Thursday, August 20, 2009

My First Newspaper Publication



Well, I finally got a piece of food writing published (not counting my short story about a guy who confused eating with love). For anyone who's interested, please have a look at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin website where it appears as a feature story.

And yes, there's no more anonymity for me, as my real name appears beneath the title of the story. (And if you're really curious, or just have a bunch of extra time on your hands, feel free to check my other blog for various photos as well as some stuff that overlaps with this website.) As far as my blogging life goes, however, I still prefer to go by Sapuche!

I intend to post the original article, which runs twice as long as this publication and has more photos to go with it, as soon as I'm sure the publication rights have reverted back to me.

I'm afraid I have to go back into my blogging cave again (i.e., dealing with the exigencies of my life) for a couple more weeks. After that, I hope to be back blogging fairly regularly again!

23 comments:

  1. Davi--------d --------!!!!!
    OMEDETO---------------!!!!!!
    SUGOI NE-------------!!!!!!!

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  2. Congratulations for you publication, sapuche. I'll stop by the star bulletin now... English isn't my native language, but I like to read your articeles because I understand them very well. Regards to the other side of the globe.

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  3. Wow! Congratulations for being featured on the newspaper.

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  4. Congratulations!!! Wonderful news!

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  5. Sapuche! Congratulations on your piece- and it's a Feature article at that! It's a great read and I fully expect to read many, many more in the future. Job well done.

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  6. Congratulation!
    That is very exciting news.

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  7. Congrats what a wonderful opportunity and I look forward to reading the article in detail!

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  8. Awesome article- congrats on being published!

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  9. Congrats to you! That's a big, big 'ol deal!

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  10. Congratulations! That is wonderful news. I'm looking forward to reading it more closely. Such a great step forward in your writing. You should definitely be proud and maybe throw yourself a food-focused celebration. :)

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  11. Hanoilife: Arigatou, Masa & Takami! Next time I’ll have to write about the food in Hanoi, deshou? Maybe next time you can show me where to eat – like maybe in Cat Ba? :)

    Anja: Thank you, Anja! Here on the other side of the globe, your regards are much appreciated. Regards are also kindly sent back to you and your side.

    Selba: Thanks, Selba! I think I should spend some time eating my way through Indonesia and write about all the great food there. What do you think? :)

    5 Star Foodie: Yes, and the publication came at a good time for me, too. Thank you!

    Kim @ Paper Apron: Thank you! Yes, the fact that it was a features article was especially nice for me. As for future articles, I can only hope I’m this fortunate again. I really appreciate the support and kind words!

    Elra: Thanks, Elra! Yes, it’s definitely exciting to have this newspaper clip!

    OysterCulture: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the article. And yes, I’m really grateful to have had this opportunity. Hopefully there will be more… :)

    Sweet Charity: I’m glad you liked the article, Charity! Thanks on both counts!

    Duo Dishes: Thanks for the congratulations! I’m not sure how big a deal it is, to be honest, but it means a lot to me. I appreciate your kind words and support, as always!

    Lori: Thank you, Lori! And yes, I hope it’s a step forward for my writing. You and I think on the same wavelength, apparently – I don’t know how much I earned for this piece (I’ve yet to receive payment), but whatever it amounts to I’m pretty sure I blew it all, and then some, on a big honking sushi feast (complete with beer). I hope you liked the article!

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  12. Congratulations! I enjoyed reading it and would love to read the original long-version as well. I just finished up a post touching on the impact of globalization and the easier availability of 'foreign' foodstuff on the food culture of a country. Your observation that with growing affluence, the Vietnamese are beginning to look upon food as more than just sustenance for survival is on point and raises questions. For instance, when food becomes a marker of social differentiation, how does that impact traditional foodways from eating to cooking, especially when 'other' ingredients or techniques are adapted, adopted or otherwise have an influence on them? Perhaps Vietnam offers an excellent opportunity to observe the evolution of traditional, national cuisine in this age of instant information exchange and material accessibility.

    Hope all continues to go well and we look forward to your return to regular blogging when you're good and ready!

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  13. Fantastic! What an accomplishment! ~Mina

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  14. Congratulations Sapuche (I'll still call you that!), I read your piece in the Star-Bulletin! But I do have a questions for you - did you really get served nuoc mam with trai cai for dessert? Throughout all my life and visits to the motherland, that has never happened to me!

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  15. Well done. It mut feel great to get something published in an actual paper.

    I have a friend who scored an interview with the footballer Maradonna that was picked up by the UK's Observer sports magazine. He bought 30 copies and framed one for his hallyway.

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  16. Sophie: Thanks for your congratulations! Yes, it’s been fun having the article published in the Honolulu newspaper. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

    Tangled Noodle: Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed reading it, and I hope to have the original version up one of these days; once the check arrives, I’ll feel safer posting it on my blog! :) I look forward to reading your post on how our ability to get “foreign” foodstuffs is impacting our food culture. Sounds fascinating. I tend to look at that issue from a single angle – it’s so great being able to find virtually anything I need to make dishes from different cultures – but I’m sure there’s a downside to it, too. I’m not sure how to answer your question, but the Vietnamese have always done well at absorbing the influences of other cultures (historically, of course, they’ve been forced to absorb various influences), yet they’ve always been able to maintain qualities that are essentially Vietnamese – especially in respect to food. Maybe I didn’t make my point clear in the essay, but here’s an example of what I mean when I say that food in Vietnam no longer functions merely as sustenance: the first meal I ever had in Vietnam (Hanoi) was cooked rice and boiled ong choy. The other choices at the “restaurant” were fatty pork and fried grubs. Now, Hanoi has become an incredible food city, with all kinds of international choices. I think you’re right that Vietnam offers a wonderful opportunity to see how a traditional cuisine deals with so much newness and competition. Thanks so much for your comments!

    Epicurean’s Market: Thank you, Mina! I appreciate your kind words!

    Nutrition to Kitchen: Cam on nhieu! That’s so great that you saw my article in the paper! And yes, I was definitely served nuoc mam with trai cai – it was green mango, in fact. Come to think of it, there might have been sugar mixed in with the nuoc mam, but the nuoc mam and xaoi xanh was not an uncommon dessert. I’m sure you’ve had fruit served with salt and red pepper? Even on the street, pomellos often come with this in tiny packets. Ngon khong?

    Them Apples: Thank you! Yes, it feels pretty good getting published in an actual paper. I’ve had other things published, but somehow this was more fun and felt more rewarding to me. Still, this pales in comparison with your friend’s Maradona interview and Observer publication – very cool! To be perfectly honest, I bought ten copies, though I’m giving away most of them. And just today I had the piece scanned, printed, and framed so that I can send it to my friends in Bien Hoa. I hope it arrives safely…Thanks for your comments!

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  17. Awesome! that's so cool! I have a good friend here with me in London who used live in Hawaii - we've both enjoyed your 50 Hawaii post!

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  18. Sapuche,

    Congrats and I can't wait for the full bite! GREG

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  19. Wow, congratulations! I know how you feel, I was recently interviewed too. Great job! Happy Blogging! :)

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  20. Hi Davi-------------d----------- !!!!!!!!!!!!!
    We guess and surely you`ve been so busy and busy , でしょ????????
    We`ve been waiting for your new blog up , ね!!!
    頑張れ、Davi-----d--------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  21. WONDERFUL!!! CONGRATS! Most excellent job you have done!

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  22. Congratulations on your published piece! I have been in a blogging cave myself recently and am excited to be back catching up on everyone's posts. Lots of fun reading to do!

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