A Tribute to Sher

I was deeply saddened to learn a few days ago about the sudden and unexpected passing of a fellow food blogger, Sher, who was the author of the food blog, What did you Eat? Sher's circle of friends in the food blog community - her online family - spread the sad news with moving stories of her life, the friendships she formed, and the ways in which she had impacted their lives. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to get to know her as I hadn’t yet had the pleasure of stumbling across her blog, but many of the food bloggers I visit regularly - my own food blogging family - did.

Sher was one of the fabulous Bread Baking Babes, and as a tribute to her they are making one of her recipes and posting it today.  Sher was an active member of the food-blogging community, contributed to BlogHer, and was involved in the long-standing and on-going Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn's Kitchen. Today, these bloggers and many others in the food blog community – all across the world - are celebrating her life and giving tribute to her by making and posting her recipes.  She will live on in the hearts and kitchens of all of her friends.

As my tribute to Sher, and the people who knew and loved her, I chose her recipe for Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs and Sun-dried Tomatoes. You can find her post about it and her recipe here. I chose this recipe because she was a self-professed meatball fanatic and her blog is full of delicious-looking recipes for them. And I chose it because I’ve never made them before. Sure, I’ve thrown a chunk or two of Italian sausage in some tomato sauce before, but her meatballs are the kind of soft, melt-in-your-mouth meatballs that come from a careful hand and a lot of love. They were delicious. I didn't have spaghetti, so instead of serving them with crusty bread, as Sher recommended, I put them on the crusty bread instead and had meatball sandwiches. We'll definitely be making them again. And every time I do, I'll think of Sher.

And this is what food blogs are about – sharing wisdom we've garnered and passing on recipes (and sometimes tidbits of ourselves), but more than anything else, it's about connecting with others and sharing a part of our lives that we're passionate about. Food is something that connects everyone in the world, regardless of location, age, job, lifestyle, political views or religion, and it has for hundreds of years.  Anyone who has blogged in this community knows that it is full of incredibly supportive and amazing people. By leaving comments and visiting other's blogs, by reading the posts that others write - the ones we all put our minds and our hearts into - you can't help but begin to know someone, even if you never learn their real names. And one day, you find you've somehow touched the lives of others and that they have touched yours - by encouragement, wisdom, laughter and sometimes just saying hello when you need it the most.

It's truly an incredible thing - the mere thought of the difference that Sher made to so many people, without having ever met them in person. I hope the posts today, which will be linked to the moving tribute by Sher's closest online friend, Glenna, and so that her family can find and read them, will help them to know just how much she was cared about. While she may have made her home in Davis, she touched the world through her blog.