It is disrespectful to take photos of food at a restaurant

[yessiree]

This thread is a safe space to express your disdain to the trend of people taking photos of their food at restaurants before consuming their food.

[zoraster]

Disrespectful to whom exactly?

[Nexus]

Fuck that if I want to document the deliciousness that I'm about to imbibe, I'm taking a picture. I'm not hurting anyone.

[Raskolnikov]

Fuck that, you're paying for that shit, it's your property. I don't want to hear any bullshit about you actually just purchasing a limited use license to eat and digest the food but it technically still belongs to them and you don't really own it.

[Creature]

Disrespectful for the competing restaurants?

[SleepyKrew]

taking a picture of your own food: fine
telling me not to start eating because you want to take a picture of my food: go to jail

[shaft.ed]

why do people take cameras out to eat?
weird

[zoraster]

why do people take cameras out to eat?
weird

people take their phones to eat. It's pretty rare i see someone take a DSLR or something out.

[Aurathebirb]

I'm sure the restaurant appreciates any attention they might get

Never heard anyone in the staff complain about photos really. Just one guy who was always video calling with his laptop

[zoraster]

If people are getting in the way of servers or customers to take a photo, standing on furniture, using flash, etc. that could all make it disruptive to the experience. If people are just snapping some quick photos of their food with their phone, the restaurant isn't going to care. Better for them to have people promote their restaurant on instagram or whatever.

As far as people I'm dining with: truthfully, I'm way more concerned about friends and family using their phones regularly to do things like text, look things up, check their email, etc. at a dinner than I am the fairly quick process of taking a photo of food. If they take forever to do it and have to be really fussy about it, it's annoying but usually not for long.

[yessiree]

Disrespectful to whom exactly?

Hmm, if you're with company or friends, it's rude to them because if you guys are eating out/going to a bar it's supposed to be a social activity, so put down that camera/phone and socialize with them mang.

You also make it super awkward to dudes who don't take photos of their food cause for them, they will be like, should I go ahead and eat? Should I wait for my friends to finish taking photos? Should I offer my food for them to take photos of? Are you guys done yet? Huh you wanna take photos of my food that's cool I guess. No one deserves to be put through this internal strife.

[zoraster]

It can be a little irritating, but it's not necessary to wring your hands over it. Eat your food when everyone is served. Don't offer your food for someone else to photograph unless you want a photo of it. Let each person approach their food how they wish.

[yessiree]

Fuck that if I want to document the deliciousness that I'm about to imbibe, I'm taking a picture. I'm not hurting anyone.

Pictures are supposed to be documenting rare occasions / notable events. Like if you are travelling, you take photos because you don't know when you will be able to visit it again.

But for food, it's just food man just eat it. What's the point of documenting it? You wouldn't go through photos of food you've eaten/ not eaten just like you wouldn't go through fireworks/concert recordings. "Take a look at this speghetti and meatballs I had at Boston pizza's it was pretty good" If you wanted to experience the food you had you can just go back again!!

[zoraster]

why is that what pictures are "for"? We don't have film in our cameras, dude. We can take as many as we want. I have hundreds of photos of my cats, and who the hell cares?

[yessiree]

It's a public vs private thing. It's true you can take as many pictures as you want in a private setting, just like how you can go commando at home but not really anywhere else. I have no issues if you take pictures of your own made food at home, but I frown at those who take them at a restaurant

[zoraster]

what exactly is it about people taking photos -- photos that don't even have you in it! -- that makes you think a comparison to going nude is appropriate and convincing?

[zoraster]

you're trying to make your own personal idiosyncratic preference into a virtue that is justified. it is not. it's you being needlessly judgmental about something that does not affect you in the case of people not in your party and is a mild inconvenience if they are. In the latter case, if they're close enough to you and their offense egregious enough, it's possible that's time for some communication.

Feel free not to take pictures of your food. I very, very rarely do. But don't pretend this is a source of superiority because it is not.

[yessiree]

that comparison was articulated poorly on my part, I admit. I should have based my argument on the value of taking food photos (ie, why do people do it?), but perhaps someone else could do a better job

this whole thing is as you said, a preference; whether a mild inconvenience or worse, is viewed differently from person to person. love it or hate it, ultimately my goal here isn't to change people's mind one way or the other, but to see if others also share the same opinion as me. so far it hasn't been the case lol

[shaft.ed]

If you wanted to experience the food you had you can just go back again!!

not in cases of traveling/expensive etc.

[yessiree]

If you wanted to experience the food you had you can just go back again!!

not in cases of traveling/expensive etc.

Okay fine, if its like part of the travelling experience, then yeah I can kinda see the point

but then again though, globalisation bro, what cuisine isn't available in the states nowadays?

[shaft.ed]

sheng jian bao

[shaft.ed]

anything in a European bakery

[shaft.ed]

Bay bugs

[AniX]

Photos aren't merely about recalling the experience for yourself such that you can just go back and buy it again, especially when social media is involved. It is about sharing the experience with others, either directly (because you think the meal looks appetizing and want others to see it too) or indirectly (because the meal represents something else, like talking a photo of your birthday meal to celebrate the birthday or taking a picture of the first/last meal on a diet to memorialize the diet). I think you will find very few people take pictures of food to add it to their private collection of food pictures they just...look at for themselves.

[AniX]

Whether you think that is the best method of memorializing events or whether you think the costs (whatever you think they are) outweigh that goal, if you are going to criticize a practice you should at least understand why people engage in it.