
Instagram is ruining food - gammarator
https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2017/08/07/instagram-ruining-food-and-might-only-one-who-cares/GlZVsoSzmMKRpzrtenjfQN/story.html
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zacsme
The article has a video included: "How to take better food photos for
Instagram"

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polskibus
Is it just me or this story requires fb login? Maybe it's time for HN to
introduce some form of tagging such articles during submission?

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jonawesomegreen
I would love to see some tagging for paywalled articles. It feels like I've
been seeing more of them lately.

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bobthepanda
Instagram has largely been a net positive for food and restaurants. Pre-
Instagram, creating buzz for a new restaurant was pretty difficult; now at
least some types of restaurants are able to get the word out quickly.

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loco5niner
Just being honest here: I don't want a restaurant to survive or thrive because
it can create a buzz. I want it to survive because it has good food. Good
service is a nicety too. If it doesn't have those, I want it to fail. In all
the products/services we create and consume, we should be focusing on
providing quality rather than creating an appealing appearance that ultimately
doesn't satisfy. I feel like real food has suffered in this way, just look at
what has happened to Red Delicious apples and standard grocery tomatoes
through the past decades. Very beautiful in appearance, but lacking in
substance.

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bhauer
You and I both. But in my experience, this has always been the case, since
before Instagram and it will continue after Instagram. Some people like dining
to be a more holistic experience that is less emphatically focused on the
taste of the food and the quality of the ingredients.

Appearance, buzz, hype, and everything else that comes from the non-food
elements of dining out has never done much for me and my wife. But we know
plenty of people who value those attributes highly. When going out with
friends, we'll often be swayed to go to places that have more visual or
thematic embellishment than flavor and food quality. And that's fine.

It sounds like Instagram is simply a continuation of that, perhaps an
amplification of that. But some of us will continue to prefer restaurants that
focus on flavor and quality first. Yes, atmosphere matters, but I never take
selfies, and I very rarely photograph my food. The delight of a free market is
that I can support vendors that respect the things I value, and do so
regularly, all the while others have distinct preferences and the market
serves us both. Even this article is a bit of the market in action: a non-
trade signal to chefs to remember that some out there may spend their money on
a really good stew.

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BrandoElFollito
How do you find these restaurants? I am genuinely interested because I hate
the Instagram pretentiousness and the restaurants which encourage this.

I see you are located in California so the app/site may not be relevant (I am
in France) but still (I visit the US on a regular basis so at least I will not
be eating with people standing on they chairs when taking pictures instead of
enjoying the food and friends)

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bhauer
> _people standing on they chairs when taking pictures instead of enjoying the
> food_

Haha! I suspect it might have something to do with the relaxed culture of the
Southern California beach cities. I've never seen anyone standing on chairs
taking photos. Around here, that would probably create mirth and laughter
among the other people at the restaurant. It's fine if you want to do that,
but it's not a common behavior.

I have seen a few people take photos of their plates (while seated), but even
that is pretty uncommon. Most people around here are just interested in
chatting with the other people at their table. But if you want to take photos
of your food, have fun!

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rabbyte
this is the most petty thing. I mean... wow. maybe care less about what other
people are into? if the food you're eating doesn't taste great that's entirely
on you, there are so many great food options today! I'm supposed to be upset
people like to snap their meals and restaurants are working harder on
presentation or mood lighting? oh no! the horrors.

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teh_klev
archive.is linky for those who can't get past the paywall using all the usual
tricks:

[http://archive.is/cBsdO](http://archive.is/cBsdO)

[edit: oops, forgot the link]

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magic_beans
Instagram is elevating food. It's an amazing discovery tool for finding new
places to eat.

This entire article is predicated on the fact that no-one Instagrams boring
ol' stew -- but this is not true at all.

Clickbait title. Useless article.

