Today we’d like to introduce you to Dishali D. Patel.
Hi Dishali, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up as the eldest child of an Indian family, I was always told to be the perfect girl. I never knew what that meant. My entire childhood was trying to figuring out how to be “the perfect girl”. From a very young age, it was drilled in my head, the key to bring a smile on to anyone’s face is a home-cooked meal. I was taught how to make all of the traditional Indian dishes. There were so many spices that I could not keep count. There were days that dinner would be my responsibility and it had to be a traditional Gujarati taali (plate). I would call my aunt or my grandmother to help with measurements. I started to write down all the recipes because I knew one day, I will want to pass down the book to my kids. I started to grow a healthy relationship with food throughout my life. I wanted to able to share the little moments of my day with everyone. So, I started a food Instagram and started posting away. Little did I know, I would eventually want to make it an actual part of my life until recently. I realized with my food page, I can spread awareness of small businesses and also express my love for food to others.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No road is ever going to be smooth. Mental health definitely had a big impact on me and still does. I’ve learned to have a good balance between my fitness journey and my love for my food. There were days, I wanted to stop blogging because I would not get enough engagement on social media. However, I always reminded myself that I’m doing it for myself. Who cares what you post and how much you post! If it truly brings you happiness, then just do it!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I currently work as an Ophthalmic technician/scribe for North Dallas Eye Associates. I have been in the eye care field for nearly 6-7 years. I always know that I was going to be somewhere in the medical field, but. Never knew where I would fit in. As a technician, you are responsible for performing all of the preliminary tests for the doctor. You are the person the patient will be bringing up their concerns to in regards to their eyes. Being a scribe, you are known as the doctor’s right hand. I help the doctor with clinical documentation, prescriptions, and pre-operative notes. Working for a physician, you have to know what you are doing at all times. You are basically the doctors’ go-to person at all times. Throughout my entire career, I’ve seen the positive effect my personality brings for all the patients I’ve taken care of. Every single job, I’ve worked for, the one thing that has always stuck with my employers is my eagerness to help. The smile I see on patients’ faces from being able to see life brings me so much joy.
As any job has its stress, I do my food blog to escape from a regular 8-5 job. I love trying new foods and places. I’m very proud of how far I’ve gotten in my blogging despite all of the obstacles I’ve have went through in the past few years.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
The best advice I can give to anyone is to speak up. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. When I started food blogging, I did not know what I was doing. I reached out to several food bloggers to get their advice on how they started. With their advice, I was able to learn what my true niche is.
Contact Info:
- Email: dishwithdishu@gmail.com
- Website: www.dishwithdishu.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dish.with.dishu
Image Credits
Rebecca Barlow
