For those of you who may not know much about me, I’m Rachel Jade. A Southern California native who is currently residing in Dublin, Ireland. Quite the paradox, huh? Well, when I first visited Ireland back in 2013, I adored Dublin. So before moving to Ireland I already knew I loved the culture and people. But moving out of the foodie hub of Los Angeles was challenging. I mean all I was destined to eat in Dublin was steak & potatoes and drink Guinness, right? Wrong. Although I do enjoy a hearty Irish meal during the cold of winter, and I absolutely love Guinness (maybe more than I should), the more I explored Dublin, the more I fell in love with its food. In fact, it’s been through this food that I’ve met fellow foodies along the way and with that became immersed in the Irish and UK health & food community. So I guess this was part of the series of events which all led me to starting this blog, really.

I fought the idea of a blog for a long time. It sounded so mainstream and almost cliché. It seems that everyone these days wants to start a blog so what value could I add to the blogging world? There are already so many incredible bloggers (especially food and health bloggers) out there. And I follow them and love their content and support it 100%. So why would I need to do the same? Yet, the more I dwelled on the idea of a blog, the more it actually seemed to suit me

I was fortunate enough to grow up in two main food cities: San Francisco & Los Angeles. So since childhood I’ve been spoiled in having access to amazing food all the time. This played a huge role in how I became the food, beer, coffee & wine snob that I am today (and now I’m quite particular about my whiskey thanks to Ireland). And not only was I lucky enough to eat out and try a variety of exquisite foods, but I am blessed that both of my parents are incredible chefs. My dad is Chinese and grew up working at his parent’s family restaurant. So, yes, if you’ve put the pieces together by now your mouth is probably watering thinking about all the savoury Chinese dishes he can make. My mom was very independent (like me) and spent most of her teenage and college years caring for herself which led her to become her own personal chef. She still amazes me to this day with the dishes she can create out of leftovers, not to mention all the countless recipes she knows by heart. And it’s with these two main ingredients which truly cultivated me into the foodie I am today. I still remember the little cooking tricks I was taught as a child and the pieces of advice my parents would give me to distinguish quality taste from cheap shortcuts.

On top of my love for food, I’ve always had an interest in writing. As a teenager, it was an outlet for me. I even wanted to become a writer or English teacher at one point. However, I still pursued my main passion of becoming a veterinarian, so over time my hobby of writing dissipated. Though I stopped writing regularly, this never stopped me from thinking. To this day, if I’m not focused on a specific task, I tend to be deep in thought. Whether it’s questions and curiosities, or ideas. I narrate my own life, really. And when it comes to food these thoughts start to brew. I love food, if that wasn’t apparent already. When I enjoy a meal where the taste will forever be a memory in my mind, I can’t help but think about how I need to share the experience in elaborate detail to every person I know so they too can experience the delectable moment. Even if I happen to make something, not from a recipe book, but from a random assortment of items I may have in my kitchen; and it turns out to look and taste like something out of a magazine, then heck yes I want to share that with the world. But so often these things tend to only surface on Instagram and my followers only get a glimpse of a taste. There is just so much more I could say about each meal or dish!

When I think back on my teenage and undergraduate years, and even the past couples years I’ve been in Ireland, I realize how much food really impacted my life. I know, again, I love food. But in all seriousness, this is more about how food impacted my life in terms of my health and my wellbeing. It’s certainly not easy growing up these days in a society where a certain body image is considered beautiful and the “ideal”. Or with the ideas that certain foods are “bad” or “healthy” just because someone claims they are. There are so many lies all over social media and the news. It really forces someone to do their own research, which can definitely be a good thing but sometimes this can mean following a diet trend or believing “facts” about food that stand on no truth. Trust me, I get this. I’ve been all over the spectrum when it comes to food and health. This is one reason I’ve become such an advocate for having a healthy relationship with food. I’ve suffered with eating disorders which kept me from enjoying food and forced me to count calories. And I’ve also said “screw it” and ate whatever I wanted. I’ve even used fitness as an excuse on both end. But a healthy lifestyle and a happy mind are not about what you restrict yourself to. This leads to an exhausting and overall unsatisfactory life. Your body and your soul are fed by what you give yourself.

As a full time post-graduate student consumed by a challenging course, I’ve discovered the importance of a balance – physically, mentally/emotionally, & spiritually. So this is where my blog fits in. It is a product of my own personal journey with finding a healthy balance amidst a demanding lifestyle. I find this balance especially important in the veterinary field (and health professions alike). In veterinary medicine we are taught in detail how to maintain animal health, and diagnose & treat ailments. However, we aren’t actually taught how to care for ourselves. Sounds a bit silly since animal & human medicine can be parallel, but it’s unfortunately true. It disheartens me to see so many veterinarians and many of my peers struggle with mental and physical health. I commonly think, how can we as veterinarians give our all in treating animals when we aren’t even looking after ourselves? This is why a balance between mind, body & soul is vital.

So I supposed this is really why I have started this blog. To share some truth and positivity. To encourage and support you. To share my opinion and thoughts. To explore more of my passions and reignite my love for writing. I would absolutely love for people to read what I write and learn more about food and health through this blog. But honestly, I also just really want to use this blog as my own outlet. A way for me to get my thoughts onto “paper” per se. And if that means you decide you want to keep hearing my rambles, then I like you already! So, this space – this blog – is really a product of my mind, my experiences, my tastes, and my faith. My hope is that you, too, can discover your own tastes through it and I hope it can inspire and encourage you to be happy with who you are and excited about who you can be. To help you cultivate a healthier mind, body & soul through food, fitness, faith & all things fluffy.