I’ve been churning out food reviews on my own since my new domain ahyen.com was registered. Along the journey I’ve referenced many food bloggers like vkeong, cklam, iamthewitch, Big Boys Oven just to name a few (there’s actually a long list at Zhongg Internet Digest) and many others to see why are they so successful and found these 4 basic requirements that they have which I don’t.

1 – A Decent Camera

A good food blog is never complete without good pictures. Having an illustration of the food you are reviewing helps the readers imagine better. It also gives the reader an initial expectation of how the food will look like when served. Take koay chiap for example. For those who don’t know what it is would not know how it looks like but thanks to a nicely taken photograph, your readers would know what to expect. A well-framed shot will also make the food surprisingly delicious than expected.

2 – The Lust For Good Food

Yes this is a requirement. You might be surprised that there are some Malaysians who are not picky about food and will just take the same dish 3 times a day, 7 times a week and… well you get the idea. The curiosity to search for good food is like that itch you need to scratch so desperately. You must have this trait to be a top rated Malaysian food blogger else you will find yourself eating the same food over and over again which means one thing. NO NEW FOOD POSTS.

3 – A Pen Which Is Mightier Than Any Sword

Your medium here is your blog so you must be able to convey how the food smell, feel and taste like in writing. The capability of making your readers drool just by reading your articles would ensure they feel exactly how you felt that day when you were having that pot of bak kut teh or that packet of nasi lemak. Sure, a picture paints a thousand words but still the pen being mightier than the sword is your best bet in conveying your thoughts to your readers.

4 – The Willingness To Share

All that information is useless if you are not willing to share your findings with others. Be it through word of mouth or through your blog, sharing is always a way to show that you care. Letting others know that you have something that they might be interested is what makes us human. Sharing about good food, now that makes you a saint ;)

So do you have what it takes? As for me, I know I do not have all of them so I might not be able to make it as a top rated Malaysian food blogger anytime soon. What about you? If you think I’ve left out some do let me know!

For more articles like this, head on over to the eatgod report.