Two weeks ago I received a note from a reader that went as follows:

Bless your heart, darling, the Australian page was so wrong, it’s hilarious. I suspect the same of the Welsh page.

Hmmm. I pondered that one for a few minutes, wondering what section of each article the reader was referring to. Wales was written in 2001, and Australia followed in 2002. While that is neither here nor there, I wrote both articles in the same vein I do all the others: about three weeks of research about my subject matter, sometimes more (with particular attention paid to the cuisine), and if possible a sit-down with someone from the country in which I’m writing about. This was the case with both Wales and Australia, so I was at a loss where I had been “wrong” about Australia, and then having someone assume the same about Wales - which they had not read by their own admission (“I suspect the same of the Welsh page”). In order to clarify the reader’s comments, I wrote to her:

Please let me know where I was "wrong" (specifically). I did a lot of research on the articles and had sit-downs with people from both countries. Is it the recipes, history, traditions, language? I'd really be interested in your opinions because if I have misrepresented either country I'd like to know about it so I can edit the issue or issues in question. Do you live in Australia or Wales? Thank you for writing, and I look forward to hearing from you.

So far, I have not heard back from this individual but I am still curious as to which sections she was referring to in Wales and Australia. I’m sure a common response would be “I don’t have time to point out the mistakes,” but this person certainly had the time to read the contents of one, and make specific comments about both of them. I am truly interested in hearing from people who may have an opinion or view of a particular country, especially if they feel I have misrepresented a point in some fashion. Accuracy is more important than fluffy writing to me; I’d sooner have the facts than simple filler.

 

In the past, other readers have written to me about minor points in Poland, England, Basque Flavors and Canada and after looking into the matter, I fixed the particulars in all three articles (which were respectively about Polish history, the Cross of St. George, a missing Basque recipe ingredient and local foods in a certain region of Canada).

 

At any rate, my door is always open for suggestions and verified corrections, no matter which article is being held up to scrutiny.