Appetizing Muse

Web hit counters are kept to obviously track the number of visitors to a web page. I've kept counters on all food articles from their inception.

Just before taking down the articles tonight, I did one more round and recorded the final visitor hits on each. I won't display stats for all, but rather highlight those who received the most hits. I'm surprised by some of the results:

• America: 10,532

• Christmas (Noel): 7,827

• Ireland: 8,564

• Japan: 8,178

• Medieval: 8,145

• Spain: 6,724

The article about America was always a steady climber, but in the last year it really shot up. Of course my first thought - unbidden but there all the same – was that many in the Middle East must be having a look-see.

It was sad to take down all of the articles in less than twenty minutes, but of course I have them all saved to my computer and safely tucked away on CD. The collection is an accumulation of several years hard work – researching, writing and designing each piece with special attention given to cultural details.

However, the experience was not in vain. I not only learned about the food and culture of many different countries, I also honed my writing skills and broadened my knowledge of web design.