Do You Take Photos of Your Food?

I’m way late to this news, but I recently learned that a few studies have shown that taking photos of your food before you eat it may actually improve its taste.

I wouldn’t say I’m a big food photographer. Definitely not every meal. But when I eat something special–whether it’s something I cook or at a restaurant–I like to capture it so I can remember it later and maybe share it on Instagram if I think there’s the potential for a fun conversation to emerge from the post.

So I was excited to learn about these studies. However, there’s a catch: Apparently the taste boost only happens with indulgent (i.e., unhealthy) foods. For healthy foods, the boost only occurs if you actively tell people around you that you’re eating healthy foods. That results in a date looking like this:

You: (takes photo)

Date: How does it look?

You: Healthy! It’s low-fat, no preservatives, farm-raised, and lots of fiber. My poops will be ample and healthy tonight.

Date: Okay…

You: It tastes great!

I’ve probably made it weirder than it really is. I’ve definitely talked about the nutritional value of my food before eating it–it’s like a culinary humble-brag.

Do you photograph your food sometimes before eating it? Have you noticed any difference in taste? It must be hard to detect.

4 thoughts on “Do You Take Photos of Your Food?”

  1. If I’m out for a special meal, I may photograph it. I also belong to a particular cookbook fan club on facebook where we regularly post photos of our meals or dishes to show how they turned out when we made them. I would quickly block anybody “humble-bragging” about their food. It’s food – enjoy it. There’s no morality attached to it.

    Reply
  2. I usually only take pictures of unusual foods I eat or some extravagant creation I stumble upon at a restaurant… like the boudin egg rolls I had at lunch today! Sure enough, after taking a picture of them they tasted amazing.

    Reply
  3. If that’s an example of your conversations, remind me if I get out to St. Louis to not have a meal with you 🙂

    In all seriousness, I do take pictures of my food and the studies are quite fascinating in that I can confirm the psychological effects of picture-taking ad wanting the object of that photo even more.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Jamey StegmaierCancel reply

Discover more from jameystegmaier.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue Reading