Food Photographs

[irv]

I'm sorry I don't get it. Call me a philistine or what have you, and I know plenty of people on this site do it, but why do you post photos of food. My opinion is I look at these 3/4 empty plates with froth, bubbles and what looks like a mess around the edges and I think why, it is like taking a picture out of a window of scenery, you are not there, you have not experienced it yourself, nor may you enjoy it yourself. Happy to be educated, I look forward to your feedback. (Just opening the bomb shelter )

 

[Spongbob]

I think I agree. There is a trend on AFF to post a photo of meals and wine served or consumed. Unless the meal and/or beverage is very special or unusual I too don't get it.

 

[mannej]

Simple answer - why not?

People like to share experiences, each to their own really.

 

[nonpop]

The visual can give you a 'sense' of the experience. And we all tend to like food / wine as we get older as our taste buds develop, as our wallets improve, as our thirst for more grows. And I'd like to think that typically food / wine is experienced with family & friends having a good time. Even if experienced solo, it helps to build joy for that moment in time.

May be the visual is enough for the reader to even give it a try. If we think about the AFF forum ... often travel is what unites us and broadens our view of the World where food / wine becomes an important part of the ingredient of life.

Or worst case ... the reader thinks "mmm that looks nice" and for that moment forgets their troubles and becomes mindful in the here and now.

Ok I think I need a glass of really cold beer and some noodles. And since I'm in Singapore right now, then that should be an easy challenge.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Sometimes it's helpful to actually see what an offering is. The VA J meals thread has been very helpful to see how good, or how ordinary, the included food actually is before we fly or in fact, before we purchase the tickets. There are many threads on AFF and I don't even try to read them all...and generally I don't spend too much time on threads discussing food, but I have and have found it useful from time to time. I think that's the answer to your question. Nothing wrong with a wide cross section of topics (and photos). Not all will interest everyone, sometimes even no one, but the variety makes a forum like AFF one reason why so many keep popping in for a read!

 

[OATEK]

I recently worked with someone who fancied themselves a "food blogger". So at every birthday lunch or work-related meal she would pull out her phone and ask people not too eat before she photographed their plate. It was intrusive and led to her being alienated by some co-workers.

I do occasionally photograph the meal I have been served in a plane, or at a restaurant, but rarely include these in a trip report. To me a photograph from a starred restaurant or a local cafe only tells you about presentation, the visual experience, and perhaps the ambiance of the venue. It is the description of the meal in terms of taste, the quality of the ingredients etc that interests me. So generally I only really take notice of the words around the pictures.

But of course, we are all different!

 

[Denali]

I admit to taking photos of meals because quite frankly, J meals are better visually and taste wise than what I serve up at home.

I will say I wish some trip reports focussed more on the seats/amenities/plane than dozens of food pics - I want to know about the seats and comfort, not photos of bottles of champagne because quite frankly, some of the posters and their champagne snobbery are starting to sound like coughs. (note: I admit to a trip report with food pics but that's because I was in a region of China that is famous for their food).

 

[vetrade]

Wielding a camera at the dinner table in a restaurant? Part narcissism; part bad manners.

 

[RooFlyer]

There are dedicated threads here on food on board. Don't you (op) think it's helpful to illustrate with a picture or two? Or could you describe them so we can all visualise it, the same way. There are other threads for scenery ( for instance 'view from my office') and pics of scenery appear there for you.

Other threads with food pics are Trip Reports. Whilst my own are usually a bit thin on the food aspect , again, meals are part of the trip being reported on, so again, isn't a picture worth a thousand words?

Does this help you understand, irv?

 

[mooingchicken]

I personally dont take many food pics, unless its awesome, (ie fancy, something special/different, or the token, im about to eat 4000 cals pic)
But I do really like the fact people do. now no need to take a pic at the local pub or maccas etc. but for a nice restaurant its good.

When your looking for a place to eat, do u read the menu before booking? While they all sound good, nothing give you the image of what it looks like, portion size etc. We are visual we do eat with our eyes also. So these days its really an extension of the menu to help make a more informed choice.

I recently worked with someone who fancied themselves a "food blogger". So at every birthday lunch or work-related meal she would pull out her phone and ask people not too eat before she photographed their plate. It was intrusive and led to her being alienated by some co-workers.

That's a bit odd for work people, photograph your own, but not peoples that really aren't 'friends'

 

[Alanslegal]

I am Asian so naturally we take photographs of everything ha ha ha ha ha

That said I am not bothered by what other people may think of my food photography habits. If they think that I am wasting time taking food photographs and not enjoying the food/experience, then I could exactly say the same thing about them looking at me, wasting their time looking at me, wondering about me, and discussing about my habits to their friends/family and so on. I am sure there are much better things to be talking about them me

I have taken many photos over the years, and its grown exponentially since the smartphone and social media boom, however no matter where I am - whether it be a food court, through to a San Pelligrino awarded restaurant or in the First Class cabin - I am always mindful of my surroundings and will not take 'snaps' of anything or everything around me just because I can.

A well thought and composed photo will make any trip report or blog so much more interesting. We are very visual people and we all make near-instant judgments and perceptions of things within a split second of seeing it. As for food, it is commonly said that 'we eat with our eyes'. What that means is we form an immediate opinion on how nice a food will taste on it's look and if it doesn't look appealing, we would be reluctant to give it a go - no matter how delicious it actually is.

For trip reports, I prefer not to read a page full of writing if there are no photographs in it. I look at the photos and I can imagine what it was like. Sure the writer could say it tasted fantastic and their taste buds were dancing away for the next three hours, but without the photo - it wouldn't make any sense to me, unless I have tasted the exact same dish before.

Anyway I can understand why some people think that you lose alot of experiences by taking photographs and I see it often, for example people who travel half way round the world only to take a photo of the Eiffel Tower and walk away. Then there's those annoying ones who barge in to take a photo, which ends up photo bombing another dozen people doing exactly the same thing, and then walking away - they have been there, seen it, done it but not enjoyed it.

I might give some photo examples if I have the time today

 

[JohnK]

I tend to agree.

But I am also guilty of taking food photos and posting them.

 

[boomy]

I'm sorry I don't get it. Call me a philistine or what have you, and I know plenty of people on this site do it, but why do you post photos of food. My opinion is I look at these 3/4 empty plates with froth, bubbles and what looks like a mess around the edges and I think why, it is like taking a picture out of a window of scenery, you are not there, you have not experienced it yourself, nor may you enjoy it yourself. Happy to be educated, I look forward to your feedback. (Just opening the bomb shelter )

It's ok, we are all different.
For me food is a major part of the travel experience so I think posting pics in dedicated threads make sense, after all a photo is better the 1,000 words.
If it's not your thing you can skip that thread and move on.

 

[Buzzard]

Doesn't sound any sillier than flying to AKL just for dinner with a few AFFers.

Come to think about it, are we still flying to WLG for dinner next year?

 

[Alanslegal]

I might give some photo examples if I have the time today

I have used this photo before but let's say

"Our flight was ready for boarding, and then we were driven directly to our awaiting plane via the tarmac"

Or

 

[Alanslegal]

I might give some photo examples if I have the time today

"I couldn't decide which entrée to choose to accompany my caviar so that fabulous crew offered all three entrées"

Or

 

[drron]

As others have said we are all different,indeed unique.Food has become an important part of our trips.Photos help me remember as well as inform others who may be interested.
Several recent TRs with quite a few food pics have inspired me as to destinations in 2016,17.I hope some continue posting pictures of their meals.

 

[Mattg]

I don't mind a few photos of food in the right time and place - i.e. J meal threads, trip reports. For me, exotic food is part of the travel experience. And let's be honest, who doesn't prefer a trip report that has pictures?

I would agree that it can get a bit tedious if we get 5 shots of the same piece of steak. But the same can be said for people who post 10 different shots of the same aircraft seat, with a slightly different angle on each shot.

 

[dk4]

For me -
It helps set expectations, about what to expect when passengers fly a certain airline/class/route/time.
It helps keep the coughs (penny pinching airline management) honest, by documenting their product.
It's a payback in kind - for the times when I have viewed others' photographs/reports to help me plan my journey.
It's about sharing experiences in an online community of flyers, and eating/drinking is part of the overall experience which some members do find interesting/enjoyable.

 

[mole]

It's become a bit of a tradition on our trips to include a "food photo blog" and if I don't include them on facebook updates I get asked for them. As my husband says, he eats, I shop!