ColumnDo we have a food porn problem?

It was just another Wednesday night. I was craving dessert, and the only reasonable choice was some coconut milk and melted chocolate combination. (Note: coconut milk and chocolate are two things you will always find in my pantry – you never know when you will find yourself in a dessert crisis situation.) So I melted the two, poured the concoction into small glasses and threw them into the freezer for a quick mousse-like thing. Really, it was more like a thick chocolatey sorbet, which no one is going to complain about. A few chopped hazelnuts on top and it was, well… delicious.

First instinct: take a picture. Upload it to Instagram! Brag about that use of cardamom! And don’t forget the candied ginger you put in last minute.

Why is it that when we succeed in the kitchen we immediately whip out our phones?

I am the first person to admit that I have a serious problem (verging on extreme obsession) when it comes to photographing my food; but that doesn’t mean I don’t also find it annoying. Why is it that we can’t make a dish without documenting it for all of eternity?

Take a few minutes to peruse food blogs and you’ll quickly see that most of the popular ones are well-versed in the skills of food photography. I have nothing against this. If you understand the value of food, you understand the value of aesthetics, too, and most of the time the two go very much hand in hand. But here’s the problem: we’re so enthralled with the images that we could care less about the recipe.

When was the last time you picked up a cookbook or looked at a food blog that wasn’t image heavy? It’s called “food porn” for a reason: it’s selling you a lifestyle that may or may not be attainable in your 45 kitchen minutes every day. Because let’s be honest: you don’t have time to perfectly position that sprig of rosemary next to your handcrafted artisan silverware. You just want to eat.

We all like a little inspiration, but it often goes too far, and if you look at certain food magazines you start seeing a theme. Shot from up above. All white, hand-thrown plates. A jam jar carefully positioned in the corner. A bread crumb on the side.

Real cooking isn’t staged. It’s messy. And if you’re photographing – particularly on your own – you’re mixing in a bowl with one hand and trying to awkwardly hold your camera in the other, because god forbid you put a recipe on the internet without a photo of your hands in action taken with a shallow depth of field.

We love food photos, because in some way, it brings us together. It helps us share a moment with those that are far away. A coffee photo sent to a friend you wish you could have a live conversation with is almost as good as the real thing. But we have to find a balance. The balance between obsessively photographing all that we eat and uploading it at every second and enjoying food for food’s sake. It’s okay to eat without telling anyone about it. In fact, food can be an enjoyable experience even when not shared. If you factor in the global population, most people are just focused on putting enough food on the table, forget getting the right angle on their soy mocha craft-roasted cappuccino.

Here’s a challenge: stop taking food photos, just for one meal and one recipe. Focus on the moment. The essence of cooking. The company around you. The recipe and the photo can wait until later. For now, focus on the beautiful serendipity that comes from putting ingredients together and enjoying the result, without telling anyone about it.

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Images: Anna Brones

The post Foodie Underground: A Critique of Our Obsession with Food Photos appeared first on EcoSalon.

10 photos to quell your chocolate cravings. 

When I discovered that breathable chocolate actually exists, I debated on tracking down a French friend so they could send some over. A whiff of chocolate that you can keep in your purse? That’s like having an instant pick me up right next to your cell phone and keys, and so much more chic than dragging around a semi-crushed Lindt bar. But then I realized how ridiculous I would seem carrying around a perfume vial of chocolate spray. No need to go full on crazy woman just yet.

Why are we chocolate obsessed? Get the dark stuff (because there really shouldn’t be any other kind) and you lower your blood pressure, you de-stress, and you become just generally happier, no wonder we crave it. Makes me want to track down a bar of dark chocolate with almonds and sea salt immediately. But if you’re like us and stuck at work for the day with no chocolate bar in sight, you can at least feed your craving with these chocolate photos.

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart

Hot Chocolate

Pain au Chocolat

Hot Chocolate and Cold Ice Cream Fondue

Nama Chocolate (Bitter)

The Best Chocolate Cake in the World

Chocolate Truffles

Dark Chocolate Dipped Bacon

Chocolate Diablo Cookie

In Foodspotting Friday we highlight one of Foodspotting’s – or our own – top picks from our Foodspotting guides. Be sure to check them out and tip us off to your own favorites in our Readers’ Picks guide. Want to start spotting food on your own? Join Foodspotting and take part in the food spotting revolution. It’s visual, it’s positive, it’s global and we are in love with it.

Images: César, Maggie Alhadeff, Sweet Spotter, azuki, William Lockie, Pinku Neko, Isabel, pat, Shelby Schuler, Scootfoodie

The post Foodspotting Friday: Chocolate Lovers Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

15 aesthetically pleasing foods you can make with pumpkin.

In honor of Halloween, which we assume many of you will be celebrating in various ways over the next few days, this week’s Foodspotting Friday is dedicated to the most iconic of fall foods: the pumpkin.

Put it in a cupcake, a creme brulee or even on pizza, the pumpkin is so versatile you might as well eat it three meals a day. Enjoy!

Ginger Cake and Pumpkin Ice Cream

Pumpkin Soup 

Pumpkin Donuts

Goat Cheese and Pumpkin Pizza

Thai-styled Pumpkin Custard

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

Pumpkin Tortellini

Pumpkin Tiramisu Parfait

Pumpkin Mousse

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Tempura

Pumpkin Cupcake

Pumpkin Porter

In Foodspotting Friday we highlight one of Foodspotting’s – or our own – top picks from our Foodspotting guides. Be sure to check them out and tip us off to your own favorites in our Readers’ Picks guide. Want to start spotting food on your own? Join Foodspotting and take part in the food spotting revolution. It’s visual, it’s positive, it’s global and we are in love with it.

Images: Damien Palladino, Randy F., Luka, Melissa, Alexa Andrzejewski, Golden Elephant, Tiffany Yeo, Madam Charcuterie, William Lockie, Mike Fabio, Rich, ElwinRansom, Chuco Townsend, Mims, Stacy

The post Foodspotting Friday: Did Someone Say Pumpkin? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Take some inspiration from Foodspotting and bake a pie this weekend.

It’s fall so we have pie on the mind. Hey, at least it’s not cupcakes!

Pumpkin, apple, fig… it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s making the kitchen smell good. Or you could track down one of these:

Crack Pie

Lemon Meringue

Chocolate Covered Key Lime Pie on a Stick

Dutch Apple Pie

Banana Cream Pie 

Banoffee Pie 

Pecan Pie 

In Foodspotting Friday we highlight one of Foodspotting’s – or our own – top picks from our Foodspotting guides. Be sure to check them out and tip us off to your own favorites in our Readers’ Picks guide. Want to start spotting food on your own? Join Foodspotting and take part in the food spotting revolution. It’s visual, it’s positive, it’s global and we are in love with it.

Images: Rita Duarte, Lunch, Em M, Keith Kendall, Nico VL, Rachel Valley, Saie Raje, Noms the Word

The post Foodspotting Friday: An Ode to Pie appeared first on EcoSalon.

Foodspotting Friday gets inspiration from deep in the heart of Texas.

“Fried pickle chips?”

“Obviously.”

That’s how food conversations often go when the EcoSalon team is on the road, and this week we’ve been checking out all the local specialties Austin has to offer. So fried pickle chips were clearly a must. Verdict? They taste just like you might expect a fried pickle to taste.

Which brought up the question, “What else can you fry?” Plenty of things. And although we’re not huge fans of fried food, we can’t really help but ogle at all the odd things that people put in a fryer and subsequently on their plate.

So in honor of our Texan stint and adventurous eating, this week’s Foodspotting Friday is all about fried foods.

Fried Milk

Deep Fried Twinkies and Oreos

Deep Fried Brie 

Fried Avocado Taco

Fried Green Beans

Fried Twinkie

In Foodspotting Friday we highlight one of Foodspotting’s – or our own – top picks from our Foodspotting guides. Be sure to check them out and tip us off to your own favorites in our Readers’ Picks guide. Want to start spotting food on your own? Join Foodspotting and take part in the food spotting revolution. It’s visual, it’s positive, it’s global and we are in love with it.

Images: Angie, Ducchio, Hotchner, Cory OBrien, Jordie, Kristine

The post Foodspotting Friday: Fried Frenzy appeared first on EcoSalon.

Seven photos to inspire your culinary travel adventures. 

Do you travel to eat?

That might be taking it a little far, but if you’re a food lover, culinary experiences probably make up a large part of your travels, from tracking down macaroons in Paris to pasta induced food comas in Italy to yak butter tea in Tibet. Ok, maybe less so on the latter.

In honor of all the good food we love to eat when we travel, and to inspire a little sense of wanderlust, this week we are bringing you some of our Foodspotting faves from around the globe, from Vietnam to Denmark.

Pho, Vietnam

Nutella Crepe, France

Chole Poori, India

Moroccan Pastries, Morocco

Strawberry Cake, Denmark

Chile en nogado, Mexico

Happy traveling and eating!

In Foodspotting Friday we highlight one of Foodspotting’s – or our own – top picks from our Foodspotting guides. Be sure to check them out and tip us off to your own favorites in our Readers’ Picks guide. Want to start spotting food on your own? Join Foodspotting and take part in the food spotting revolution. It’s visual, it’s positive, it’s global and we are in love with it.

Images: Bay Area Foodie, Thirsty Pig, ButtercupD, amits, charline, annemette, Aleito1

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