I have, without harsh intent, offended the delicate sensibilities of one of my readers — or rather, one of my now-former readers — and the shame and horror of it has me on the verge of swooning.
I included in my last newsletter a pointer to an online poll to determine the best sandwich in the world. This poll included photos of attractive young ladies in modern swimwear enjoying the sandwiches. A reader wrote me to say:
Where is the cooking advice? This newsletter was a joke! Seriously, women in bikini’s eating pork. Your a pig!
What did your wife say about it? Maybe you should run the newsletters by her first….
🙁
I can not tell you how upset this makes me. I immediately rushed to my wife to ask her forgiveness, and secure her promise to restrain my baser impulses in the future. She read the newsletter — no, I hadn’t showed it to her in advance, how stupid of me — then read the comments from my ex-reader.
Here’s what she had to say.
What?! By this summer I’m going to be the one in the bikini eating a pulled pork sandwich. Would she rather people think the only way for girls to look good is to eat carrots?
There’s a reason I love this woman.
UPDATE:
IN addition to the comments below, I’ve gotten quite a few emails in response to this.
Are you serious? Your reader had a valid point, and your wife’s reaction (which she is of course entitled to) is completely beside that point. Count me in as a reader that does not find cheesecake photos of women as delightful as you apparently do. I read a cooking blog for the recipes – not to see women objectified. And particularly not to see a faithful reader mocked. This was an ugly post.
— Nancy
I think I like your wife, Frank! [NOTE: It’s Drew, not Frank.]
Life is serious enough already without making everything a big thing!— Jo
I love your newsletter, so take that! to the old former reader prude.
I want to look good in a bikini even though I eat pork sandwiches too!
Love the couch, what a fabulous find. Your wife sounds like a fun person to know.— Becky
No now, Becky, we don’t need any name calling here.
Sometimes it gets a bit much when we can’t even read a recipe without having it made into a sex ad.. that was her point I think.. maybe if you had hot men instead it would help. 🙂
— J
but where are the recipes?
sincerely,
— Ann.
And finally …
Haha! Yeah, I guess I over reacted a little. My husband thinks this newsletter is the funniest thing he ever read. No hard feelings!
Sincerely,
Your not so former reader…
And I guess that’s all I’ve got to say about that.
