My SEO plug-in yells at me every time I write and publish a post. This page is lacking a focus key phrase! This post is missing outbound links! Include more power words in the heading! (What even is a power word?)

Each time, I think about whether or not I should change things in order to reach a potentially larger audience. After all, what is the point of a cooking blog if nobody reads it?

There’s a story of an angler who cast a line with a straight needle instead of a hook, in order to catch only the fish who desire to be caught. Let come what comes, let go what goes. Just like that fisherman, this site is written for the people who enjoy it (and I hope that includes you, my friend).

Served With Rice was born out of the many conversations I had with friends who asked me for recipes and cooking tips. I began to think: what if I wrote everything down somewhere and showed them that, instead of saying the same thing over and over again? So I did. Although, ironically, I’ve kept this site away from the vast majority of my real-life friends. It’s fun to have a secret identity.

I am fortunate to have a day job that is both financially and emotionally rewarding. For this, I am infinitely grateful. However, it is people work, and as an introvert people work drains me. Cooking is the me-time with which I recharge.

I envisioned Served With Rice as a sort of cool kids club, a watering hole where like-minded people can gather and get inspiration on food and cooking. Unless things go very wrong, I intend to keep this site as a side project indefinitely.

I’m privileged in that I do not need this site to generate revenue. However, I choose to put ads on the website so that my hobby might fund itself. If Served With Rice can pay for itself, I will be very happy. I’d take it as a measure of validation, of an indication that what I’m doing is worth something to some people. I do not dream of anything beyond that.

As such, this site will not be optimised for profit. You, my dear reader, are my first and foremost consideration. I am prepared to keep the lights on around here indefinitely with my own means, so that I do not need to compromise on creative decisions. Any ad revenue will be entirely incidental.

I hope this approach results in content that is more enjoyable for you. With this said, thanks for reading my statement on why there are ads on this site. Have a look around! I hope you find something you like.

Served With Rice

18/3/2023

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