Tacos, pizza, cookies, sushi, burgers, fries, ice cream, popcorn, sandwiches: is your mouth watering yet? It isn’t just avocado toast that revs us up, it’s food. Food is no longer just something we eat, it’s become clothing, accessories, pillows, everything. My parents never had a stuffed taco as a young adult, taco socks, or taco earrings, but I do. We obsess over food to the level that we post about it, take photos with it, and adorn ourselves with it.
Instagram is notorious for food posts. Everyone has a Pinterest board dedicated to food. We can’t live without it, literally AND figuratively. So what’s the big deal about food? Um, it’s delicious, what a silly question.
Not only is it delicious but our obsession with food goes a little deeper than the first layer of a 7-layer dip. We connect over food. In a society that is trying its best to split us into factions – political, racial, gender, orientation, economic standing, etc. food is one thing we all enjoy and have in common.
Trying to build a friendship or score a date? You ask someone to coffee or to eat. In the digital age, one of the few times it’s difficult to stare at a screen (outside of sleeping and bathing) is eating. When we eat together, we have conversation, fellowship, and shared experience.
Not everyone watches the same TV shows or has the same interests, but everyone has to eat to live. Suddenly when someone breaks out some grub, everyone is on the same page. Regardless of allergies and preferences, everyone still loves eating.
Since social media obsesses over food, you can basically guarantee that any food post is going to get some clicks and likes. I posted two photos on Instagram at the same time, one of an ice cream cone and another of myself and two friends holding ice cream cones. The ice cream got 3 times as many likes. Sure, it could have been the dinosaur-shaped sprinkles on the cone that got so many likes and the experimental headband on me that earned a scroll-pass but I think we’ve all had a similar experience.
As children we enjoyed coloring, playing sports, talking to friends, watching TV, and all kinds of fun activities. As adults we have classes, papers, jobs, bills, relationships that are much more fragile. Mealtime offers a break from the rush, an opportunity to slow down and chow down. Food is one thing we can really take a breath from the race of life to enjoy. So put on your taco t-shirt and ice cream pumps and enjoy food!
Featured image via Unsplash
