A couple of questions for my readers

Feed forward, feedback

There's no such thing as good cooking if it's not made out of friendship for the person for whom it's intended. - Paul Bocuse

From Cuisine Artistique by Urbain Dubois, 1882

I want to take a pause here to reset, to get your feedback and opinions on my Substack as well as the book proposal I am writing based on my Substack. 

I threw the question out onto Twitter, Threads, and Bluesky, asking people if they were more likely to or more interested in purchasing a cookbook of just my French recipes with a brief header introduction to each recipe, or if they were more interested in purchasing a book that includes each recipe's history (like I do on my Substack, albeit edited) as well as the recipe? 

So I have two questions for you and I would really love and appreciate your opinions and feedback:

1. Are you more likely to or more interested in purchasing a cookbook of just my French recipes with a brief header introduction to each recipe, or would you be more interested in purchasing a book that includes each recipe's history, the origins and evolution, the legends and anecdotes, along with the recipe? 

2. Concerning my Substack, a couple of people suggested that a book including the history of the dish should be organized in such a way that the reader can easily access each recipe directly, not have to look for it at the end of the story. They want to be able to read and savor the stories and legends separately, once the dish is cooking or on their down time, as a book. So my second question for you is: Should I reorganize my Substack, placing the recipe at the top of each post so you have it first, followed by the history? Or shall I keep the organization of each post as it is?

If you have any other thoughts about my Substack or my book project, now is the time to share it in a comment. All of your ideas, observations, and critique - whether compliment or criticism - are all taken into consideration and really appreciated. 

From Elle / l'hebdomadaire de la femme, 31 october 1949

Your feedback and opinions always help; never hesitate to give me your honest thoughts because that is what allows me to create the content you want and love in a form and style that you enjoy. 

And thank each and every one of you for subscribing to my Substack, with a special shout out and thanks to you who have become paid subscribers. You all make my work possible and inspire me to keep writing!

Le Pastissier François by François Pierre de La Varenne, 1653

Thank you for subscribing to Life’s a Feast by Jamie Schler. Please leave a comment; your opinions and feedback help me create the content you want and your stories help build our community. You can support my work by sharing the link to my Substack with your friends, family, and your social media followers. If you would like to see my other book projects in the making, read my other essays, and participate in the discussions, please upgrade to a paid subscription.