Bonjour tout le monde!

J’ai un super spécial pour vous en ce beau lundi! Si vous vous demandiez à quoi ressemble la vie avec une blogueuse, cet article est pour vous. En effet, pour votre plus grand plaisir, Steven lève enfin le voile sur l’envers du décor. 🙂

Malheureusement, il y a une petite barrière linguistique mais rien que Google Traduction ne pourra pas corriger. Bonne lecture!

Firstly I’d like to apologise for writing in English on a French language blog!  I hope it doesn’t alienate too many readers. It is my goal one day to read and write fluently in French but, alas, I am unfortunately not gifted with those skills yet.

Secondly (and only because I rarely get the chance to do this publicly), I want to say how proud I am of Alexe for the effort and passion she puts into soya et chocolat. She inspires me to a healthier and happier life and it’s wonderful to see that so many of readers share her daily adventures.

Ok, onto my first (and likely only) blog post!

As a vegetarian (by choice) with celiac disease (by nature), diet and nutrition are paramount to my day to day wellbeing and energy levels.  With Alexe in my life my approach to food has completely changed from thinking about everything I can’t eat, to everything that I can.  Each and every day I enjoy delicious recipes ranging from chickpea curries with coconut millet to gluten free apple and cinnamon cakes with caramel sauce (Alexe is known as the dessert queen amongst our circle of friends), and after suffering from lethargy and headaches, my energy levels have significantly improved and I feel like I get more out of life.  It always amazes me how much Alexe knows about nutrition and whilst I may not always play by the rules, I have certainly learnt a lot about food and flavor and this education will help me for the rest of my life.

But as with all good relationships in life, there has to be balance and so whilst I get to share in all the benefits of Alexe’s food and nutrition passion, I also try and be a support.  Unfortunately my cooking skills are about as useful as my French, so rather than try to cook (and possibly poison) for Alexe, I concentrate my efforts in other areas.  So… here are some tips for a would be partner of a “foodie” who, like me, has very few skills in the kitchen but want to say thank you for the efforts of your loved one… 

Get involved in food shopping!  Prior to having Alexe in my life, food shopping was predictable and a chore.  I now look forward to the sights and smells of the food markets and seeking out a bargain (there are high fives when we secure bananas under $2 a kilogram!).  It is important to remember that the main role of the partner is transport and muscle.  Always try and find a park as close to the door as possible, even if this means stalking exiting customers and a few extra laps of the car park.  You don’t want to have to carry all those bags long distances, especially if it’s raining (trolleys are a luxury of supermarket shopping only).  You’ll also be called upon for food packing at the checkout (hard items in first, delicates on top… make sure you distribute the weight!) and running back and forward to help collect everything on THE LIST.  Be sure to ask direct questions before you set out to get a certain ingredient…. E.g. how many do you want?… Is that the big green one?       

Cleaning the dishes – now that you have the food and a collection of otherwise random ingredients are being brought together into a meal, it is time to help out with the cleaning.  I like to get involved early and not wait for the bomb site that would otherwise develop.  Porcelain and glass can go straight into the dishwasher (after rinsing), however anything caked in sauce will need to be soaked and plastic and stainless steel are better cleaned in the sink.  There is a fine line between being efficient and getting in the way, so understand your kitchen space intimately and make sure there is plenty of room available whenever a bell or buzzer sounds… these should be treated just like sirens during wartime as a flurry of activity tends to follow and you may or may not be required to get involved.  Always be sure to ask… have you finished with that?… there is little dignity in rescuing a utensil from soapy water when it is urgently needed.  

Dinner time – the key lesson here is to remember that no meal with a foodie truly begins until all the photographs have been taken.  Depending on the quality of the light and number of diners this can take some time.  Just smile when you are told to and have patience.  The food is always worth the wait!  

Nail the easy stuff! – thankfully there are some things that are very easy to make.  In our house I make the tea (teabag) and the popcorn (yes, we have a popcorn maker).  Perhaps not blog worthy, but I serve them with a smile on my face giving me a small taste of the pleasure in serving someone food.

Be prepared for the next fitness challenge – whether it’s training for a marathon or conquering spin class it helps to be involved and test your own physical barriers.  Sadly, Alexe is significantly fitter than I am so I can only be supportive to a point.  I once made the mistake of doing abdominal exercises with her…. breathing was a real challenge in the weeks that followed.  Only answer questions like “do my arms look bigger”… if you’re 100% sure you know what the answer is supposed to be.  Where unsure, remain as vague as possible and possibly offer tea and/or popcorn as a diversionary tactic.

Getting to know the blogging community – life with a blogger doesn’t begin and end with their blog…. they’re part of an eco-system of other bloggers, brought together by shared interests in fashion, food, families and a bunch of other interests.  Be willing to lose your partner for hours on end as he/she posts, responds and erupts into excitement when a baby is born or a new recipe is discovered.  It’s not a world I pretend to understand, but it is easy to see that it is a source of happiness.    

Thanks for indulging my post.  Alexe will return to normal programming tomorrow so my only hope is she doesn’t lose any readers as a result of me.  

Feel free to post any comments about how your partner contributes to your blogging experience or nurtures your passion for health and fitness. 

Merci et au revoir.

Steven