I was so relieved today to see a post on Amateur Gourmet that addressed an issue that I've come face-to-face with on the daily during my project: taking pictures of your food. I love what he has to say. For those who won't read the entire blog, check out some excerpts I grabbed:
"It forces you to pause and consider what's in front of you. Animals devour food indiscriminately; as humans, we have the capacity to appreciate our food in a way that they don't. Not just aesthetically (though that's important) but also spiritually; if we're eating a rabbit, perhaps it's worthwhile to pause and consider the fact that a rabbit died so that we can eat dinner.
Taking pictures of your food also allows you to create an archive of experience that transports you, instantly, back to a specific place in time.
Finally, taking pictures of your food opens up a dialogue between you and the people serving you. Some restauranteurs will ask you bluntly "are you a food blogger?"; other times they'll ask "Do you mind if I ask what you're taking pictures for?" Either way, you end up engaging the people who make and serve food for a living on a subject for which you share an equal passion. Many a great conversation has started for me that way and it's all because I was taking pictures of what I was eating."
And now, a quote from La Rochefoucauld: "to eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."
"It forces you to pause and consider what's in front of you. Animals devour food indiscriminately; as humans, we have the capacity to appreciate our food in a way that they don't. Not just aesthetically (though that's important) but also spiritually; if we're eating a rabbit, perhaps it's worthwhile to pause and consider the fact that a rabbit died so that we can eat dinner.
Taking pictures of your food also allows you to create an archive of experience that transports you, instantly, back to a specific place in time.
Finally, taking pictures of your food opens up a dialogue between you and the people serving you. Some restauranteurs will ask you bluntly "are you a food blogger?"; other times they'll ask "Do you mind if I ask what you're taking pictures for?" Either way, you end up engaging the people who make and serve food for a living on a subject for which you share an equal passion. Many a great conversation has started for me that way and it's all because I was taking pictures of what I was eating."
And now, a quote from La Rochefoucauld: "to eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."
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