I was thrilled that our site was nominated in a contest called "The Homies" for Best Blog Recipe, Best Food Photography, etc. in Apartment Therapy’s “The Ktchn” We were nominated by a blogger friend, Thanks to her, my partner and I were excited that our blog would get attention and publicity.
A friend notified us through Facebook on March 1st. Our site was not up for viewing among the other nominees until very late on March 1, 2012. At that time we discovered that voting ended on March 2nd at 11:59 pm! This barely gave us enough time to get a post up on the blog and request our blog contacts, family and friends vote.
In spite of the limited time we were given to get the word out, we were amazed at the wonderful support we received! We are grateful, thank you!!! I almost peed in my pants when I learned we made it to the top 20! But, out of all the positive things that happened, it still wasn’t enough to quell my feelings of disappointment due to a full understanding of the construct of the contest.
Having reviewed the rules of the contest several times it seemed that I had a right to feel cheated. Never mind that we had to scramble to get the word out and put up a post no matter what time of day it was in the world for myself (and my partner), but to have to deal with the unfair and unethical way in which the contest was handled makes it really hard to swallow!
Here is how the contest worked:
1. Blogs could be nominated until March 2, 2012 at 11:59pm. After that date and time no further nominees would be accepted and voting for the nominees ended.
2. Then, the 6 nominees with the greatest number of votes would move to the next round of voting.
3. If your blog was nominated on March 2nd you had less than 24 hours to attain enough votes to be in the top 6, when other blogs had been on the site, receiving votes for days.
How the contest was conducted simply did NOT make any sense. Normally, you would allow nominated submissions. Then, you would close the nominations. At that point voting could begin, with a deadline. At the close of that deadline you would take the top 6 blogs and open another round of voting. Creating deadlines so that every participant was given equal time for voting is the logical and ethical thing to do.
It is my hope that other blogs in our position feel the same way. However, I know just too well how the blogosphere works. The fear of negative attention from another blog is all too great, especially when that site is as largely popular as “The Kitchn”. While it is easier to stay mum about such things, walk away, shrugging it off, I felt I needed write about the unethical nature of this contest. It would have been unfair to the blogger friend, who nominated us, to ourselves and to all of you who support us. I just needed to say, “Hey, you know what? This is not right.”
You may think it might show that I have sour grapes by writing this post. And, you know what, I am upset. Many of us bloggers devote a great deal of time and effort to our blogs. Being noticed is the reward. Being given the privilege to compete against other notable blogs was an exciting opportunity for us. But, by running a contest in such a thoughtless manner “The Ktchn’s” message was loud and clear. They wanted to attain as many hits on their site as possible without giving any thought to the participants in the contest.
I hope that aside from all the attention being given to copyright laws on the internet, there should be some sort of governing body that can monitor the marketing agendas that are out there. But, I know this would be a difficult thing to do. Better yet, it should be up to people like us who feel cheated to speak up and make sure there are proper rules and regulations for a contest.
Since ethics has reared its head in this post lets discuss ethical eating. Trying to define ethical eating has been difficult as there is not one solid definition to draw upon. I found the following definition, if you will, on the Facebook page of “Little Village Nutrition's notes”. Ethical eating “definition”:
1. Consider the personal, societal, ethical, and spiritual implications of your food choices;
2. Seek a more just and equitable food system;
3. Are concerned about the health and environmental consequences of how your food is produced;
4. Regularly purchase food and eat according to principles that have a positive impact on all of the above.
Ethical eating is a big topic that requires further exploration. However, we would like to introduce the subject with the following video and the following recipe for spicy hummus, a food, through some research, has proven to be a solid choice for the
ethical eater.
Eco Products
1. Left
Glass Tea Kettle from Viva Terra
2. Right Kitchen
Bouquet of Tools made out of natural cherry wood from Eco Art-ware
1. Left
Cheese Slate Board Set from Viva Terra
2. Right
Pea Pod Serving Tray from Viva Terra
Spicy Hummus
Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained
1 tablespoons olive oil (add more if needed)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tablespoons tahini
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 or 2 jalapeno slices (sold in a jar), chopped
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Toasted Pine Nuts (optional)
Directions
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a food processor (works best), combine the garbanzo beans, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and jalapeno. Season with black pepper, cayenne, cumin and oregano.
2. Mix using the whisk attachment on low speed until the ingredients start to blend, then turn the speed to medium, and blend to your desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Make sure your container is sealed well, or your fridge will smell like garlic.
Photo Data:
Featured Photographer
Edith Frincu
ApertureFNumber: f/5.0
Make: Canon
Model: Canon EOS 450D
ExposureTime: 1/100
FNumber: 5/1
ExposureProgram: 1
ISOSpeedRatings: 200
MaxApertureValue: 475/100
MeteringMode: 5
Flash: 16
FocalLength: 45/1
Love2cook Malaysia
March 13, 2012 at 10:16 am //
Spicy Hummus makes a good starter…yummylicious.
Sorry about the contest…but definitely it does not make sense. Well I still hope there’re many more contests to come and you can still participate and win! :)
myfudo
March 13, 2012 at 10:27 am //
Thank you so much for the support and the vote in confidence “wink”. Let’s hope the next round will be more fair =)
the food dude
March 13, 2012 at 12:30 pm //
Don’t worry, there are other contests to join, and you’ll always have my vote!
myfudo
March 14, 2012 at 9:29 am //
Thank you so much for the vote of confidence in us = )
Mama's Gotta Bake
March 13, 2012 at 12:53 pm //
I eat hummus almost everyday. I will give your recipe a try. And I love your photos.
myfudo
March 13, 2012 at 2:29 pm //
You do, everyday? Chickpeas are a great source of protein, do you eat it with flat breads, rye? Thank you so much for commenting.
beti
March 13, 2012 at 1:31 pm //
I’ve tried hummus just once and it was mild, I would love to taste a spicy one, it looks pretty good
myfudo
March 13, 2012 at 2:34 pm //
Beti I think you’ll really like it, the spicy one does have more flavor, the roasted pine nuts add a nice texture as well.
Purabi Naha
March 14, 2012 at 12:44 am //
I love hummus and yours sounds perfect! This looks amazingly delicious!! http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com
myfudo
March 14, 2012 at 9:14 am //
Thank you Purabi.
Jessie
March 14, 2012 at 1:45 am //
I was going to first post about the food, but I can’t stop thinking about that teapot. So cute, if only I had a stovetop that pretty to put it on.
I love hummus and I love anything spicy. I’ve never tried to make it though, so thanks for the excuse. :)
myfudo
March 14, 2012 at 8:15 am //
Hi Jessie: A glass teapot for us…. it would probably get broken, it’s so pretty though, we could break it (no pun intended) out when guests come. We have this sturdy stainless steel tea pot that literally has no style to it.
Humus is so easy to make, we use a mini food processor, it’s quick, easy clean up, and the pine nuts is what really gives the hummus a nice flavor and texture. Thanks so much for commenting.
Danguole
March 14, 2012 at 2:11 am //
Fantastic! I love the idea of adding pine nuts. Hummus is so versatile.
myfudo
March 14, 2012 at 9:13 am //
Thank you = )
Suzanne
March 14, 2012 at 12:56 pm //
oh yum this looks so delicious, I love humus and spicy is even better.
Suzanne
March 14, 2012 at 1:10 pm //
Me again, sorry about the blog contest. You are right about the other blog just wanting a large number of hits that day. Most blog contests are for that reason only and it’s really more of a popularity contest not really about the blogs or the food just what the contest can do for the party hosting it. I’m glad you voiced your opinions, I would not have done so since I’m too shy about the negative vibes you get from others. But good for you :)
myfudo
March 14, 2012 at 3:59 pm //
Thank you so much for the Support Suzanne, our hope is that they have some rules for 2013, so it’s fair to everyone. It was just too unfair to pass up and not say anything. = )
Alyssa
March 14, 2012 at 7:17 pm //
Since we are currently living in the Middle East, we eat TONS of hummus. I think I’ve got a pretty good recipe, but I never thought to make it spicy. Thanks for sharing, I will totally be throwing in a little cayenne next time!
myfudo
March 14, 2012 at 10:27 pm //
Oh you are Alyssa, what part? Would you share your recipe with us? I miss middle eastern dishes.
Kiri W.
March 15, 2012 at 5:30 am //
Beautiful! I love that cheese board, the rocks around my home town in Germany are slate :)
Blair K.
March 18, 2012 at 12:22 am //
Too bad about that contest, but there will be other chances. Photo and recipe look luscious! We eat hummos a lot and can get many varieties in the SF Bay Area, but it’s nice to actually have a recipe for the spicy variety. Thanks!
myfudo
March 18, 2012 at 7:17 pm //
That is so true Blair, but ah well, there’s always next year, hopefully they will take our constructive criticism and make it a little more fair. We both grew up on Hummus, but I didn’t know it was popular on the West Coast. Thanks so much for commenting.