5 ms·

What's the markup for "unrelated long-winded story because I wanted to be a writer"? :) Great idea, and I agree with another commenter that a github-style recip

What's the markup for "unrelated long-winded story because I wanted to be a writer"? :) Great idea, and I agree with another commenter that a github-style recipe sharing/forking system would be a good addition.

rexpop 5y ago
This is an unnecessarily harsh characterization. Recipe writers are constrained by economics, just like the rest of us. It's dismaying to see such cruel mockery on an industry forum. You may also want to look into Fundamental Attribution Error: recipe writers are "flawed", in your mind, but do you judge yourself so harshly? Likely, not. You probably excuse your own misbehavior as compelled by transient circumstance.
BasilPH 5y ago
I heard that the long-winded stories also serve to make the text longer for SEO purposes. i could imagine that it makes you stay longer on the page, because you look for the recipe. Also, more text equals more opportunities to insert ads.
kevinmchugh 5y ago
The intro serves a couple purposes. It ensured the text of the recipe was "below the jump" on RSS readers, so the audience had to go to the original sites (and see ads). It helps detect and trap plagiarists - it's copywritable, while a recipe isn't. But it also contextualizes the recipe. It's really important for me to understand if I'm seeing an easy weeknight favorite or a labor-of-love Sunday meal. Beyond just looking at the timing, I want to know how a cook thinks about the dish. If you open cookbooks, the intro spiel is common, and I often find it more helpful than the actual text of the recipe. There's a million places I can read a recipe for pad Thai, but Andy Ricker and Leela Punyaratabandhu have some deep insight that is very valuable. Certainly some authors are crappy writers and don't add value here - I don't follow those people. Googling for recipes will turn those people up too often.

rexpop 5y ago

This is an unnecessarily harsh characterization. Recipe writers are constrained by economics, just like the rest of us. It's dismaying to see such cruel mockery on an industry forum. You may also want to look into Fundamental Attribution Error: recipe writers are "flawed", in your mind, but do you judge yourself so harshly? Likely, not. You probably excuse your own misbehavior as compelled by transient circumstance.

BasilPH 5y ago

I heard that the long-winded stories also serve to make the text longer for SEO purposes. i could imagine that it makes you stay longer on the page, because you look for the recipe. Also, more text equals more opportunities to insert ads.

kevinmchugh 5y ago

The intro serves a couple purposes. It ensured the text of the recipe was "below the jump" on RSS readers, so the audience had to go to the original sites (and see ads). It helps detect and trap plagiarists - it's copywritable, while a recipe isn't. But it also contextualizes the recipe. It's really important for me to understand if I'm seeing an easy weeknight favorite or a labor-of-love Sunday meal. Beyond just looking at the timing, I want to know how a cook thinks about the dish. If you open cookbooks, the intro spiel is common, and I often find it more helpful than the actual text of the recipe. There's a million places I can read a recipe for pad Thai, but Andy Ricker and Leela Punyaratabandhu have some deep insight that is very valuable. Certainly some authors are crappy writers and don't add value here - I don't follow those people. Googling for recipes will turn those people up too often.