Tag Archives: christina soong-kroeger

  • The Hungry Australian turns 2!

    The Hungry Australian recently celebrated its second birthday. So here are some of my favourite photographs I’ve blogged over the last year.

    Willunga Farmers Market, McLaren Vale

    It’s hard to explain everything The Hungry Australian means to me and how it’s changed my life. But I’m going to give it a go.

    Bellini Sorbet

    I began this blog in mid 2011 with a post about my dad’s Chinese sausage omelette after my dear friend Kerina suggested it. At the time I had recently moved back to my home town of Adelaide, following a stint in Melbourne as a SAHM which in turn followed a successful overseas career.

    CQ8uhN on Make A Gif, Animated Gifs
    I was also a freelance writer — I had my first piece published in 1994 — but back in 2011 I wasn’t finishing anything because I had lost my confidence. So I saw blogging as a way of dipping my toes back into my writing again – it would be an outlet where I could safely practise my craft until I was brave enough to jump back into the deep end.

    Foraging for cockles + 4 cockle recipes

    I didn’t realise that a blog can be a deep end in itself.

    Grilled Figs with Vanilla Ice Cream and Strawberry Sauce

    Fast-forward to two years later and my blog has helped create a new career for me as a consultant, freelance writer, recipe developer, food photographer and stylist. Just try fitting that onto a business card! What began organically through my blog with companies contacting me to do work for them is now my full-time gig.

      A lovely afternoon tea - The Hungry Australian

    Blogging has meant that I can work flexibly from home while my kids are small, which is basically my ideal setup. It’s meant that when my husband and I separated last year and I had to get a job after being a SAHM for so many years, the tools and skills to do so were already at my fingertips.

    The Breakfast Rave, Barossa Valley

    The Hungry Australian has taken me to places I never dreamed I’d go. It’s meant I’ve been invited to be part of some incredible food experiences in Adelaide, interstate and overseas. Last year, it led me to start up the Adelaide Food Bloggers Group and to co-chair Eat Drink Blog 3, the third Australian Food Bloggers Conference. Earlier this year, I was also invited to join the Servved network, sitting alongside some extraordinary bloggers who I’ve admired for years.

    Delicious Power Crackles

    Blogging has also brought all sorts of amazing people into my life. People I used to only read about or cyber-stalk (in a non-creepy way) are now friends and colleagues. Some I chat to online but I’ve never met in person, some I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy meals and experiences with, and some have become close and treasured friends. If you’re one of these people — and you know who you are — I am so glad to have you in my life.

    J's Chocolate Cake (dairy and egg free)

    Along the way The Hungry Australian has been honoured with all kinds of recognition. I was especially thrilled to be a finalist in the Best Australian Blogs 2013 competition earlier this year and to win the Outstanding Use of Photography award for my post Exploring Dubai: Spices, Diamonds, Gold, Fruit & Vegetables – see photograph below.

    Exploring Dubai - spices, diamonds, gold, fruit & vegetables

    The Hungry Australian is a work in progress – I’m still finding my feet and working out what kind of blogger I want to be and what kind of things I like to blog about. And I’m not always as regular as I’d like to be with posting content and engaging with readers because of my work and family commitments.

    Bruscetta with Quail Eggs, Truffle & Asparagus

    However I do read every comment left and I do feel a warm glow inside every time you share my work. I really love hearing from you, too – I especially enjoy it when you respond with your own stories and experiences because it’s like a little window back into your world.

    photo-53

    I am just so grateful for everything that has happened because of this blog. I could never have predicted any of this and I guess that’s what makes it all so exciting.

    As to what the future holds, well, I have a few ideas. Which idea I’ll eventually decide on is still up for debate. But I can promise you it’s going to be fun. And there will definitely be food – lots of food. So I do hope you’ll continue to come along for the ride.

    Thanks for reading.

    Christina xx

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  • The Hungry Australian on the ABC Foodi App for Ipad

    Yesterday I received a long-awaited email from the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) informing me that their updated Foodi app for Ipad is now available for download from the Apple store.

    Why am I so excited? Well, because three of my recipes from The Hungry Australian appear on the Foodi app, alongside recipes by chefs like Maggie Beer, Simon Bryant, Matt Moran, Bill Granger and Poh Ling Yeow!

    *pinches self*

    I don’t know how I’ve managed to kept quiet about this for so long. I was approached by a producer at the ABC way back in February and it’s been a long six months waiting to see the final result.

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  • A new gig, a new look and a new direction

    When I started The Hungry Australian last June, I had few expectations other than getting in the habit of writing again and easing my way back into the workforce after an extended maternity break.

    Along my blogging journey I found my voice again. Not the self-conscious voice I had been using to pen my short stories and literary non-fiction (memoir) essays but my true voice, my authentic voice. One of the greatest compliments I’ve had about my blog has been from one of my oldest friends who told me, “it’s just like having a conversation with you.”

    That’s exactly how it should be.

    Why all this talk about writing and voice, I hear you ask. Isn’t this a food blog?

    Well, yes it is, but I have always considered myself a writer first and a food blogger second. Blogging was simply a new way of publishing my work, one that I became instantly addicted to for its immediacy and sense of community.

    So I’m thrilled to (finally) let you know about my new gig as Australian & New Zealand Food Guide for About.com, part of the New York Times Company. I’ll be producing eight recipes, reviews and articles for my own section – Australianfood.about.com –  each month, showcasing the best of Australian and New Zealand food to a whole new, international readership. It’s a marvellous opportunity and I’m sure I’m going to have a lot of fun with it.

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