Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Bloggers take note: food photography makes food taste better

"The meal is getting cold, and your fellow diners are waiting — not to mention silently willing you to sit down and stop embarrassing them with your millennial sensibilities. And, maybe most important, you also want to eat the delicious-looking food laid out in front of you. But none of this matters because the method is always the same: Photograph and delay gratification, which, in turn, makes the food seem more delicious."
An article titled "The Psychological Case for Instagramming Your Food" by Claudia McNeilly appeared in "Science of Us" in New York Magazine yesterday. The author reviewed several research projects that found that Instagrammers (or presumably bloggers) who photographed their food enjoyed eating it more than those who tucked in right away.

Miriam and Evelyn photographing our 2015 Thanksgiving turkey.
Rituals that postpone eating, including photography, all seem to increase enjoyment, according to this article. I wondered if one traditional ritual that wasn't mentioned would also do so: saying Grace! That would be an interesting research project. Meanwhile, this gives me some excuses about making people wait while I take food photos -- also does it for my fellow bloggers or Instagrammers.

The conclusion of the article puts it this way: "In short: Perhaps the only thing more irritating than the act of public food photography is knowing that those walking their $16 plates of eggs Benedict over to a window could be getting more out of their dining experience than you."

4 comments:

Jeanie said...

I love it! I love the concluding paragraph, too! I try not to use flash when I photograph my food out somewhere -- but one does what one must!

Kitchen Riffs said...

I must say, I'm always much hungrier for my food after taking photos! Fun post -- thanks.

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I think that those of us who photograph our food take greater care with presentation, and as we taste with our eyes first, naturally we enjoy it more. Interesting article.

Cheri Savory Spoon said...

Very interesting Mae, though it certainly makes alot of sense.