You Are Too Cute!

That was the subject line of an email I received yesterday.

And this was what the email said:

Renee I love your adorable blog. I just posted a link to it on
Tribe.net http://www.tribe.net/ (in the Asian Homestyle Cooking
tribe)
http://www.tribe.net/tribe/servlet/template/pub,TribeCard.vm/tribeName/ asianhomestylecooking. Here's what I said:

* shiokadelicious. Is a cute photo-packed blog on one woman's asian food
experiences in Singapore (both cooking in and eating out). I ran across
it while doing research for my impending trip to Din Tai Fung in
Artesia, CA. Her story on the DTF in Singapore (like most of her other
stories) was info and picture packed
www.shiokadelicious.com/shioka...cious/2003/12/din_tai_fung.html Im
sure you'll find other stuff to drool/fantasize about there as well,
and i was charmed by her silly-chatty writing style
www.shiokadelicious.com/ *

Again, I really enjoyed it. Its nice to see other asian foodies not
being shy about sharing their experiences. And I love it when I run
across other people that are as anal and organized as I am. I'll definitely be comming back for
more!

[* marks the section that was posted to tribe.net]

I’m flattered… I guess.

No… ya… I am… flattered I mean. I’m always flattered when a reader bothers to take the time to write, to respond to me in some way or to simply link me. Yeah, I’m flattered.

But…

“Cute”? Me? Really? Well, I guess there is always a first for everything in life. I could get used to being “cute” I suppose.

But, may I be honest? I prefer “gorgeous”. Much as that was a dear friend exaggerating like crazy. But hey, I’m entitled to be self-delusional once in a while, right? Oh, ok, I can live with “cute”. It could be worse.

My blog too. I guess it doesn’t really mind being “adorable” and “cute”. Although I am sure it had misguided visions of being glamorous, sophisticated and witty. Sigh! More self-delusion.

“Silly-chatty writing style”… hmmm… well, I guess I do try to be humorous once in a while. Yes, sorry, that was really me trying to be humorous. Honest, I wasn’t trying to be silly. You mean, I’m that UN-humorous? Oh dear, talk about a gaping, yawning gulf between intention, self-perception and received message. Why didn’t you guys tell me I was being silly and my humor was falling flat? Aren’t you guys supposed to be my friends? *pout*

I guess maybe I should now put any remote and wild fantasies I ever had of becoming a respected food-writer, who will be taken seriously (or humorously at least), on the back-burner… for a while at least… or maybe forever.

I guess I do try to be chatty, personable and friendly in my writings. By far the better I think than being a stiff, boring stuffed shirt, no? Blogs… aren’t they supposed to be personable, if not personal?

“Anal and organized”. Why does that not sound like something I should or want to aspire to be? Am I really coming across like that? Guys and gals (those who have been reading my blog for a while), is that how I sound and appear?

Maybe I just don’t like that word. That “A” word. It is the opposite of where delicious food enters my body. Foodies don’t particularly like that word, you know what I’m saying. Yeah, that must be it. Maybe that is my issue. I don’t like the sound of that “A” word. Don’t get me wrong. I like “A”. “A” is Awesome. Advantageous. Aesthetical. Affectionate. Attractive. “A” is A-alright.

But then again, maybe I am… “anal” that is. I mean, I must be right? To pick out four words from the entire email and write an entire post on them. Yeah, maybe I am. Am I?

But who cares right?

So, yeah… I guess I am flattered… I should be… I mean… I am… I mean… I know I should be…

But…

Why do I feel curiously un-flattered?

Excuse me, I like you… you’re so anal…

Hmmm…

Well, at least I’ve learnt something new today. Maybe like beauty, compliments are perhaps in the eye of the um… beholder… or maybe I should say, bespeaker. Sorry, was I being “anal” there?

I was being complimented, wasn’t I? Or at least I think the intention was to compliment me.

So, yeah, I am, I guess… flattered, I mean. I should be, right?

Never mind.

*looks at calendar*

Maybe it is just that time of the month.

Excuse me, I think I will just go and navel gaze some more… or was that some other part of the human anatomy I should be gazing at?