Name: Emily Wight
Blog name: Well fed, flat broke
Where were you born? I was born in Maple Ridge but grew up in Surrey.
Where are you living now? Vancouver, BC
Why did you start your blog?
I had just finished my BFA in creative writing at UBC, where after several years of producing regular creative work in three genres, I suddenly found myself without deadlines or anything to write about. A food blog seemed like a logical step back into writing regularly, since I’d be eating (and most likely cooking) every day anyway. At first it was a way to keep writing regularly and not fall out of the habit; over time, food and writing sort of tied themselves together as a single creative outlet. A plate of food and a few hundred words are equal to me in terms of their ability to tell a story.
How did you decide on your blog name?
Well, that part wasn’t all that creative. I was broke all the time – my rent was already half my income and then suddenly I had to start paying my student loans. But knowing how to cook has meant that even in the bleakest of times, we’ve had a good meal in front of us and another to look forward to.
What do you blog about?
Food, life, parenting, work … the usual stuff, I guess. I sometimes feel like I’m the busiest person in the world, and that seems to be a theme in most of my work, at least this past year or so. I have a three-year-old, a career that demands a lot of my creative energy, and I recently wrote a book, so I feel like I haven’t been blogging much at all, though I’ve been trying to get back into it since the book is done and I have a little more free time.
What post on your blog most encapsulates you?
This one: Sleepy Tea.
Basically I’m exhausted all the time and the tiny naked person who follows me around my apartment has not stopped talking (even in his sleep) for the past 14 months.
Which post do you wish received more love and why?
This one: Coconut Caramel Pound Cake
Only my mother-in-law commented on it! I thought that recipe was gold. It was super good and I ate two thirds of that cake all by myself. 2014 was … broadening.
Which post’s success surprised you and why?
I think I thought people would make fun of my shitty choice in cocktails but this one (Shameful Sangria) still gets a fair amount of traffic, even now. Bring me your tired, your lazy, your desperately in need of a drink!
What’s your biggest challenge as a blogger?
These days, time. I still cook, and post most of my meals to Instagram, but the writing has kind of fallen off lately. I’ve just started writing a food column for Mommyish as well, and am starting to think ahead to what kind of book I’d like to write next, and in all of the chaos of everyday and everything else, the blog doesn’t get as much attention as it used to. Which is sad, because it’s the one place where I get to write however I want. I’m hoping to get back there more often.
Share a couple of your favourite food blogs to read. Why do you like them?
Poor Man's Feast and Casa Yellow
I feel like a bad food blogger, because when it comes to blogs and bloggers I love, I don’t care about pictures or even the recipes. I just want to read beautiful writing. These two blogs are simple and gorgeous and lush in that way that only simple things can be; the writing is often spectacular.
Favourite food - care to share a recipe or a restaurant destination?
Pho. All day every day. I go to Pho Linh (Broadway and Scotia) a lot because it is close to my apartment but also because I have gotten to know the woman who does the cooking. Again with the stories, but to me her soup tastes better to me because I know how long she simmers the bones for, and that she simmers her broth longer because she doesn’t add anything extra (“like those other places,” she says), and I know that she’s up until 4:00 a.m. on Saturday rolling spring rolls after the restaurant closes on Friday. She’s delightful, and so, by extension, her soup is the best. I eat pho almost every Friday night, and then also maybe once or twice more per week. Don’t go there on Fridays, I don’t want to have to wait.
What are you working on next for your blog?
I don’t know, actually. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I think I need to start taking a different approach. Not sure what that means yet, but I need a new challenge. The blog itself isn’t going anywhere, but it needs to grow with me … and I’m currently stumped! I need to learn something new, I guess. Right now I’ve been playing with fermentation and offal (separately), but not finding a lot of inspiration there. Maybe I just need a vacation. Or maybe I should finally learn to take attractive photos? I don’t know. Please send me plane tickets or photography tips.
What else should we know about you that may or not be in your “About Me” page?
I’m basically your grandmother, in that I’m obsessed with flyers and discounts and getting the best possible deal on every single thing, and in that I genuinely care about how much fibre you’re eating. I’m basically MY grandmother, in that I can’t stop saying inappropriate things in my outdoor voice and my personal style is all about comfort and glitter. I’m 32, going on 86. Also I have a book coming out in April! Please buy my book.
***editor's note: Emily does indeed have a book coming out and we're very excited to be giving a copy away!
What makes your blog unique?
It’s a work of love and carelessness. Because I work in communications, much of my day is spent caring about things like web analytics and click rates and search engine optimization, so my blog is a place where I can just write about whatever I feel like writing about without having to bother with the things that matter at work. My blog is like my apartment, really. I just want it to be a comfortable place that people like to visit; it’s not beautifully decorated, and occasionally there’s a weird smell coming from the garbage disposal, but it’s welcoming and there’s a cat.
What’s your Favourite FBC Feature?
I Am a Food Blog - was excited to find this one 🙂
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I love the comment about great blog writing. I couldn’t agree more. Fabulous pictures are great but a good read is the real find.
My favorite thrifty dish to make a home is a simple pasta with roasted tomatoes and little cheese as the sauce.