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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: All new members, please read!
    Posted: 27 January 2010 at 12:15
Greetings and welcome to the Foods of the World Forum! We are glad that you've decided to become a member of our community and look forward to discussions with you on all types of world cuisine.
 
This is a forum for people who have an interest in the intersection of food, history, geography, culture and even religion. Whether you already have a lot of knowledge in this area, or are just starting down the path of international culinary culture, or even simply looking for a few good recipes, we hope that you find this to be a place that will spark your interest and inspire you to explore the world with us. We hope that we can teach you a few things, and we are also excited to  learn from you.
 
So, please read below in order to get a general idea of the guidelines here, and finally, click here to introduce yourself. Then jump right into a country or region that interests you ~ and let's see what feasts we can prepare today!Star
 
Thanks!
 
Ron
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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 March 2010 at 17:23
As we watch our membership grow, we figure it's time to introduce ourselves a bit and let you know what this forum's all about. We'd also like to give some general guidelines on posting for the sake of information sharing and for uniformity. The reasons for this will become clear by the end of this post.
 
First and foremost, our intention with this site is to offer a virtual "academium" for interested members to discuss the intersection of food, history, geography, culture and even (when in the context of food) religion. Whether you already have a lot of knowledge in this area, or are just starting down the path of international culinary culture, or even simply looking for a few good recipes, we hope that you find this to be a place that will spark your interest and inspire you to explore the world with us. We hope that we can teach you a few things, and we are also excited to  learn from you.
 
One thing we think sets us apart from a lot of "foodie forums" is our emphasis on trying things and reporting on results. With books, magazines, the internet and other resources, there is a huge wealth of knowledge out there. we'd like to make this forum a well for that knowledge. with that in mind, we have a few guidelines for posting recipes: 

If this is a new recipe or dish for the forum, try to provide a little bit of history on it. You can discuss the country/region where it is from, particular traits of ingredients, or any aspect of it that catches your interest. If you read a passage from a book or on the internet dealing with it, be sure to include that, giving credit to the source and a link if possible. maps, pictures of the regions etc. are great, too, if possible.

If it is a family recipe or family favourite, be sure to post any impressions and/or memories associated with it! We all have favourite memories of something that we ate, where we ate it, or who was with us when we ate it. Share these memories with us and personalize it a little ~ we're a community here and want to get to know each other!

Please post your recipe in what you feel to be the best country, region etc. of the many we have to offer. If you aren't sure, feel free to ask somebody and we will be sure to get an answer to you as soon as possible. If you are posting a recipe that is common in your household, and it doesn't belong anywhere else, then go ahead and post it in the country/region where you live. If one gets in the wrong area, don't worry; we'll get it moved for you ~ We are still in-flux a bit, so we may be adding or combining regions and countries as time passes. if this happens, we will be sure to move any topics where they belong. here's a general guideline, if you're having trouble deciding where to place a post:

     a) if possible, always post them in their respective regions first. this might be where a food originated, or a place that it is most widely associated with. germany for sauerbraten, for instance, or new england/northeast for clam chowder - or japan for tempura - you get the idea.
 
     b) if something doesn't really have a specific region or country, go ahead and post it in your home territory, since you're making it there.
 
     c) if all else fails, we've got the "general" categories farther down - "meats, fish and eggs," "breads, grains and baking," "frutis and vegetables" etc. these are meant for general topics and concepts, but if a recipe really and truly doesn't belong anywhere else, or is so generic as that it could fit anywhere, then this is a fair place to put it. 
 
Try to post a detailed recipe and/or shopping list for what you are going to cook. this way, others reading can have all the information they need to give it a try. If a recipe calls for "a pinch of this" or a "little bit of that," be sure to say so, but let us know what YOU used so that anyone wanting to try it can have a place to start.

If you put your own spin on the recipe or need to substitute some ingredients, be sure to let us know what you did. Often with many foods, such as Louisiana gumbo or Spanish paella, there's no "set-in-stone" way to do it. Be sure to mention this as well, if it is the case.

Be sure to let us know what you thought of the completed dish; any pitfalls or things to keep in mind when making it, how it tasted, what the family thought of it - would you make it again? things like that.

This above all else is our biggest request: get some pictures!! Pictures are very helpful in many ways to help folks get an idea of what they are reading about. The visual input of even a plain-jane dish just might be what inspires someone to try it. At the very least, try to get these pictures: 1) a picture of "the goods," showing all the ingredients needed to make your masterpiece; 2) any preparation pictures that you think might be helpful as you follow the steps of the recipe; 3) a finished, "right-out-of-the-oven" picture showing folks what the finished dish will look like; and 4) a "plated" picture showing your food in presentation with any side dishes etc. Please, please, PLEASE take some pictures! The "picture tutorial" process is what we think sets us apart from other "foodie" forums. As you browse through the forum, you will see that the best threads here, the ones that inspire people the most to try a dish, are the ones with pictures. And please, don't worry about having fancy plates, silverware, funky camera angles, perfect walls and floors, spotless stovetops and all that nonsense. We don't care! as you get accustomed to posting pix, you will, on your own, start experimenting with camera angles and color combinations etc. in order to "set the mood" of the pic, but even if you don't we don't care! just post some pix! For a quick and easy tutorial on how to post pictures and have a free picture hosting account, click here.

Please also be available to answer any questions someone might have about something, in case they want to give it a try. A helping hand goes a long way!

Please be aware that once you post something, it is part of the FOTW community. We are not trying to make money here, but for the good of the board and for the wealth of information we are trying to build here, please do not edit your posts (except for grammar, accuracy or similar improvement) or delete them once you have established them. This causes a huge disruption to the board with dead links, holes in information etc. and robs members and guests of the benefit they can receive from all of us. Believe it or not, this has been a problem in the past, so please understand this admonition. By posting here, you are agreeing to make it a part of our archives.

That should pretty much cover it - if anyone has any questions at all, please feel free to ask and we'll get your questions answered. These guidelines may change a bit as time passes or circumstances change; if that happens, we'll do our best to let you know!

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 June 2012 at 10:56

hello, my friends -

 
as we all know, this is an international forum bringing people together in a common love of food and cooking, involving foods, cultures and languages from all over the world - hence the title and the tagline for this forum, which i believe do a great job of describing our "mission."
 
first - i want to say that my compliments and respect go out to ALL of our non-american members. each and every one of you is to be commended for your contributions, because you are living in and enjoying the food of places that i can only dream of visiting. i am also very appreciative to all of you that you take the time to make your posts in english - because your english is better than my french/german/italian/romanian/dutch/afrikaans/spanish etc. will ever be - so thank you!
 
naturally, with so many different languages and cultures coming together, there are going to be translation and spelling errors or misunderstandings at times, or the meanings of certain colloquialisms might not be apparent. this is natural and to be expected, and in my opinon there is no shame attached to them. in fact, i make many typing and translation errors myself, and if this happens, i want to correct them.
 
what is important, as far as the forum is concerned, is this: if there are errors, they should be corrected so as to make this forum a better resource for everyone. on the "flip-side," there is a risk that sometimes hurt feelings can result where no insult is intended. this should be a congenial and friendly forum for all members, so let us see if we can avoid these potential conflicts together, ok?
 
if anyone notices an error from another member, please feel free to politely bring it to someone's attention so that it can be corrected. if you do not feel comfortable informing the member or bringing up the issue in open forum, please let me know via PM and i will be happy to look into it. it is my hope that this solution will help to avoid any potential conflicts that might arise from misunderstandings or "lost-in-translation" incidents.
 
my sincere thanks to each and every one of you for your assistance in this. my goal, which is in tandem with the mission of this forum, is that we build a reference library and friendly community together for people all over the world to benefit from, regardless of background - where people can easily learn to cook each other's food. food is the one things that we all have in common, without borders or language, and the sharing of food is symbolic around the world with hospitality, friendship and good times. let's try to keep that goal in mind here, ok?
 
if anyone has any questions, please feel free to let me know.
 
thank you -
 
ron
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 December 2012 at 14:29

FotW Resolutions for 2013

Hey, everyone ~

With the coming year, I thought it might be a good idea to post some information for new members, and helpful reminders for old members.

One of our primary goals is to maintain FotW as a place where beginners, experts, home cooks and perhaps even a few chefs can come in and feel at home; where regional, historic, traditional and family recipes are given particular attention and are presented in a way that is completely accessable to anyone. To that end, and along with the guidelines above, I'd also like to cover a few things here that have cropped up over the past year:

a) If you have a recipe that belongs in a region, please post it in that region. If you are not sure where it belongs, please ask. If you "create" a non-regional dish, or if it is a general, non-regional family favourite or one that has been passed down within your family (BTW, we LOVE getting these types or recipes!), your home region is probably the best place to post it.

b) Many times, someone will start a topic in one area, and the conversation will naturally gravitate toward other, similar topics or dishes. If you want to post those "other" recipes, that's great, but please post them first as a new post (in the appropriate region), then if you wish you may provide a LINK to that new post as a reply to the original discussion.  For example: If there's a discussion in the SouthEast Asian section about an Indonesian squid recipe, and you have an Italian squid recipe that you want to share, post that new recipe in ITALY and then, if you like, post a reply on the Indonesian squid thread with a LINK to the new, Italian recipe.

c) Recipes that are very general or universal in nature can be posted either in your own home territory OR in the non-specific categories such as "Meats and Fish," "Breads and Grains" etc. Please try to keep in mind that those general, non-specific "food group" categories should be used as a last resort only, since the primary function of those categories is for providing general information, rather than recipes.

d) Please try to get along! If you have a disagreement with someone, that is perfectly alright; one of the beauties of forums such as this is that we are able to "hash out" differing ideas or viewpioints and come to a consensus or understanding on why everyone holds the views that they have. These kids of discussions can be very stimulating and healthy; however, they can also be very counter-productive and even damaging, if people forget their basic common courtesies and manners. Keep in mind that when groups of people from such diverse backgrounds get together, there are going to be differing customs and ways of doing things; there is also a huge potential for things getting "lost in translation" when multiple languages are involved. If you find yourself at odds with a post, it is good to seek clarification or resolution; but please, please please, do so in a positive way. If necessary, you can PM a member of the staff at any time with concerns about personality or other conflicts.

e) Finally, please try to adhere to the principle that "quality is better than quantity." Our primary goal here is to educate people about "the foods of the world," and allow them to learn about culinary traditions, methods and history around the globe. It is my hope that we can keep this "mission" for the forum intact, so as to continue to lay down a useful resource for members or visitors that will not only be interesting, but also useful. This allows the FotW forum to really be a virtual "academium" of regional culinary customs, rather than simply being another "dump box" for recipes.

Some ways to help ensure this are:

1) Post either "tried and true" recipes that you have made or tasted yourself, or recipes that you intend to try very soon in the near future - and then be sure to follow up with a complete report!

2) Try to include "supplemental" information, such as any historical or literary ties, or perhaps an in-depth look at the origins of a method involved in the recipe; or, if it is quintessential to a country or region's customs and traditions, devote a paragraph or two to that background information. A little bit of research can greatly enhance interest in a project!

3) When it coems to details, more is usually better than less. Nothing is more frustrating than to look up a recipe you really want to try, and having it be incredibly vague, to the point where it is not helpful at all, except to the most advanced cooks. ("Oh, I don't use a recipe, I just throw x, y and z in a pot, along with a few other things until it looks, smells and tastes right, and suddenly I have (insert the name of a dish here.") Worse yet, attempting to fill in those blanks might be so maddening that a person might give up a project entirely.  In order to help prevent this, it is often useful to embrace the "pictorial" concept, where we outline a dish in good detail.

The basic format for a pictorial (subject to a very wide latitude depending the individual quirks of a dish, etc.) begins with an introduction to the reader about the dish, along with supplemental information as described above; then, the recipe (or at least a shopping list) is provided, followed by a step-by-step procedure for preparing the dish. Photos are very, very helpful, but if you are a good, descriptive writer, they are not absolutely necessary (in spite of the moniker, "pictorial). The most tricky aspect can be in the amount of an ingredient used, and while it is easy for someone who has made it a hundred times to say "until it is right," this doesn't help a person making it for the first time at all. I understand that in many, many traditional, regional or family dishes, there is an incredible array of variations; however, for the sake of the reader, please give them a place to start - i cannot stress the importance of this. It doesn't have to be a formal recipe, but it does need to be something that a person can try for a first time and have a reasonable chance of success.

Efforts such as this will, hopefully, inpire readers to try something new, and post about it! Star
 
That pretty much covers the main points I wanted to address. My main point is to keep in mind that the goal here is for anyone at any level should be able to come here and either learn something or share something - or both!
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