If you attend a food event in Ottawa, there are two faces you’re bound to see, if they’re not blocked by their camera – that’s Don and Jenn of FoodiePrints.  We met this culinary couple at our Ottawa Food Blogger meetup , and wanted to learn a bit more about them to share with you. When did you first start writing about food, and what made you decide to start a blog? Don: I started the blog in December 2006 because I needed a way to share a biscotti recipe with colleagues.  I made a batch for a directorate-wide Christmas pot luck one year.  It was such a hit developers from several teams, several managers, and a director tracked down who made the biscotti.  After I forwarded the fifth e-mail, I decided to create a blog to share recipes. You take a lot of photos of restaurants and events you go to.  Has a restaurant owner ever asked you not to photograph their food? Jenn: Though we have never had anyone ask us not to take pictures, we have received some funny looks.  We do ask permission and restaurant owners are often more than happy to allow us to take pictures.  In fact, at one particular restaurant, the waiter encouraged us to take as many pictures as we wanted and told us it would make the kitchen very happy. Has blogging about food changed the way you cook, eat or experience food? Don: foodiePrints is meant to be two things, a cook's notebook and a place to encourage discussion about all things food.  It is however, Ottawa-centric, as we want to encourage others to see our city as a great food destination. Has blogging changed the way we cook? To some extent yes.  We find contributing posts to the blogosphere has us breaking down dishes and methods. Documenting how we make something forces us to put more thought, especially forethought, into cooking. Jenn: I do have to admit though, I am horrible at documenting the dishes that I make.  I grew up learning to cook by watching my mother and grandparents.  I cook purely by instinct and taste.  I eyeball the amount of spices and liquids needed for each dish.  Since we began blogging, I make an effort to measure some things, but still find it challenging. Don: Has blogging changed the way we eat or experience food?  Participating in the blogosphere is two-way.  We have learned so much from other bloggers about what we eat, where food comes from, and what others think about food.  Do we blog about everything we eat?  No.  The camera doesn't come with us to every restaurant. Do you cook at home regularly? Jenn: Yes, we do.  In fact, Don feels strongly that food bloggers should cook or, at least, spend time in the kitchen with someone who cooks.  By learning basic culinary skills one will have a better appreciation of the preparation, skill, and effort chefs and their cooks put into making a dish.  For me, cooking is my creative outlet.  I love cooking for my friends and family, especially for Don.  I enjoy making my own interpretations of foods I grew up eating and attempting new dishes, everything from scratch. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Jenn: OK, this is an easy one for me to answer.  Rice!  It's my staple food.  Rice noodles, steamed rice, sticky rice, that all counts as one food! Right?  Now this is one cruel question for Don... Don: Asking a food blogger to pick one food is somewhat difficult.  We write about the many splendours of flavour and texture that come from many dishes.  If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be potatoes.  There are so many varieties of potatoes (farmed, heirloom, sweet or otherwise) around the world.  As Jenn and I discovered earlier this month, so many dishes can be made from them: cakes, gnocchi, noodles, puddings, crisps... Are you a food blogger?  We’re always looking for great new finds from the Canadian blogosphere, so drop us an introduction in the comments!