“The saddest thing about selling out is just how cheaply most of us do it for.”
~ James Bernard Frost
For a very brief moment yesterday I thought I’d hit the blogging big time.
I was approached to do a review of cup noodles on my blog ‘based on my blog’s successful readership and suitable demographic’.
The approach was a legitimate one, by a large organisation. The rewards were… awesome? A supermarket voucher, a LOT of cup noodles for my personal use, and a ridiculous amount of cup noodles to be donated to my workplace or favourite sporting organisation.
Seeing that I work for myself, and my sport is fighting lyme disease that meant potentially an epic amount of cup noodles.
My next problem was this.
I had no idea what cup noodles even were.
So I googled them.
Cup noodles are dehydrated wheat noodles, vegetables, strange chunks of possible other flavour and textural items, spices, flavourings and a truckload of MSG and other scary additives and chemicals. In a non-degradable styrene cup, with a disposable plastic fork. Using palm oil. No wonder they hadn’t ever been on my radar.
They’re not even food! Also, nasty!
In America alone, they use enough single use non-recyclable styrene cups each year (from cup noodles?) to circle the world 426 times. (source: . Department of Environmental Quality Oklahoma, “Eco Views Volume 2 Spring 2004” http://www.deq.state.ok.us/pubs/l pd/ecoviewvol2.pdf) Styrene is bad news for us and the environment.
Even as an impoverished student I never ate such a thing. Sadly, I might be trending up in the blog readership stats but I am the girl who blogs home-made chicken soup, gluten-free treats, kindness, walking sustainably upon the earth and old-fashioned cooking. Not the girl who writes reviews about trash food.
As a dear friend of mine wrote on my facebook page yesterday, Sell out for money, not noodles. Thanks, Kim!
My blog is edging towards two million views, and I have over ten thousand subscribers. I’ve built a community of friends and like-minded people here. And I feel very protective towards you, and my little Cauldrons and Cupcakes offerings.
So let me assure you, this girl is no sell out. Not for noodles. Not for money.
There is a reason my blog remains endorsement and advertising free. This is MY blog. It represents MY views. I value my values. I value my editorial freedom. I value control over my content.
If I like something, I’ll tell you. For free.
And it sure won’t ever be me telling you about cup noodles. Apologies, if you’re a cup noodle fan. But I know you’ll understand.
Lots of love, Nicole
