Well, hello there!
Oof, how I hate writing my bio.
It’s so, I don’t know, creepy and self-promotion-y. All the “I did this,” “I made that,” and “I won those awards.” Ugh. All the stuff most people couldn’t care less about.
So, I’ll dispense with it here. If you really want to read all the braggadocio deets, you can find them on my website, Leite’s Culinaria. And against the advice of tons of Substackers, there’ll be no aggressive sales pitch here.
Instead, I want you to kick your shoes off, tug on your most forgiving sweats, and pour yourself a glass of bubbly. My partner, Alan—better known these past 30 years as The One—and I always serve cava, prosecco, or Champagne when meeting new friends. Therefore, I’ll just sit here and wait until you get a glass.
[Drums fingers on the desk…watches his cat Graycie walk across the keyboard
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Ah, you’re back! Good. Let’s start.
I’m David Leite. Obviously. I made my way over to Substack in March rather hesitantly. I’ve been publishing my website for more than 25 years. But, alas, some of the joy went out of it these past few years because of Big Bad Google and its capricious algorithms. Over time, I found I’d become just another Google Bitch, writing recipes Google rewarded, stopping writing essays and humor pieces Google penalized, and chasing those ever-elusive magic keywords.
It’s been years since I spent my days cooking and writing. Instead, I attend endless seminars on cracking the Google code and learning the secrets of SEO. (If it were so exclusive and hush-hush, why was I one of millions taking the same classes?)
Worst of all, I stared at charts and graphs and crunched spreadsheets of numbers. Considering I STILL count on my fingers—swear to God—you can only imagine how that thrilled me.
On Substack, I feel as if a straightjacket slipped off, and I can breathe deeply and fully. Here, I can write what I want, say what I want. I can write off-topic, like my essay about my late dad, or being a bit wacko in the head, or share my massive cooking screw-ups with you. And to borrow a phrase from my very religious, evangelical mother, I don’t have to “give a rat’s ass” about Google.
What I didn’t expect, though, was the wonderful and supportive community that sprung up in a few short months. And while I answer every comment left on my site—all 46,903 of them so far—it’s not the same kind of interaction as on Substack. Here, it’s more equal, more thoughtful, more mutually supportive. And, boy, does that fill this fat, old gay man’s soul.
So that’s why I’m on Substack. What about you? Why are you here? What are you looking for? What do you like to read? What do you hope to gain, learn, and achieve here?
In short, I want to get to know you.
And before I go, please indulge me as I share some photos to give you a better idea of my loved ones and me. One day, I hope to see pictures of you and yours.
Chow,
Like what you read? Great! Want a paid subscription? Great! Want a free subscription? Great! Why my egalitarian responses? Because I trust you know what’s best for you.
