Food and Popular Culture

I love to cook. I feel food, as a topic of popular culture, has really exploded in popularity. It’s branched into popular culture through media as a form of entertainment. It can also be political as GMO foods are hotly debated. While there have always been “foodies”, those people who love good food, the internet has really allowed people to explore and experiment with the food of different cultures or styles. There are many food blogs which not only post recipes but act as a way to learn about different cuisines. There are also Instagram accounts devoted to what is called “food porn”, that is photographs of food which are very visually appealing. It’s actually very common to see people photographing their food prior to eating it with the purpose of sharing their experience on social media.

Entire television networks are devoted to food and celebrity chefs are now household names. There are competitive cooking shows that allow contestants to show off there home cooking skills or compete to run a restaurant of a famous chef. Other shows combine food, culture and travel where the host (usually a celebrity chef) travels the world in order to experience the food of different cultures. We’ve always had access to information about food but today that amount of that information, which is easily accessible through apps and the internet, is almost endless.  

I read an article in The New Yorker recently which noted that “The loyalty inspired by certain supermarkets is downright devout” particularly the to customer of Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. (Trader Joe’s is great) Food trucks, which have moved far beyond simply hot dogs to Indian, Middle Eastern or Mexican foods, are becoming more common and when I lived in LA I noticed how they serve as a place to get late night snacks and hang out.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/16/a-bushel-and-a-peck

Photo: https://www.sohotaco.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/SOHO-TACO-Gourmet-Taco-Truck-Los-Angeles-Art-Walk-Taco-Catering-1024x921.jpg