Why do people take photos of their food?
There I was doing the very thing that I had made fun of others for doing. How did I get here? That’ll teach me to be less judgmental, I thought. The restaurant where I was having lunch between work and a hair appointment was someplace that I had wanted to try for a while. Eating alone in a restaurant never bothered me since I’m a people watcher and am easily amused by just looking around the room, or sometimes I’ll bring a magazine to browse while eating.
Increasingly, though, I find myself occupied with my mobile phone. It’s not something I’m proud of, but I know I’m not alone here. I find myself checking work and personal emails, texting with friends or scrolling through social media or news websites. My friends and I text very often and interact more that way now than by just talking on the phone. I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad, but I know it’s convenient and I also know that texting is less annoying to your fellow diners in a restaurant than blabbing on your cellphone.
The couple next to me (and they were seated right next to me thanks to a mere one-foot clearance between tables) demonstrated that point. Because our tables were so close, I couldn’t help but overhear when her cellphone rang and she loudly answered it and proceeded on in a snarky tone, even though her father had apparently called to wish her a happy birthday. I put my cellphone away and just enjoyed the moment and my surroundings.
My food arrived, and it was elegantly presented as well as absolutely delicious. That’s when the inexplicable happened. I pulled out my phone and snapped a photo of my entrée so I could text it to my boyfriend (who had also heard about this restaurant.) What am I doing? I’ve become one of those people! You know, those people who take pictures of their food and share them on social media to show all of the awesome food they’re eating and you’re not.
I always think that’s such a silly thing to do. Who wants to see my food? I realized that I started taking occasional photos of food for the travel stories I write so that I could show readers good places to eat if they visit. I also realized that I don’t need to be sending my boyfriend and other friends photos of my lunch in Pittsburgh.
An article I read recently by a very talented travel writer had some words of wisdom that I remembered. He advised folks to put down their cameras and phones and actually be in the moment on their vacations rather than just seeing them through the lens. I decided to put down my phone, be in the moment and enjoy my lunch. It was terrific!
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.