Blogger Spotlight: The Hungary Buddha Eats The World
This week, we're proud to feature Chrissy Barua of The Hungary Buddha Eats the World in the Blogger Spotlight. For those new to the column, every Friday, we highlight a member of The Daily Meal's Culinary Content Network, a limited group of bloggers who write about food and drink.
We look to this group of talented food writers for inspiration and participation in The Daily Meal, whether for restaurant recommendations or new recipes to try out for dinner. Our editorial team covers All Things Food and Drink, and we tap the CCN to keep up to speed on what is happening around the country and the world — from fine dining to home cooking.
In addition to blogging at and creating The Hungary Buddha Eats the World, Barua is a lawyer as well as an avid traveler and blogger. She is also a former scientist.
Many of her recipes are inspired by childhood memories; she credits her appreciation for food to her mother, and her kitchen skills to hours spent watching Rachael Ray perfect those 30-minute meals.
The Daily Meal: What is the mission of your blog?
Chrissy Barua: To eat as few boring meals as possible!
How did you get started with your blog?
I love to travel, and more so love to eat when I travel. The idea for the blog came about after a trip to Ireland where I spent a week eating fabulous and delicious food (yes, in Ireland). Over a bowl of lackluster cottage cheese at my desk, I realized that there was no reason that I couldn't eat the same deliciousness back home. The rest is history!
What are some foods you can't live without?
If I could live in a house of bread, I would. I also love peanut butter, and always travel with a jar of Jif (you know, in case of emergency). And armed with a major sweet tooth, I have to have dessert every day — and I can't pick just one.
What are some foods you can't stand?
I eat mostly everything, but I'm adamantly opposed to raisins and any sort of melon.
What is your proudest blog post?
This is hard. I'd have to say my first one — I had no idea what I was doing, and I think just putting it out there is something to be proud of! Even though, it's objectively a pretty horrible post.
What is your biggest blog blunder?
My biggest mistake was not doing any research before starting the blog. Before that first post, I really hadn't read any blogs at all, and jumped in head first, and thought that my awful phone pictures were enough to get people interested in what I was making. Unfortunately, this mistake continued for the first year and a half of the blog, and so now I feel like I need to go back and remake a lot of things and frame the dishes in a way that will make people want to make them because some of them are truly outstanding! Also, I once did a horrible conversion from metric and the wrong measurements sat on the page for months before I realized it.
What is your most memorable comment from a reader?
I don't get a lot of blog comments, but the best compliment I could ask for is when people make dishes that I've made. Imitation is the biggest form of flattery, isn't it?
What's on your cooking playlist?
I always have music playing when I cook — kitchen dance parties are totally a thing in my house! I'm strangely particular about it; dinner is usually to the tune of Michael Bublé or Frank Sinatra... a crooner of some sort. Baking is usually pop — love me some old-school Britney [Spears], and if I'm spending all day in the kitchen, Frankie Valli is the one setting the mood.
What are some food blogs you love?
This is tough. There is so much talent out there! I would say my top five would be: Joy the Baker, The Brown-Eyed Baker, Smitten Kitchen, Oh Ladycakes, I am a Food Blog, and Dinner: A Love Story. Okay, that's six...
What are some food apps you like?
What's an app? I'm so behind the times.
What is the best thing about blogging?
The people. Here in Chicago, blogging has such a great, supportive community. It's given me a whole new circle of friends that understand why it's important to take pictures of food in restaurants before you dig in!
What is the worst thing about blogging?
Honestly, not a fan of the photography part. I just want to cook!
What would even your most loyal followers be surprised to learn about you?
In real life I'm a lawyer! It's usually the one thing that surprises most people that I meet and unless you've read the "about me" page, you wouldn't gather it from the posts. I guess I should take it as a compliment that I don't seem lawyerly. Also, I love sports, and spent two years in college on the sidelines working for the Notre Dame football team.
Five of your all-time favorite posts?
My all-time favorite posts are the ones that speak to my family, my childhood, and my memories. They're the ones that I love writing the most.