Super blogger sunday: Lakshmi of Taste of Mysore

Meet Lakshmi of Taste of Mysore blog in the Super blogger series this week. She has been blogging for almost four years now and has a collection of about 275 recipes till now. She focusses mainly on Karnataka regional cuisine. She efficiently manages her daily routine and her blog together..Read more about her

EC: Tell us something about yourself

Lakshmi : I am a pharmacist by education, working in research, in health care and hospital industry. I am mother of two boys, who keep me busy all the time after my work hours. Cooking is not new to me as I am cooking from the age of 15. At that age perhaps I did not understand the logic of using many ingredients but just followed amma's instructions and helped her in her chores. My mother and grandmother were good cooks. My mother was very innovative in her cooking methods and recipes. As her health worsened her memory also went for a toss so I could not learn much from her, but she was(/is/will remain) my inspiration. I faintly remember her tips for cooking, but the taste of her cooking cannot be forgotten! She was multi talented. She had a big craze for handmade bags. She made bags from wires using crochet, she made idols using beads, flowers with satin cloth, made dolls for Dasara and very creatively recycled dad's old pants. I learned light music and still love to sing them, art and craft and blogging are my hobbies.

First dish I mastered to cook was Holige (Puran Poli).

Disasterous cooking memory : Idli.

I was studying in hostel for 2 years and had completely detached myself from cooking. Soon after studies I got married. All these happened in such a short time that I never got time to revise my cooking skills :( . Idlis prepared obeyed Newton's third law of motion.ahahha..Unforgettable experiance

Happy cooking memories : are many.

EC: Who and what inspired you to start food blogging ?

Lakshmi : The reason to start a blog was very simple; to keep the recipes electronically availabe. We moved a lot due to work and books were difficult to carry wherever I went. Internet was a good choice. I started searching for options and from one to another and the idea of electronically keeping the recipe book became interesting. I started following the blogs and read how to start a blog. Rest is history. I have been blogging from past four years. Initially I cooked for blog, to record my recipes but now it is the other way round. There is no fixed frequency for blogging. I cook more than I blog. Some of them have not made to blog till now. Say it lack of time; from 7AM in the morning to 11PM in the night my schedule is fixed and timetabled.

EC: How do you think blogging has changed your life ?

Lakshmi : Blogging has taught me many things from 'HTML' to photography. I have to improve a lot in every front, if I get time :D. Blogging has given me few good friends around the globe, whom I have not met face to face, but still they make me feel well by their emails. Blogging has given me warmth 'by user feedback' . I get long emails from my readers (these never comment !!) how my blog has inspired them to cook or how they have started cooking better, thank you- comments and many more. They all make me feel happy. Few of my readers send their recipe to share on my blog which I publish.

EC: How much technical knowledge does one need for successful blogging ?

Lakshmi: Talk about success, I can say blogging is like directing a movie. You never know what readers like in your blog. But, I think with some basic know-how one can certainly start blogging.

EC: Have your recipes been copied anywhere without your permission..How would you deal with plagiarism ?

Lakshmi: I hate plagiarism and strongly oppose it. It is not wise to steal someone's hard work. As far as my knowledge goes my recipes have not been plagiarised. I would probably confront first and if/she does not budge, then I will escalate the problem to service provider like google/technorati and take other bloggers help to solve the issue.

EC : What are your recipe sources and do you follow them exactly ?

Lakshmi : My recipe source is me, my mothers tips, my sisters, their families, aunts and many more extended family members. I try to modify them to suit my family's palate.

EC: Your favourite vegetarian recipe 

Lakshmi : I am a great fan of all types of vegetarian food. I have two food blogs one which features Karnataka style food and the other one is a mixture of all which I blog at Cooking Station. My favorite is Akki Rotti from Taste of Mysore and Kesar Mango Kulfi From Cooking Station.