There might be other reasons for this on the net. And I wouldn't be surprised if new recipe bloggers write narrative because "that's how it's always been done."

[0]https://info.legalzoom.com/recipe-copyright-laws-20049.html

I'd argue it's the authors trying to differentiate (and add value to ) their copy of the recipe vs the 100s of others. And I suspect some do believe that adding dialogue or slightly changing the recipe covers them from copyright claims (not realizing recipes aren't covered) or provide them with some copyright protection of their own.

Others probably do it because that's the way it's always been done, but don't realize what they're trying to emulate...

It's the Martha Stewart / Alton Brown recipe for success, where the details are more interesting than the underlying recipe. But people mistake the extra detail for sentimental fluff (Martha Stuart) or technical babble that they don't understand (Alton Brown), and so they just perceive the formula as recipe plus fluff, without seeing the value that fluff should add.

Or they misjudge the value that they think they are adding with their own fluff.

Also probably relevant: recipes (along with product pages) are a couple of categories that Google treats drastically different than general web pages. And as a result has had unintended consequences for the worse, as far as overall quality of the web goes. I'm looking at you, affiliate links.

This. There are some blogs that really succeeds with the story-telling. I don’t mind the stories on Food Lab for example. But if it’s just an incoherent and fluffy word salad, then I’d rather just read the recipe straight away.

The experience narratives can certainly be constructive as well, like maybe describing different versions of dishes tried at various restaurants when trying to recreate a recipe. But even most of these aren't helpful, depending on the author.

And of course the worst is the people who just try to describe an appropriate weather condition or family feeling that goes along with a meal, ala the Giada. Of course Giada is proof that even some people can make that model work well. It's just that most people on the internet don't.

Some experts on Mashable agree [0]:

> SEO and marketing experts agree that Nelson's approach is a smart one, especially in such a saturated landscape. "Because a recipe usually consists of a listing of ingredients and steps, it’s often very difficult for a search engine to discern what this article is trying to convey,"

[0]: https://mashable.com/article/why-are-there-long-stories-on-f...

That makes sense to me. More keywords related to search topics means more hits.

>Nelson thinks there's an element of sexism to the critiques she sees about recipe writing.

Give me a break.

> "The feeling seems to be that they don't think these writers have something of value to offer," Nelson said.

I mean yes, most people do not care about your home life.

> By sharing stories on blogs, people get to know the types of foods [and] flavors that specific recipe creators enjoy. You figure out who is a good match for your own palate."

Do this after the recipe? Oh wait, that would mean I don't have to scroll past more advertisements... This is what everyone is complaining about. Getting to the actual recipe is quite annoying, especially on phones without ad blockers.

I realize sometimes the articles are pure fluff, but if you are passionate about what you are making, you want to read the how and why, the trial and error, and maybe even the history and backstory of the dish.

1) like http://bressanini-lescienze.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.i...

Followed by a story which contradicts the headline, revealing the whole thing to just be click bait.

> This Chrome browser extension helps cut through to the chase when browsing food blogs. It is born out of my frustration in having to scroll through a prolix life story before getting to the recipe card that I really want to check out.

WTF happened? Seriously? It wasn’t long ago things like Google and google maps were actually helpful. And establishments had websites with menus and opening hours.

But this is HN, so nobody knows what that is here. :)

Wait. No. That can't be it. It's about two critiques in drive thru greetings.

Wait. No. That seems irrelevant as well. It's a Yuletide thing? Answering the phone?

Wait. It's not easily googled. It's an obscure term of art apparently.

How would you know something is easily googled if you've never heard the term before?

BTW I did enjoy reading the article I found on "two-part greeting." [1]

[1] https://www.qsrmagazine.com/ordering/100-ways-improve-your-d...

I didn’t agree, and it didn’t fit my own writing style. But they insisted I do it, or they’d edit it in themselves.

Same with this post. The ‘context’ wasn’t particularly enlightening. I thought I’d be reading a programming war story but there wasn’t any pay off.

But I've subscribed to some food blogs because the recipes are decent and the stories make it interesting - otherwise, a series of recipes in my rss would just be incredibly boring. In this case it's closer to a tv personality you'd watch on tv than a recipe book.

I love Bon Appetit's youtube channel for example, and (ironically?) usually tune out at the end of their video when they get to the recipe at the end. Great point, thank you.

People love to ramble, but they also love being able to print a recipe to use in the kitchen.