I always considered blogging to be a win-win-win proposition. For the writer/blogger, you (or I) get to write whatever you (or I) want to write about without having to clear it through a publisher. For the reader, you get information, recipes, travel tips, or whatever it is that you're looking for in a blog. And for businesses featured on the blog, they get exposure.

When I moved to Paris, I was hoping to write for magazines about Paris pastries but most wanted stories about well-known places - like Ladurée and Pierre Hermé. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing not to like about either one of them, but they both get plenty of press, whereas smaller bakeries and pastry shops have a harder time getting a shout-out.

So I was, and am, happy to write about places that might be under-the-radar, like En Vrac, where wine is served "in bulk" from stainless steel tanks, Merguez & Pastrami, a French take on the delicatessen (a word whose roots are in France), and Glaces Glazed, where a French ice cream maker "goes rogue," churning out a dazzling array of flavors that are unconventional, but are pretty great - and worthy of a trip, whether you're a local or just visiting.

I often tell people that blogging, or writing about food (and travel), is about giving. Sure, you may be doing it for a living, but you always should be thinking of the reader first: How you can help the reader? It might be helping them find a good restaurant, bakery or chocolate shop, or it may be letting them know where there is a cookware shop in that specializes in baking supplies. Or an outdoor market, where they can spend Sunday morning shopping for amazing French cheeses, charcuterie, breads, and roast chickens.

btw: What's funny about that post (linked just above) is that I wrote it in 2006, and although the market is still relatively the same, my photos and stories have improved a lot since then! Which is a crisis (or sickness) amongst bloggers - the desire to update old posts.

The other day I saw a promo piece on tv about fashion bloggers that were jetting around the world, showing off their gorgeous clothes and modeling them on Instagram. I'm all for people doing what they love, but it seemed like the stakes for them were to get stuff. (And to take selfies to post online.) I'm guilty of a few selfies as well (and once in a while, I do get something), but I think most of my readers would rather see croissants and baguettes, than my mug all over the place. Even if I get a loaf of bread to take away after a bakery visit, or get invited to a beer-tasting, which I did, even though I'm not a beer drinker, but I wanted to learn more about it, it's because I think or hope it'll be interesting for people to read about.

Blogging has certainly changed over the past 10-15 years, and it's interesting to see why people are getting into it today, and what they are getting out of it. For me, I value the wonderful feedback from readers, and recently, I got two of the most loveliest, most endearing, heartfelt thanks from people I featured on my blog. Both were small business owners in Paris, where owning a small business can be a challenge. They thanked me profusely for featuring them, and directing people to their shops. Both were places off the tourist routes (I get a lot of people asking for out-of-the-ordinary addresses) and am happy to oblige when I can.

Not everyone wants to trek up to Montmartre for a cup of coffee, or to the 20th for a block of raw milk butter, but for those of you who do, I'm happy to point you in those directions.

Speaking of directions, last month I took a quick trip westward to Normandy, to visit Mont Saint-Michel, and Mauviel copper cookware factory (just above), that was an incredible experience I shared on my blog. You don't have to make the trek there to get it (although they do have a factory outlet store - I'm just sayin'...) but I thought it'd be fun for readers to get a peek behind-the-scenes, even if you're just following from home.

- David

Coming up soon on my blog is the bear's garlic pesto recipe, shown just above - keep an eye out for it!

- dl