”…. It’s 2015… I kept all the little notes my dad wrote…but how I’d love to have a video of him…. If you don’t like the videos… don’t push play….
In culo alla balena per la tua Sophie… e per la sua nuova avventura!
Keep them coming Elizabeth… your posts brighten my day!
Oh…and…scuse the grammar… My brain takes a few minutes to go from English mode to Italian mode and back to English ; )
Nice video, would you please give us the name of the farm and any way to contact them? Thank you
Thank you. Their contact is linked many times throughout the post.