Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Gastronomic Tourism and the Rise (and Fall) of Food Porn

Everyone has that friend. You know, that one that posts every meal they eat on the internet. Perhaps it is even you. "Food porn" has been around for as long as Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and the thousands of foodie blogs on the internet. For some, it has become their major avenue for sharing personal experiences with the world. But that doesn't mean we should keep doing it. Recently, it has seen some pretty serious backlash from chefs the world over. Some restaurants are even banning camera phones completely, much to the chagrin of the salivating masses.

I was reading a great blog today on the Daily Beast about why you need to put down your camera and enjoy your food as the chef intended it to be eaten (you know, hot). What I found most interesting though was the note about the dramatic increase in "Gastromonic Tourism" that is taking place these days. It is one of the "fastest growing travel sectors among the traveling class, according to the World Food Traveler... According to their 2013 statistics, over 39 million leisure travelers are considered 'deliberate culinary travelers.'"

With so many people traveling just for food, it's no wonder why there has been such a dramatic increase in the documentation of their experiences online. But are we missing out on what is really important? Why not just enjoy your meal, live in the moment, and share it only with those in your present company? Isn't that really the point? I think we miss out on some very real, visceral enjoyment when documentation becomes more important than the experience.

What do you think?


- Anjee

1 comment:

  1. If we see in general all these terms are having an importance and most of the times from new york to maine is one of those sources which are working impressively.

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