Taking a Break to Focus on My Health

This was going to be a goodbye post, but a couple of people whose opinions I respect have convinced me to make it a “so long for a while” post.

Why I need a break

I love food and I love writing about food. I the former too much and the latter helps me justify acting on the former. I truly enjoy finding and trying a new restaurant and sampling its food, and when I do that, it’s really easy for the writer in me to enable to food lover in me to try an extra dish, or dessert when I really don’t need it. I also enjoy frequenting my favorite restaurants, as much for the relationships I have formed with the owners or employees as I do the excellent food they serve. For me, eating out is as much about enjoying the experience and atmosphere as it is the food, and I like the smiles I get when I walk into a place as a regular.

But the simple truth is that I’m a big guy - no, I’m a fat guy, and I’m tired of it. I need to lose a lot of weight and work on getting more fit. I can’t do that if I keep eating out 5-6 nights per week and indulging my Southern hankering for fried foods and lots of beef.

For now, I need to focus on losing weight, exercising more, and eating the right kinds of foods in reasonable quantities, and two of those would be difficult, and history suggests impossible for me, if I keep eating out and blogging about it.

I’ve been asked if I might want to blog about my efforts to lose weight, and the meals and products I’ll be trying along the way. My response to that is no, at least not until I’ve made enough progress to prove to myself that I’m writing about something successful, not another failed attempt to lose weight.

So Long, Not Goodbye

For now, this is so long. Once I’ve made more progress and once I’ve proven to myself that I can balance my passion for writing about food with my real need to stop indulging my love to eat that food, I’ll return to being the Geek Food Critic. Until then, I’m going to be the Geek Weight Loss Trainee.

A Random List of Great Places to Eat


In no particular order, I’ll list some of my favorites, and my reviews if I’ve posted them.

It’s All So Yummy - Sandwiches, Soup, and Ice Cream in Knoxville

Mario’s Pizza & Grill - Pizza, Sandwiches, and More in Knoxville

Forte’s on the Square - Pasta and More in Crossville

McNamara’s Irish Pub - Irish Food in Nashville

Blackhorse Pub & Brewery - Burgers, Pizza, and More in Knoxville

Long’s Drug Store - Lunch Counter, Tater Tots, Milkshakes and More in Knoxville

Little Joe’s - Pizza and Pasta in Knoxville

Champy’s - Fried Chicken and Hot Tamales in Chattanooga

Shaking up the format

Site Business

It’s been a cold and busy Winter so far, and I’ve let far too many posts pile up in my queue without giving GFC the attention it deserves. In an effort to remedy that, I’m giving myself permission to be more flexible with my posts here. Starting now, I’m going to separate my posts into at least 3 categories:

First Impressions

A quick post after an initial visit or two at a restaurant new to me.  These will be shorter than my usual reviews, although I’m not going to limit myself to a specific word count.

Review

Once I’ve visited a restaurant a few times, I feel comfortable writing a full review of it. These posts will take the place of what I’ve been calling Quick Reviews, because the truth is I almost never followed through on the “quick” aspect of a Quick Review anyway. These will be longer than First Impressions.

Quick Takes

Anything goes. I may mention a single dish I had at a favorite spot I’ve reviewed and even re-visited on the blog. I may discuss a new brand or flavor of cider I’ve tried. I will likely group more than one of these together and post them in a single entry. I’ll admit I’m going to queue up some of these and use them during weeks when I simply may not have a new restaurant about which to write.

A Final Note for Restaurant Owners/Managers

I’m being contacted more frequently by folks who would like me to visit and review their place. That’s cool, and I’ve worked with one that I’ve published so far and have another few in the works. My reviews aren’t for sale, but my family likes to eat out, so I’m not opposed to using a gift card to pay for a meal as long as I disclose it and the restaurant understands I’m going to be honest about my experience - good or bad.

Geek Food Critic - A Reboot

Judging by the date of the most recent post on this blog, nearly 18 months ago, I'd say it's time for a reboot.

I'm going to try to bring this blog back from the dead, and in so doing, expand it to include both food and drink, and by drink I mostly mean alcoholic beverages.  I have developed a taste for hard cider over the last year or so, thanks in part to the awesome home-brewed cider my friend Les makes.

Back soon with a few posts covering my recent trip to Nashville, and some great meals I had there.

First Post!

So I’m a geek.  And I like to eat.  I’m in the habit of posting pics of and comments about the food I eat to Facebook, especially when I eat out.  Someone on Facebook asked me if I was actually a food critic and I thought, “You know, maybe I am.”