If you want two more reasons why the dinosaurs known as Old Media are going extinct, you can just look at the Post‘s and the City Paper‘s online food coverage. For years, both papers were mostly satisfied to republish their print material on the Web —- with, perhaps, an online slide show! —- and call it a day. It was only late last year that we at Young & Hungry launched a blog.
But, hey, at least we beat the Post. The paper’s crack Food section just debuted its own blog…today.
The All Eat Can Eat blog came out of the gate strong, however. It featured a Q&A with Spike Mendelsohn about his new Web TV cooking show, a witty take on the Scan It! device at Giant supermarkets, and the First Garden’s First Supper, among other items.
Y&H asked editor Joe Yonan if he’d take a few e-mail questions about the blog. Our Q&A is after the jump.
How will you differentiate the All We Can Eat (AWCE) blog from the Going Out Gurus (GOG) blog?
A: From the what? Just kidding. I love the GOG blog. The way we see it, GOG is about GO. In fact, it’s a G to GO. AWCE, then, is about SI (staying in). Plus food policy/politics, shopping, food/web culture, product craziness, that sort of stuff. Pretty much everything food—-related except dining out.
How many times will you and your team post a day?
A: We’re aiming for at least three or four posts a day. Time will tell if we’re able to keep it up.
Will the blog be edited or just be a lawless free-for-all like the Y&H blog?
A: As much as I appreciate lawless free-for-alls (I am from the Wild Wild West, you know), I am proud to say that it will indeed be edited. By me. Which is why I’m not sleeping. Oh, to be young and hungry again. (Although, seriously, when was the last time you were young OR actually hungry, at least for very long? You eat a ton.)
Will Tom Sietsema’s items move over to the AWCE blog or stay at the GOG blog?
A: See answer #1. They’ll stay at GOG, unless I can get him to write about his cooking exploits, which is an intriguing possibility. Wouldn’t you want to read about that?
How does Kim O’Donnel’s A Mighty Appetite blog figure into the new blog, if at all? Will it remain separate or go away completely?
A: I think AYCE [sic] and MA are going to work well together — but they’ll be separate. I want Kim to keep writing her breezy, longer once-daily posts, which have a strong following, while we are a little (OK, maybe a lot) more hodge-podge during the day. The rhythms can play off each other, I think. And we’re planning ways to intersect from time to time.
How the hell do you find the blog on the Post Web site?
A: Uh-oh. This can sometimes be an issue with a publication that has so many blogs, but there are several ways, actually. From the home page, there’s a “Blog Directory” link (main middle column, scroll down halfway and look for “News Columns and Blogs”). In the directory, we’re the second one listed, right after Kim’s. (Here’s to having a blog name that starts with “A” under “Arts and Living.”) We can also be found under the “Latest Posts” dropdown, from a site search (just type “All We Can Eat” into that main search window on the home page), or of course from the Food page (www.washingtonpost.com/food), right above the main art.
I will still scoop you at every opportunity! (OK, that’s not a question, but just a nervous reaction to yet another blog muscling in on my turf.)
A: You scare me. Seriously, this would be why I’m not sleeping. Although we did scoop you on that White House first meal, didn’t we?