Espresso & Matcha’s Twelfth Anniversary

The useful part

Dear Readers, September 23 marks the twelfth anniversary of Espresso & Matcha. Yet somehow, despite all the changes that have taken place since then, I am still writing about food. Looking back, very little about my life is the same as it was when I started the blog.

How it works

• I've changed jobs many times, travelled extensively, moved through different stages of my life and watched the food scene around me change considerably.
• It is interesting to consider how much can change over twelve years, and yet how some things remain remarkably consistent.
• I have never wanted Espresso & Matcha to simply follow whatever happens to be popular.
• One of the things I have come to appreciate more as I get older is that change is inevitable.
• Our circumstances change, our priorities change and, inevitably, we change with them.

What to take from it

What is important is not necessarily remaining the same, but knowing which things are worth holding onto. I've written about this in previous anniversary posts, particularly about the importance of maintaining my independence and not compromising my opinions for the sake of popularity or commercial interests. Twelve years later, I still believe that this is what gives the blog its value.

Example or evidence

• Blogs have given way to Instagram, TikTok and other forms of social media, and the distinction between genuine opinion and promotion has become increasingly blurred.

Details worth keeping

Perhaps the biggest change this year is a rather significant one. For me, one of those things has always been integrity. I still want it to be a place where I can write what I genuinely thi...