Contrary to what conventional wisdom might dictate, I always find that you can learn quite a lot about a person from Twitter and their blog.  You can learn that they like cupcakes.  You can learn that they have a small dog called the Evil Puffle.  But most importantly, you can learn that they are a fellow Cheese Slut!  Of course, I am not really talking in the abstract here – I am talking specifically about the lovely Sigrid from Cooking and Eating with Polkadot Cupcake.  Despite living on different continents we have spent a lot of time chatting on Twitter and e-mail, and finally got to hang out and have a drink together (hopefully the first or many!) at the Food Blogger Indaba in Cape Town this February.  She answered some profile questions for me recently, so let's find out all the news fit to print about Sigrid:

1. Where are you – in South Africa or out in the wide world? 

I'm in Cape Town

2. How long have you been blogging? 

Since April 2008, on and off

3. What do you enjoy the most about food or wine blogging?  

The people I meet, the events and experiences and, of course, the food!

4. Any downsides or frustrations? 

Struggling to find time to blog, when work gets really frantic!

5. What or who are your inspirations to cook, drink and write?

Ingredients inspire me to cook, as do pictures, and reading other blogs, I love to drink whichever way you look at it, and food inspires me to write. Often I'll be composing the post in my head as I cook!  

6. Where and when do you like to blog?  

I prefer to blog from work, but lately… time's been thin, and so has my posting!

7. What's your signature dish or favourite wine?  

My favourite wine is Zandvliet Estate Shiraz, and my signature dish? Probably cupcakes, although I can't cook em, everyone knows I love them!

8. What other food or wine blogs do you read?

Too many to mention each, but locally I love www.thecreativepot.net, www.my-easy-cooking.com, and more (check my blogroll)  

9. Favourite restaurant?  

Ever? A tiny place whose name I never got, on the waters edge on the island of Vis, Croatia. We had black risotto, and pink Croatian wine.. It was perfect.

10. For my last meal on this planet I would order… 

Black risotto, slow cooked oxtail, cupcakes and shiraz (though not necessarily in that order).