Marketmanila Turns 10!!! Salamat! :)

P1040527

It’s been a year of milestones. Mrs. MM and I celebrated our 100th birthday this year (combined), and I nearly missed the fact that marketmanila.com officially turned 10 years old sometime around now. While I have archives that go back to September 2004, those were “pre-dated” and the site actually went live in Late November or early December 2004. There are a total of 3,920 posts or 1.1 posts per day on average for the last 10 years! Since 2004, if google analytics are to be believed, marketmanila.com has generated over 40 million page views and nearly 10 million visitors have visited the website (of whom some 5 million visitors have returned to the site at least once). On its busiest day (I think it was the day I wrote about the B.I.R.), the site garnered nearly 80,000 page views in a 24 hour period but the most popular post by far garnered 750,000+ visits — and that was a simple “Christmas story” post I wrote in December 2012.

Let’s face it, blogging is a dying medium. So readership and attention spans have dropped off from its heyday. But it isn’t the quantity of readers (there are still 5-7,000 of you a day!), it’s the quality, and in may cases, the amazing longevity of “regulars” to the blog who are all a part of a big family of sorts. Ninety-seven percent of you have NEVER EVER written a comment, yet the 3% of you who have, played a big big role in what made this blog an interesting read for so many, and I have learned a great deal from all of you over the years. A special thanks goes out to those of you who have stood by the blog all these years, you know who you are, and I am grateful to have you all along for the ride.

My posts have been intermittent lately, and I feel like I really should be thinking about “retiring” again, but I thought instead that I would just blog when I was inspired. And right now, I AM INSPIRED! It’s a month to Christmas and I just wanted to give all of you a month long Christmas present from MM and Mrs. MM… Come along on our journey to Paris and London. I have made it a point of taking more pictures than usual, because it is a special trip that I think many of you might enjoy. My posts will be limited only by time, but as of today, I have material for nearly 30-40 posts and we still have a few more days of the trip to go! Add that to my normal desire to blog about the holidays in general and I hope my enthusiasm is backed up by enough stamina to keep the ball rolling!

And here’s an added incentive (if you needed it) to keep tuned… MM and Zubuchon are cooking up a special “thing” for friends and readers… a lucky person or two might win a round-trip airfare from Manila to Cebu, and Zubuchon meals for lunch and dinner as well… Yup, it sure is starting to feel like Christmas on this blog and I hope I can bring you some holiday spirit and cheer, Marketman-style. :) Thank you all for visiting the blog!

P1040236

Up top, MM in front of the British museum, points if you can figure out the jacket. Think Bond in Shanghai, silly. Above, a night shot of the Eiffel Tower.

P1040217

Posts on wonderful meals we enjoyed in Paris from simple market sourced ones to reservations only joints…

P1040144

…walks along the Seine…

P1030984

…the “newly” re-opened Musee Picasso…

P1030924

…gorgeous produce at the markets…

P1010217

…bread from Poilane…

P1010246

…and the best croissants.

P1010077

Architectural wonders from Frank Gehry…

P1010187

…window shopping for crystal baubles…

P1000956

…and live Christmas trees from lots of different places, including this one at a train station!

P1000918a

We have been doing a LOT of window shopping (stuff is just WAY too expensive to buy it seems!) so you get a picture of how much nicer the windows are in Europe…

P1010389

…and I have dozens of photos of Christmas ornaments for those of you who are interested.

P1010436

But if that’s all making your head spin, sit down for a drink and calm down for a while… I don’t like the sweetener in Diet Coke in the U.K. and the U.S., so I have Coke Zero (oddly, Coke Light in France was fine) instead… but the names on my bottles were just too cute not to take a photo of… particularly since “Santa” is definitely gearing up with just 30 days left…

P1000925

So while “visions of sugarplums dance in your heads” — these goodies in the windows of Fortnum & Mason…

P1010353

…and Santa checks his list for who was naughty or nice…

P1000909

…who knows, you may just end up with a tiny blue box with a bauble that makes your heart leap. So consider this the Paris and London holiday preview. Wish me luck in tapping out the posts.

Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Marketman

Marketman is a well-traveled management consultant who loves buying, cooking and eating good food. Read more »

110 Responses

  1. Please keep on being ‘inspired’, MM. We love going along with you on the journey. ssssshhhh… do not even mention the word ‘retire’

    Enjoy the rest of your vacation in Paris with Mrs. MM

  2. No retiring please, MM.. Please, please don’t retire. We are always here looking forward to your posts. When writer’s block hits, photos would do (for me, at least).

    Enchanting photos. Have a wonderful time, lovebirds!!

  4. Hello, MM. Was in Paris recently and took a “Gourmet guided tour” with a local Frenchman in the Latin quarter and thoroughly enjoyed it! Visited a fresh food market like your posting and sampled some cheeses, foie gras, goose liver pate, various scented and flavored olive oils, breads and pastries along the way. It was only for three hours but it gave us a good idea of the cuisine that the French are known and famous for.

  5. Congratulations o the 10th year anniversary of MM blog. Have fun on your trip, stay warm and be safe.

  6. Congratulations!

    A decade of reading Marketmanila has been a joyful and learning experience for me and
    I thank you for sharing your exciting adventures with us and looking forward to many more
    years of “MM”.

  7. To keep your enthusiasm, dedication and spirit and our interests is a feat that can hardly be matched and we are truly grateful. You are already a part of the ebb and flow of our lives. Carry on MM! We will grow old with you…… for the best is yet to be.

    I like your Bond pea jacket. You also have a sweater and tie underneath it?:)

  8. Hey MM, it’s the quality of the blog that keeps me coming back, along with the friendship born from it. :) Of course , the beautiful pictures you post is the other reason.

    Congrats once again.

  10. Congratulations MM! Looking forward to more of your simple recipes. Stay safe on your trip. Cheers!

  11. Congratulations!

    I first discovered your blog when I was on leave working on managing severe clinical depression. It kept me company, and kept me occupied. It also made me homesick but gave me glimpses of home, too. It has made me smile, made me laugh, made me shake my head, made me think, made me wonder, and made me experience other emotions that one wouldn’t think is possible experiencing through a blog.

    Since my discovery, a day has never gone without a visit to your site. I hope that you keep them coming even if intermittently.

    Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you, your family, and your crew!

    Happy Thanksgiving to the other readers and commenters, as well.

  13. Thank you very much for this blog MM, I visit everyday..and it was especially joyful for me when I was out at sea and needed a quick break from the daily grind.

  14. Thank you, MM and congratulations! Your blog’s kept me company over the years.

    So for as long as you decide it’s something you want to do, please count me in for the ride :)

  15. Thank you for the ten years of sharing what to cook, where to go, what to buy, how to arrange flowers and a whole lot more. Most of all, thank you for the friendships made during those EB’s that you have graciously hosted. Cheers!

  16. Thank you for the ten years (I backread every now and then, and sometimes I read favorite posts again and again!) and here’s to more! I’m hoping you never decide to retire from writing here since you’re one of the few left (if not the only one) that doesn’t read like a press release. Market Manila is a lovely mix of everyday life stories, information, and new stuff people should know about (even the comments are a treasure trove of bits and pieces of trivia!).

    Congratulations on this milestone and count on me to be here to cheer you on to reaching more! :)

  17. The guarantee of quality is absolute. I don’t need to rattle off the absolutes of your quality blog because we all know what they are and more. In a cyber environment fast deteriorating in quality along with the dumbed down who support such dilution, your blog is a beacon of reliability and high standards.

  19. Happy 10th Anniversary and Congratulations….looking forward to the next 10 years of recipes, stories, rants, etc….MABUHAY!

  20. Congratulations! Looking forward to every post. Still hoping and wishing for Zubuchon to come to Manila…

  21. Hi, MM. Looking forward to more posts in the next so many years! I check your site for new posts almost everyday and It has inspired me to cook more, and travel more. Pls don’t retire!!!!

  22. 10 years! Oh wow! That’s a big feat in blogosphere. Congrats, MM! And thank you for all the entertaining blogs for the past 10 years. Hope you don’t consider retirement yet.

  23. erewhon, acck, first I here of the obscure law. If I am asked to take it down, I will. After all, it’s more trees with tower in background rather than just the tower. :)

  24. MM, no more talk of retiring please! I agree with rosa above that your blog is one of the few that is still authentic and doesn’t sound like a PR write up. I’ve learned so much from this blog and I’m wishing for more posts to come. Enjoy your remaining days in London and/or Paris! The pics you’ve posted so far have whet our appetites for more details of your trip.

  25. Thank you MM for the past 10 years! Congratulations and please continue what you are doing. We are all learning so much from this blog… both from you and the MM community.

    Enjoy the rest of your vacation….will stay tune to your ” Bond” adventures! :)

  26. Madamo nga salamat for honest writing infused with humor, emotion, facts, tips, tricks and a whole lot more. Thank you also for setting up amazing eyeball feasts that allowed us to meet and become friends with you and some of the Marketmanila “commenity” (community of those who comment).

    Madamo gid nga salamat.

  27. Happy 10th birthday, Market Manila! I have learned a lot from you during these last 10 years. Thank you for sharing your knowledge so generously.

  30. I love owls and that owl display with the Santa.. my kind of Christmas :)

    Congrats on your milestone, MM! I can’t recall how long I’ve been reading your blog but suffice to say that I still reached the days when you would “bold” certain sentences and the photos were smaller.. heehee. Blog burnout is a common thing, just take the time out to let the creative juices flow back in to you. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

  32. Happy 10th!

    It’s been an educational, inspirational and aspirational ten years for me as your blog reader.
    I stumbled upon this site when I was a young, 20-something who was struggling with cooking. This has been a wonderful resource especially the comments portion and I hope that we’ll still have this for many more years.

  33. Happy 10th anniversary to Marketmanila!
    Yours is one of the very few blog sites I followed when I just discovered the world of blogging. Don’t retire “again”, hahahaha… just blog as you please. Keep the food and travel photos coming!

  34. Congrats and happy 10th anniversary. Love your website. Please keep the food and photos coming. Cheers!

  35. Congratulations MarketManila. Thank you MM and family for the the 10 years and counting of sharing this blog to us.

  37. Happy 10th anniversary MM! Somehow i feel like your blog is part of my “growing up”. I think i’ve been reading your blog since 2005/6. :)

  41. Congrats MM to your 10th year of making us, your readers (and fans!) happy! More power! And happy birthday to u and Mrs MM! May God bless you always :)

  42. Congratulations MM for 10 years of blogging and thousands of posts. Thanks you for sharing recipes (I have tired a few), your travels, opinions, decorating ideas etc. I am a loyal reader for more than seven years!! and I have gone to all your posts :-D. The best blog, no ads, no sponsored posts…very good pictures.

  45. Happy Anniversary! You are genuinely a generous person. Thank you for sharing your life experiences with us for 10 years. Thanks also for not showing commercial bias, it is a rarity these days.

  46. Congratulations on reaching this significant milestone and thank you for a decade of delightful writing!

  48. Thank you for ten years of giving us kitchen ideas, market finds, sharing with and inspiring us. Your blog is like a drug, we can’t do without it :) Congratulations! Keep on blogging!

  49. Much thanks for marketmanila.com, MM! I visit the site regularly and enjoyed reading each and every article and comments. Please keep on posting, yes?

    Enjoy your trip and looking forward to your wonderful snaps..

  50. Naka-tatlong lipat na ako ng trabaho since I started reading your blog back in ’07. I’ve bookmarked this site ever since. Thank you for all the posts and I hope you continue blogging in the years to come.

  52. Congratulations MM for sharing, inspiring and “feeding” us with information that is truly helpful. Here’s to more years happy anniversary!!!

  53. Thanks for keeping the blog posts coming! I’ve long retired from blogging, but do recall the early days of food blogging in the Philippines and that very first event you hosted at Galileo Enoteca with fondness. =)

  54. Happy 10th anniversary MM. Thank you very kindly for all the posts , appreciate it very much — I have been a follower since 2006 after I retired.
    Have a great vacation. I had been to England and France quite a while back but this post and the coming posts will sure bring back great memories.
    Take care and God Bless always to both of you.

  56. Goodness, has it really been 10 years? Daghang salamat MM and the Marketmanila family. I have learned so much and have been entertained by your posts and pictures and comments through the years . Ipadayon gyud ni palihug ang imong blog :)

  57. a milestone indeed…Thank you for everything..for a lot of us are inspired by you .I myself still reading your archives daily..Have an awesome vacation !!

  59. Yours is the only blog that I always check everyday…whether you have a new post or not. I go thru your recent posts and read the comments. I couldn’t believe that it’s 10 years old and maybe I’ve been a regular reader for 7 or 8 year now. So I hope you keep going as you have immensely educated me with a lot of things.

  60. Happy Thanksgiving Double M and congratulations on your milestone. Of all the food blogs, yours is the one I return to the most. Now that the weather in Bay Area is getting colder and the holidays are settling in, I find myself evermore fascinated with your posts on cocido and for sure, we’ll be replicating it here. Your muse on foodways and the occassional rant is most refreshing . Market Manila is wicked smart.

  61. happy 10 years Market Manila! I have moved from one organization to another too, and even countries in the past 10 years but I always bookmark your site in each and every new office laptop. It has certainly been good company, even at work, for the past 10 years – thank you for keeping it going all these years!

  62. Getter Dragon, do a proper and LARGE cocido for a large holiday meal or gathering of family/friends… we were just talking about this with Mrs. MM and we definitely plan at least one cocido this Christmas season. Use good meats, do it very slowly (not boil, simmer gently over a long period of time) and provide lots of veggies and sauces… It’s very very comforting food.

  63. MM, I know I’m just one of a million fans but just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your blog. On some days, it’s really the highlight! Whilst I enjoy all the food features, your comments, your recipes, etc. I really just like the matter of fact way you have of writing especially when it comes to experiences that may be out of reach of the common reader. It makes it all the more engaging.

  65. Congratulations on the many milestones you are celebrating this year! Be very blessed!

    Will just be here standing by for your posts; take a break every now and then if you must, but please keep getting inspired and continue writing ;-)

    In the meantime, have a wonderful holiday! Stay safe.

  66. Congratulations MM! Of all the blogs I followed 5 years ago. Only two remained. I think I don’t have to write here if marketmanila is one! :)
    Looking forward to more of your posts!

  69. Congratulations, MM! Thank you for everything that you have shared. Please continue sharing and continue to be an inspiration! Enjoy your holiday with Mrs. MM! :-)

  70. I didn’t know about that obscure law against taking photos of the Eiffel Tower at night. But how many millions of people have done that, me included. Can’t help it. It is just stunning. I guess as long as you’re not making money out of it, it should be alright.

    Happy Thanksgiving to MM & Family and to all your blog readers.

  71. happy tenth year! a decade of MM…it has been years that your blog kept me company..it gives me glimpses of my home faraway. of memories of childhood and providing me the cravings of filipino food…the floral tips and arrangements makes me think of my mom too as she likes to do the same with you, splurging on fresh flowers….as i am often in the hospital for treatment, i tend to be drawn to your blog to fill my time….it somehow eases me from boredom, and when i am admitted and get fed with hospital food rations, i cry when i see your food posts because i know i cannot cook those then and there to satisfy my cravings….when my appetite is gone due to long illness, i simply read the archives to find inspiration to get my appetite back and get me to crave for food to nourish me…… it gives me shivers if i read that you will ‘retire’! please don’t …..

  72. Congratulations! May you never get tired of you sharing with us your food experiments/cooking, travel escapades, and occasional rants… priceless!

  73. Congratulaions, MM and a happy belated birthday greetings to you and to Mrs MM!

    As it is Thanksgiving in our part of the world, let me give my thanks to you for all that you do not only to us, your readers but most especially, to your staff as well. You deserve all the good fortune that comes your way.

    More power and continue on blogging. This is what connects me to the rest of your readers all over the world. Needless to say, you have created a community of, from what I’ve read on the comments section since time immemorial, well-intentioned and generous people.

  74. Happy anniversary, Marketman!

    I think I am echoing everybody else’s sentiment here when I say that your blog has been truly inspiring in its promotion of good food. So please do not retire from writing! You would be a great loss to the blogging world, especially with Pinoy expats like me who hanker for the traditional dishes of my childhood and try to replicate them abroad.

    Here’s to more inspiring posts ahead!

  75. Happy 10th! And happy thanksgiving. Nice to see your pics with Swasi, Tom & Rachel.
    Enjoy the rest of your trip.

  77. Connie C, hahaha, thanks for that, I enjoyed reading it. Ann, small world isn’t it? We had a great dinner. Thanks to you all for your comments/greetings!

  78. Congratulations on the 10th MM! For all that you have shared with us….Salamat…Maraming Maraming Salamat!

  81. You are the first and only blog I read! Please stay for awhile – by the way, you are taking my dream trip :) I’m taking notes! Enjoy and be safe.

  84. Ten solid years in the business of blogging is a pretty great feat, and you are able to inspire and influence people along the way. Keep it up Marketman! :)

  85. Happy anniversaries to you and the Mrs.! Thank you for sharing so generously and delightfully with us for so long. Very much looking forward to your continued generosity and delights for much, much longer. ;)

  86. congratulations, MM and everyone involved here..a whole Barangay MM! looking forward to the christmas posts..our pictures have amped up, i noticed, and i look forward to taking this virtual tour with you and Mrs. MM.

  87. Happy 10 MM! I remembered when I first stumbled upon your blog and always wondered what you looked like because I’d only see your back, your hands, sometimes leg and shoes : ) and now we are promoted to seeing the whole you! I love that picture of the Eiffel Tower at night, I think the magnificence of the icon is brought down because of that silly rule or law. How sad. Looking forward to your upcoming posts!

  91. MM,

    Congratulations on the 10th year as well as the 100th!

    Despite the intermittent posts, I still look forward to the next post making sure I open your blog daily. Am sure the 5 – 7 thousand viewers routinely do the same. We understand the time it takes just to write something interesting couple that with running a business AND making the wifey and kiddo happy.

    We all appreciate the fact that you gave a big piece of yourself into this blog. Would you consider having the 5 – 7 thousand or so viewers help you out with the blog by sharing some of their own interesting stories?

  93. Hi MM.

    I started reading you when I was in New York in 2008. I even sent you an email about where to eat and you replied!

    Since then, I have read your blog as I moved to different countries, and now as I’m back home in the Philippines.

    Congratulations on a decade online. And more power!

  95. Drool… drool…. have a fantastic time MM! Living vicariously through your experiences, thanks for sharing them with us.
    BTW what is the weather like, 50-60 degrees?

  96. Happy 10th anniversary MM!
    It has been quite a ride and here’s
    hoping for more years of blogging
    for you! We even got to witness
    the Teen’s growth here. From her
    international school days here to having
    to study on her own in the US.
    And who can forget your fascination for
    James Bond with mysterious password pa!
    But I do like you also in that
    character of Psy’s music video gangnam style
    hehehe any chance of leakage on that video?
    Thank you Market Manila!

    @wysgal, i used to read your blog. I think you
    stopped when you studied at Wharton. Tama ba ko?

  98. Happy 10th bloggaversary, MM! Thanks for all you’ve shared with us through the years, not to mention the things we learned and continue to do so. “Fishpan” is forever etched in our collective vocabularies–If before we used to describe something sublimely ridiculous with a few choice words, now we just say “fishpan”, gets na yon. :)

  99. Congratulations on an epic Decade of Food, Travels, and Rants!
    Your features always make me hungry and your rants are infinitely entertaining.
    Maraming, maraming salamat po!

  100. To a gastronomic decade of thought, family, flowers, friendship, dog and daughter growing up, restaurants, and piggies. Thank you for all you’ve shared with us MM and family!

  101. Happy 10th, MM! That means I’ve been reading your blog for almost 9 years! Gasp!

    Please do NOT consider retirement… your retirement “scare” a few years back made a lot of us grieve prematurely. Haha!

    Thank you for the continued inspiration, and may you continue to be inspired. It’s the circle of (blogging) life! ;)

  102. Happy 10th MM!! I’m so happy I’ve found your blog! I first came to it while looking for pospas recipe! hahaha :) here’s to more years of blogging!! :)

  103. Congratulations Marketman! I am one of your loyal readers who never comment but keep coming back these past years. When I visited your site today I saw this post and thought, THE Marketman must be properly congratulated for this blog and ten years is a big deal. :-)

    Wishing you more years of blogging and happy eating and wonderful cooking and the travels, do not stop the travel posts marketman. I really do enjoy reading your posts so please don’t retire yet.

  104. Congratulations Marketman! I consider you the modern 2014 version of our very own Nora Daza. Your Blog has definitely been a part of the history of modern Filipino Cooking.

  105. Potential years – wow – I’ve been following since the beginning. Your site is a real treasure – thank you fir your hard work, diligence, creativity, and great taste. You have elevated Filipino cuisine. Cingratulations!

  106. Congratulations MM. I am a regular reader since the early days of market manila. Maraming salamat sa recipes and for sharing your life adventures.

  108. Congratulations, for this wonderful milestone! I am an avid reader of your blog. Market Manila is unlike any other blog, which makes it such a joy to read. I also enjoy reading your unbiased opinion on several matters. Your values have remained consistent, and you’re not a sell out. More power to you, your family, blog, and business!

  109. Yay, happy 10th!!! I was a regular years ago and continue to come back looking for all sorts of info about Filipino food.

    RE: “points if you can figure out the jacket” The jacket is…umm…groovy? :)

    Thanks for all the wonderful posts.

  110. Congratulations! MM. Yikes, 10 years. That means I have been following your blog that long! Didn’t seem that way. Thoroughly enjoyed reading all and doing some recipes. Yes, I concur with the others. Please consider not retiring. Yet. I love going back and checking recipes. Also, love to read your travel posts and rants. Take care. PS. I know this is a bit late.

BLOG CATEGORIES

Categories

MARKETMAN ON INSTAGRAM

Subscribe To Updates

No spam, only notifications about new blog posts.

    • Related Posts

    ZUBUCHON ON FACEBOOK

    ZUBUCHON ON INSTAGRAM

    FRESH OFF THE OVEN

    POPULAR POSTS

    · Copyright © 2024. WordPress Website Design by Squeesome ·
    Instagram