Food Blogger Spotlight: Exclusive Interview with Foodwanderer

Growing up I always had an interest in food and sharing delicious foods with others. As I was scrolling through Instagram, I always thought of how I could share my delicious finds with other people if I started a food blog. Also being a creative person, I’ve always had an interest in photography. Taking my interest in photography, food blogging started out as something to do on the side for fun. Only in the last few years, I decided to put some more effort into food blogging and try to grow as a blogger. Food blogging has also become an outlet for me to share and connect with others in the food community.

What kinds of foods did you grow up eating?

Growing up I mostly ate Asian food, specifically Chinese food and occasionally some American food. On weekdays, my mom would cook Chinese dishes for dinner and on the weekends, my dad would cook American dishes for dinner. Some of my favorite dishes growing up and still are today is black bean sparerib rice clay pots, salt and pepper shrimps, combination pork bánh mìs, and California rolls. 

Favorite snack growing up? Favorite snack now?

My favorite snack growing up had to be those Gilco Pretz Salad Baked Snack Sticks. I was always addicted to these, I wouldn’t be able to stop eating them whenever we bought them from the grocery store! Honestly, I’m a big snacker, my favorite snacks always depend on what I’m craving whether it’s something sweet, savory, or spicy. My current favorite snack at this moment is senbei, I always make sure to stock up on them every time I visit a Japanese grocery store.

What’s your favorite thing about being a foodie blogger?

My favorite part of being a food blogger is to be able to share new kinds of food and drinks with the foodie community. Another favorite thing is being able to be a part of such a supportive community as we continue our journey to share delicious content and be on the lookout for places to try.

What do you dislike about being a foodie blogger?

The one thing I dislike about being a food blogger is there are always people who are judging you when they see you taking pictures of your food. I’ve learned over time to just ignore those stares and comments. 

What are some interesting things you learned through the process of blogging about food?

I learned how to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to trying new foods, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Another is, I learned that there is a lot more that goes into the process of posting a photo. You need to set time aside to take photos, edit photos, and create a caption for the post. 

What’s one of your favorite foods and drinks you’ve posted on?

This one is a hard one, my favorite food has to be the Kushi Dango from Kissako Tea in San Francisco's Japantown. They make a perfect snack and they also look just like the emoji! My favorite drink we’ve posted so far is the Brown Sugar Boba Milk from Xin Fu Tang in Taipei, Taiwan. That was my very first cup of boba that I got to try when I first arrived in Taipei. I also really miss their boba and wished that there was one closer to me! 

When did your IG start to gain more attention from people? And what do you think triggered it?

I believe it started at the beginning of the pandemic when people turned to social media as an outlet during shelter in place. 

What inspired your style of posting content on your IG?

Natural lighting, I always try my best to shoot with natural lighting. Lighting is everything, it really helps with the quality and tones of a photo. Since I’m not a professional photographer, I look to other food bloggers on Instagram for composition inspirations. Always trying to learn what’s the best way to photograph a food/drink item. 

We love your work! How do you plan for food/drink photoshoots? What kind of equipment do you use?

Whether we are taking photos of food or drinks, I plan around the weather and the time of day. I love to use natural lighting for our photos, although this could be challenging especially during the fall and winter seasons when the sun sets earlier.

For a majority of our photos, I use my iPhone 11 Pro. We also shoot with a Samsung Galaxy S10. Occasionally I will bring out my Nikon D3100 to shoot photos. I mainly use my DSLR when I’m at home since it's quite heavy to carry around with me for daily use. When shooting with a DSLR, I shoot in RAW and edit my photos in Lightroom. For photos taken on my phone, I usually edit them in either VSCO or Lightroom.

What is your full-time job?

When I’m not taking pictures of food/drinks, I work full-time as a Designer in tech. I work closely with the marketing team and support them with any design requests.  

What does a typical day look like for you?

My typical day during the week starts around 9am. Due to the pandemic, I currently work from home. I’ll get up and get ready, turn on my laptop to check my email and slack to see if there are any messages, make myself a cup of green tea, then I’ll start my day. Usually, during my lunch break or break time, I find some time to post content and engage on Instagram. On a good day, my workday usually ends around 5pm–5:30pm. After work, I usually spend some time relaxing before preparing dinner. After dinner, I use the remainder of my time relaxing, planning out content for the week, and catching up on Korean dramas before it’s time for bed. 

What are some challenges you encountered to get to where you are at today (as a food blogger with 3k followers)?

We haven’t faced too many challenges while running our food blog. There are moments where I have to tell myself to not spend so much time planning out content and the amount of time I spend on social media. We all know how easy it is to get distracted by social media and lose track of time. 

What is your long term goal with food blogging?

I would like to challenge myself with some more home-cooked dishes and continue to support as many local small businesses near me. 

Any advice for people who want to start a food blog?

My only advice is to have fun with it! Don’t care too much about your follower count/engagement since it can make you lose sight of what the purpose of the food blog is about. Along your journey, you’ll be able to connect with some amazing foodies.