Ever wonder what other foodies are thinking?  Me too!

1. What is the name of your blog?  FreeFoodBoston

2. Could you describe your blog in one sentence?  Eating and traveling in the northeast and beyond.

3. How did you get into food blogging?  I really developed my foodiness in late high school and college. I loved seeking out new places and trying them for myself. I’d then enthusiastically recommend my favorite places to other people. I became somewhat of a resource to my friends for food and restaurant knowledge. I reviewed a lot of places on Yelp for a few years until I realized that I could better convey my food experiences and recommendations on a food blog. It took some time but I finally started it in May of 2010.

4. What’s the toughest part of writing about food?  Overall I don’t find it too tough, because talking about a restaurant or a food I like is something I really enjoy, but definitely finding the words to describe how a food tastes without sounding too general or cliche. But I also don’t beat myself up about it. “Delicious” doesn’t really say much and it’s nice to convey what exactly about the food was so pleasing. But that’s not always easy and sometimes I’m fine just telling my readers, I ate this and I just really liked it.

5. What’s been your favorite food moment?  I’d like to say it’s some moment that I could reference on the blog, but it would be my entire stay in Italy in 2008. Food for me is so much about the entire experience. The setting and the people you’re with combined with the actual food make for the best food moments. In the fall of 2008, I interned for three months on a farm and hotel (also known as agriturismo) in Siena, Italy. I will always remember the very first meal that we were served there. My fellow interns and I arrived after 15 some odd hours of traveling and we were hot, sweaty, tired and smelly. We were led out to the a scenic patio where the interns and hotel guests eat dinner in the warmer months. We took seats at the tables and were served heaping platters of pasta puttanesca. Wide, perfectly al dente noodles topped with a succulent, chunky sauce of tomatoes, onions and kalamata olives. It was divine. I loved and remember clearly so many other meals I had in Italy, first, because the food itself was fabulous, but also because each is associated with memories of new and interesting people and beautiful settings.

6. Do you have a top restaurant? If so, what’s the name and is there an item you generally order?  I’m terrible at picking just one. For Boston fine dining, Oleana is pretty high up there. They manage to consistently wow me with their inventive dishes and flawless execution.

7. What’s one U.S. city you’d travel to just for the food? Either Austin or Seattle. I have not been to either and both are teeming with great restaurants, food shops and markets. I would love to go to Pike Place.

8. Is there a food you absolutely despise?  Possibly capers. I find their flavor positively offensive. I realized I disliked them when my dad would sometimes add them to homemade tomato sauces. I would be take a bite and the sauce would be lovely until I bit into a caper and I would grimace and wonder what that awful flavor was.

9. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever eaten?  I’m having a hard time thinking of the craziest. For me, craziest might be the sheer amount I have eaten on some occasions. For example, half to three quarters of a full-sized cake in one day. I distinctly remember that occasion. When it comes to sweets, my stomach quite literally is bottomless.

10. Are you more likely to stick with what you know, or do you try something new each time?  I’d have to say it’s pretty 50/50. I love trying new places but sometimes I just crave something I know and like.