Meet a #Canberra Foodie: Eileen (@TheFoodAvenue)

Posted on March 27, 2014

I first met Eileen very briefly at a #CBRTweetUp event a couple of months ago at a café on Canberra’s southside and have been following her blog and tweets with interest ever since. I think her unique international experience, networks and love for good food and everything enjoyable in Canberra make her someone to watch as she evolves her blogging and confidence with social media. She also mentioned that she is sharing her experiences with food and growing cooking skills with some workmates so I’m hoping I will be able to take a class with her in the near future.

Who are you Eileen? I’ve been trained as an apprentice hairdresser, a journalist, a lawyer, and a public servant. In essence though, I’m a foodie that loves to take photos of her food and sharing it with people. I also love fashion and beauty. I started the blog because friends love my food recommendations and are always asking me where I get my outfits. I was born in Taiwan, where the national pastime is eating and snacking. It’s clearly in my genes. Did I mention I love food?
I’ve recently discovered Twitter and have been having a great time engaging with other foodies and meeting them! I tweet at @thefoodavenue and I post photos on my Instagram as well.

Age? 30

Where do you live? Turner

How long have you been blogging? About 2.5 years, although more regularly in the past 6 months.

Other hobbies/interests? Shopping, karaoke, ice skating.

Apple or Android? Android

Car/bus/bike? Walking actually. I walk to work and to most social activities, which is usually close by.

Favourite TV show? At the moment, it’s a Taiwanese variety show called ‘Super Taste’. It’s a humorous travel/food show! The hosts pair up into teams and review all different kinds of food in Taiwan (sometimes they go overseas as well!). My favourite episodes are the ones where they undertake “challenges”. For example, there was an episode where the hosts had to eat something from 25 food places within 36 hours to win NT$20,000 (approx. AUD$737)

Favourite devices? My Olympus EPL2 – it has been laughed at by photography aficionados (for its size and capabilities) but it does what I need it to. Plus, it’s compact enough for me to carry everywhere and less conspicuous than full DSLRs when I’m in restaurants. Also, I love my wifi SD card for the instant uploads. And I couldn’t live without my smartphone, of course!

<I was blown away by the quality of the photos that Eileen was taking with her compact camera. For example, here’s a photo I took with my iPhone and one she took with her Olympus>

Can we take a peek at your home screen?

Most-used app? Youtube. What a fantastic source of entertainment and learning.

Favourite social media? Facebook for knowing what’s going on with my friends and family. Pinterest for creativity and inspiration.

What’s the first thing online you check each morning? My weather app, so I know how to dress for the day!

What do you worry about at night? Whether I’m living authentically. I’ve learned that it’s better to fail at being yourself than to be successful pretending to be someone else.

Most exciting recent news? I’m running my first cooking class next week and I’m super excited about it! I’m teaching people how to make banh mi (Vietnamese Saigon rolls)

Ideal career? I have already had a taste of my ideal career – being a features writer (it’s awesome seeing your name in print)! I would love to do that again for a food, beauty, fashion, lifestyle or travel publication, or be a magazine editor.

Recent book you recommend? I’ve almost finished reading The Time Traveller’s Wife. I would highly recommend it!

Recent online video you laughed at? Kids react to rotary phones

Favourite food? Ooh, this is a particularly hard one. I don’t think I could narrow it down that far so I’d have to say Taiwanese cuisine, which captures a whole range of foods – from delicious braised dishes to amazing desserts.

Follow Eileen’s blog here: www.thefoodavenue.com

Twitter here: @TheFoodAvenue

Instagram here: http://instagram.com/thefoodavenue#

Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/TheFoodAvenue