Tag Archives: substack

175 years

30 Thursday Jan 2025

Posted by in anniversary, friends, sevilla, spain, substack, tapas, tapas bars

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chef Óscar with Reyes

Today I spent the afternoon with my friend Reyes Morales. Nothing unusual there as some of my most pleasant afternoons are spent with Reyes. But this time was different in that I was there to interview her (!) for an upcoming Substack post on the 175th anniversary of Casa Morales. I mean, I already knew a lot about the bar and its history, and also a fair bit about Reyes, but I discovered there was so much more that I didn’t know. It was fascinating listening to her story as we sat at the bar with me scribbling notes while we enjoyed tapas and wine together. Hoping to get it published over the weekend. Stay tuned…

new logo! again

15 Wednesday Jan 2025

Posted by in bitesize sevilla, sevilla, substack

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You may remember that I somewhat frantically threw together my first Substack post in an effort to have something up there on January 1st… and just made it, phew! The whole thing – idea, name, concept – came together in just a few hours, and there hasn’t really been time to catch my breath since then. Or work on the design. I mean I grabbed that fork with an orange slice (see below pic) off the internet just to have some image up there, but it obviously needed… more. Then today I sent my friend Paul a couple of ideas and together we came up with this new look. I like it! Thanks Paul!

bitesize sevilla

06 Monday Jan 2025

Posted by in culture, food & drink, gastronomy, music, podcasts, recipes, sevilla, spain, substack, work

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bitesize

So remember when I started off the New Year last week by saying goodbye to Twitter and writing my first Substack post? Well, I am just now coming up for air. I had no idea that one post was going to turn into its own publication and brand and open up all kinds of ideas and possibilities. Also Substack is the most unintuitive platform I have ever participated on, and so a lot of time this past week has been spent just trying to figure it out. I think this is because it is trying to be too many things. Aside from being a publishing platform for writers it has various other features such as the aforementioned separate publication option, plus posts, notes and chats (don’t ask). And there is also a podcast option, which I have yet to look at.

As a result of all this STUFF there, there are at least three “HOME” pages and two “SETTINGS”… plus you have to set everything up, which is tricky to do when you can’t remember which home or settings page you need, or even where you last found them on your dashboard. Anyhow, things are pretty much operational now and happily it’s not tricky to navigate simply as a reader, so please have a look if you’d like to… Bitesize Sevilla (two posts up so far!). And if you like what you see you can subscribe for free.

And so how is this different from all the other platforms I am on? Well, I’m glad you asked, because although Substack may seem like more of the same, the hope is that it will start generating some much needed income. Not only because of still being sidelined due to THE KNEE, but also just because it’s exciting to have a new project and do something a bit different. The writing for Bitesize will overlap with my other blogs, websites and social media, but the aim is to create an essential guide to all things Sevilla… all in one place.

For the moment the posts are all free to read as I am getting started by publishing a series of basic info posts, but once I start researching and writing more in depth pieces then people will be able to access those by subscribing to one of the payment options (monthly or yearly). I’m also considering a podcast for a bit later on. My feeling about most podcasts I’ve been listening to is that they’re just too long. I plan to make mine “bite sized”, maybe half an hour. And again, some will be open and others for paid subscribers only. But first things first. I have a LOT of writing to do now and so I’d better get to it!

adios twitter, hola substack!

02 Thursday Jan 2025

Posted by in articles, bluesky, sevilla, social media, substack, work, writing

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substack

New year, new stuff going on. Yesterday I bid farewell to Twitter, or what’s left of it. I’d been cross posting with Bluesky for the past year and a half but until recently I was still interacting more on Twitter. That began to change when Bluesky suddenly exploded in November after the US election. I noticed that even with far fewer followers on Bluesky there was a lot more engagement, and I was meeting a lot of new and interesting people. So it felt like time to move on and yesterday I tweeted for what will probably be the last time.

It’s a bit sad as I have been there so long, first with my Azahar account (March 2007) and then Sevilla Tapas (February 2009), and I’ve had so many great experiences and met so many wonderful people, but it’s also a bit of a relief. Because it hasn’t been Twitter since it was turned into X and, well, it’s time to go.

Meanwhile, I finally took the plunge and published my first Substack post yesterday. I’ve been lurking for ages and I’m subscribed to several accounts there, but so far I haven’t been sure what to do there. And well, I’m still not sure what I’m doing, but I decided if I didn’t get started then I’d just keep putting it off.

Substack is a platform that people use to promote their writing and to also monetise their content. Most offer a basic free newsletter and then “premium content” if you pay a small monthly fee. This is what I’m still thinking about, what I want to write about and if any of it would be considered “premium” by anyone. BUT I do need to move forward with both writing and making a living, especially as I haven’t been able to do the food tours since last summer because of my KNEE.

My good friend Thane Prince, renowned cookbook author and food writer, gave me some encouragement back in November, saying I need to just go for it. When I expressed all the usual insecurities she said… “Doesn’t matter, you can write about Seville, Sherry, Spain. Don’t do yourself down. Charge a modest €6 a month, get 100 folk, job done.” She suggested I could use the next month or so to plan for a launch in January.

And then suddenly it was January and I hadn’t done any planning (!!!) other than in my head. And so that’s why yesterday I just said FUCK IT and went for it. It’s an introductory post but it has made me visible and also holds me responsible to keep my word. And so, if any of you have any idea of what you think I should write about… I’m all ears!