Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Tell me how you feel...

I visited Vegan Dad's blog today.  He is ever an inspiration of vegan homecooked deliciousness!  I am nowhere near his level of genius, but perhaps someday I will achieve it.  :)

In his latest focaccia post, he touched very briefly on a subject that I have been mulling over in my mind for some time now.  I left him this comment regarding my concerns.  And if you feel so inclined, will you read it, as well?  Let me know what you think.  Cause I'd never want to hurt anyones feelings...

"As always, your food and your photos are wonderful!

I also think its wonderful that you don't type out all the specifics about the recipes of others.  It is a very respectful act, and I like that!  We can always go and get the book at the library or bookstore and look at the original.  Or hop over to somebody's website!

While reading your blog and others, I have thought about my own recipe posts and wondered if I have done anything that shows unkindness toward anyone.  I often take inspiration from another's recipe and change and alter it a little here and a little there, and then it seems to become my own creation.  So I often post an entire recipe out on my blog.  But I always give references and links back to those who inspired my meal.  Is this wrong?

When I started my food blog last Spring, I never really thought about others reading it.  I was just keeping track of my own favorites.  So entirely typing them out didn't seem to matter.  But my aim has evolved, and now I do have a small gathering of readers.  I am concerned that mayhaps my methods show disrespect to those who I mean to admire...

I guess I am just trying to say that I am grateful that you have integrity and respect for other chefs and their hard work.  I want to be sure and do the same as you.  Thank you for helping me think through things today!"
 


(I forgot to mention that I take all my own pictures.  And for the 1% of the time that I don't, I make note of it.) 

Thanks again, blog pals, for reading about my concerns.  If you want, tell me how you feel...

8 comments:

crunchyveganwifelife said...

That was really sweet Valerie!!!

dirtyduck said...

totally with ya

Nathan said...

I agree, I think you should mention the source and the tweeks that you make, and not list the entire recipe. If the recipe was from a cookbook, mention the cookbook and author, but don't post the recipe. That seems the way to go.

I don't know if I've always done that, (I don't really blog anymore) but that's how I feel.

I'm glad to have discovered your blog!

Anonymous said...

Nicley said, Valerie. Whenever I post a recipe, it is either my own or a variation of one I've tried, always linking back, always giving credit where credit is due. Like yourself, my blog was started as a parking place for my recipes so I would have a place to go and find them. That's still what it is, but with the added bonus of people finding it and reading it. I always hope that I post something thought-provoking for those who do stumble upon it and stick around for future entries and I always hope that no one finds anything offensive in what I write and finds someone else's blog, book or website in the meantime because I've linked to it. Giving credit where credit is due is something I have always advocated and I am happy to see you follow the same policy. :o)

Emiline said...

Dude. Awesome post. I think you do it well. If I borrow a recipe or tweak something from someone, I try to show where I got it from - but link to them, not give their recipe, because I usually mess up the original... most always a recipe is tweaked before it hits my table.

HiHoRosie said...

I think it's expected one will tweak a recipe to fit their own tastes so being inspired by another and giving the author props I think is awesome! Most people are honored/flattered that they were an inspiration in some way. I agree that one shouldn't post the recipe unless it's permitted or I've seen popular/respectable foodies mention the ingredients but not the amounts or other details needed as another way to respect the creator. Great post!

radioactivegan said...

I agree with you whole-heartedly about posting other people's recipes. I would definitely never post a recipe from a cookbook, but I sometimes worry about just linking to recipes on other blogs because I know that those things get taken down so easily. I try to strike a balance between giving people a lot of links to get to the original blog post and posting the recipe with my own modifications included in case the source gets removed. It's hard to know where the line is.

Vegan Valerie said...

Thank you, EACH of you, for contributing your heart-felt thoughts about how to ethically blog recipes, photos, etc. It's given me a lot to think about.

Specifically, I believe I will refrain from posting any recipes from the pages of a cookbook.

But Radioactive Vegan, you bring up a valid point about how merely linking to somebody else' web address may not be adequate enough a solution, only because people often put up and take down blog information all the time and thus, the original recipe may be lost in the shuffle.

Perhaps the most basic answer to all of this is just to ask the recipe creator for permission to reprint and/or link back to their work? If their answer is yes, we're good to go! If not, than we respect their wishes and move on.

Can it really be that simple?