A steaming bowl of noodles is sitting in front of you...and your first instinct is to take a photo?

Okay, I'll admit it; I've done that a few times before. Sometimes the dish looks so good that I want to take a photo for later, for reminiscing moments, of course. But when it becomes instinct, those moments of sliding your phone out of your pocket or purse become unhealthy in a sense.

It's giving the same vibe as recording every single moment of a live concert without even looking at the actual stage. It becomes the question of whether you are more attached to the culture of trends (social media-wise) or the actual moment (food) itself?

Personally, my phone is not eating my food before I do; yes, sometimes I take a photo of my food, but it only takes a few seconds. I want to live in the moment, so I do. Is that the case for you? Let's dive into what this online craze is about!

Image Credit: Spencer Davis from Unsplash

What Even is "Food Culture" Anyway?

Food culture can have various meanings depending upon the context, but the culture I want to talk about is specifically related to social media trends.

You're scrolling on TikTok when a 10-minute, 5-ingredient, fat-free, sugar-free brownie recipe pops up. You're watching Insta when you see these aesthetic, perfectly centered and arranged food collages. For example, does Dubai chocolate ring a bell?

Matcha anything? Crumbl cookies?

Our social media pages are flooded with food trends from all over the world. Yes, it can shine a spotlight on an underappreciated and undervalued dessert or savory dinner, but the culture of trends and performing for the camera destroys a major aspect of sharing food: humanity.

We make food culture a trend for social media, operating on performing, perfecting displays, and even making games out of it to feel more "interconnected", or whatever trends bring creators fame, clout, and money? Well, I certainly don't want to be a part of that, especially if I'm devaluing my food at the cost of it.

Trust me, I love seeing new recipes pop up on my page or scrolling through where my friends ate, but there's a point where you're posting to be lifted onto a stage in the online world. Where is the line we're supposed to draw?

I have an answer: draw the line when food culture becomes just bland content.

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Performative Games

It's not uncommon to find someone dressed in a million accessories, buying all the trending foods to keep their relevance now. It's a performative game where content creators put on online personas to keep their views high and enact a specific effect on their viewers, which is us.

Image Credit: Anastasiia Lehenka from Unsplash

I never understood the reasoning for doing silly and outrageous acts for social media just so you could go viral, but it seems like that's even a trend: to personify yourself. I feel like a prime example of this is the "performative (matcha) male". It's mixing the mask of acting with trend chasing; however, I do love seeing those videos of others calling out those who do perform for the camera.

It's basically becoming a trend itself. And yes, someone can go viral for just being themselves, but that's not what I'm specifically talking about. It's about the act and intention.

Tied with food culture, we see those "come with me to get my Starbucks venti iced caramel macchiato" videos flood our FYPs. In my opinion, the intention is what matters. If it's meant for content, these types of videos devalue food.

Keeping Up With The Trends

In a similar fashion, the trends upon trends instigate the continuation of this never-ending content served from food culture. Because where is a bowl of açai yogurt without a new trend lurking behind? (However, this is actually an alright trend in my opinion or is it?).

It always seems so subjective, too; I see a bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries one day and suddenly it's a huge meme. And while I do find trends that encourage learning about another's culture, educating about how to cook a meal, and simply sharing a deep, emotional story over a steaming broth, heartwarming and powerful (please keep doing this), the trends that are created just for the clicks irk me. And don't even get me started on the trend where people buy large tubs of food just to make an enormous concoction, only to dump 99% of it.

Image Credit: Vicky Ng from Unsplash

In a very closely related note, gamification also makes an appearance in this world. I don't have much to say about how beneficial or negative apps or games can be, but I will say to just live in the moment and know yourself: don't follow poor habits that significantly impact your health. And most certainly, don't be a trend chaser.

As a content chaser, you are taking the very soul and tongue of human culture—in all its fiery, finery, and passion—and turning it into a hot mess with your clickbait. You're derailing the train. You're welcoming attention. You're sucking the life out of food.

Eat: It's As Simple As That

Now that I've basically told you the grand scheme of food culture turned into content, here's my eclipsing point of view.

Realistically, I am not spending whole minutes trying to get the perfect photo of a platter to share on my social media pages. I'm taking the photo, and then, I'm living in the moment. If I'm feeling fancy, I might just post it onto my Insta story, but I'm not worrying about that. I'm excited to eat the food in front of me because 1) it's going to be good and 2) I'm lucky enough to be able to satisfy my hunger.

Image Credit: Russel Ferrer from Unsplash

We should be enjoying the food instead of perfecting our pages. We should be in the moment. We should be learning about other nations' foods, but it shouldn't be in a way where someone who's creating an article, video, podcast, etc., cares more about the content than the food and culture itself. Food culture is a significant foundation of humanity: we share, we cook, we laugh, we learn.

Don't let your food become solely content—eat.