About NEAROF!

Iain Ilich, Editor — Iain is a writer and editor based in Calgary, Canada. His writing has appeared in newspapers across the country including the National Post, the Edmonton Journal, the Montreal Gazette and the Vancouver Sun.

Iain has also written for magazines like Dose, Where and This Magazine, and for popular men’s lifestyle website Askmen.com. He spent time as a restaurant critic at Vue Weekly, Edmonton’s independent arts weekly, where he learned to enjoy being paid money to eat things. He has also contributed nationally syndicated radio pieces to CBC Radio, the public broadcaster in Canada.

You can reach him on Twitter at @iainilich.

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SO, WHAT’S NEAROF?

NEAROF is all about the food you eat between the spectacular five-course meals that other food writers seem to obsess over. It’s a site that aims to review the food you actually eat and the kitchen gadgets you might find genuinely useful. I love good food, but I try not to be a snob about it. There’s something to be said for the simple pleasure of a bag of Skittles on an otherwise dreary afternoon at the office.

This is an experiment. I plan to write for and update this site for one year. That’s November 1, 2010, to November 1, 2011, in case you’re keeping track. If you love it, and if it’s still worth doing after that time, I’ll keep on doing it. That’s my way of saying visit early and visit often. And tell your friends. A little bit of re-tweeting goes a long way.

I hope my enthusiasm for food is contagious, but not so contagious that it requires an ointment.

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A WARNING OF SORTS

Three things:

1. All the words and pictures on this website are copyrighted. Please don’t use them without my permission. You’re welcome to quote a paragraph on your blog, as long as you link back to the NEAROF story you’re quoting. This website is free for readers, and relies on advertising to pay the bills, so stealing my words and pictures is robbing me of the dollars I need to do my laundry. Ad-blocking software is also unwelcome. I do my best to make sure there are no annoying pop-up Flash ads all over the place (I hate that stuff just as much as you do), so please do me a favour and don’t block the ads loading on the site. That’s a pretty tiny price to pay for all my work.

I don’t want to get all “karma” on you, but really, we all know stealing is wrong. Quote me and link to me, but don’t take my words and use them to earn money of your own.

2. Don’t take everything you read on NEAROF to be the gospel truth. I’m human, and I make mistakes. Don’t base purchasing decisions solely on what you read here. Opinion is just that: opinion. I’m entitled to my opinion, and you’re entitled to yours. But I’m not responsible for you not liking the candy or kitchen appliance I said I loved.

3. Please, eat responsibly. I mean it. I love gooey, cheesy, gravy-soaked poutine, but I know it’s a treat, not an everyday snack. I hope the site helps you discover new food that interests you, but know that NEAROF is part of a balanced diet.

Thanks, everyone, for supporting the site with your clicks and comments. If you have any questions, get in touch.