Asking the Relevant Questions
l. How much value do millennials attach to food?
There is no mention of the nutritive or dietary composition of food in Beispel’s article, which leads one to question how foodies reach the decision to given commentary on different foods. It is evident that this generation gets satisfaction from the physical aesthetics and taste of food. The choice of the words used in the title of the article, “snacktivities and musings” is testament to this argument.
2. What are the driving factors behind the emergence of ‘foodies’?
The confounding million-dollar question relates to the quest to understand the driving forces behind attitudes and behaviors of what critics perceive as a revolution in food culture instigated by millennials. The generation receives negative criticism for its perceived unwillingness to work hard in the job market, implying its prospects to invest in the gourmet food industry are diminished. Nevertheless, millennials are the highest spenders on food, which raises questions on the contradictory state of affairs. It remains to be seen whether the satisfaction from posting one’s experiences with food on social media platforms determines the craving for food demonstrated by millennials.
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3. To what extent do expertise, professionalism, or class matter in millennials approach to food?
Kate Beispel noted that foodies are self-proclaimed critics with exceptional understanding of the industry. However, majority are not trained on culinary skills or ranked as having higher social class. Their primary assets are candid opinions about food that peers and providers of food services appear to value immensely. Foodies have the potential to influence the decision of food lovers to dine out in specific restaurants. Beispel recognized the existence of Yelp, a social media platform labeled as the Wikipedia of food. Yelp allows users to post reviews and pictures of food from different eating outlets, and consumers have developed dependence on the site, a depiction of the informal influence of foodies.
4. How justifiable is the argument that “millennials eat for social media”?
To answer the question, it is important to draw on Kate Beispel observation that, “Millennials believe that the aesthetics and presentation of a plate cannot be enjoyed without photographic evidence of it first” (189). The practice of photographing food before eating is a common phenomenon considered as trendy. Beispel demonstrates the behavior at the onset of the article during the struggle to obtain a perfect shot of the lobster roll in the air. Integration of food and technology presents foodies with opportunities to share their culinary skills, loosely interpreted as the skillset to take the perfect picture of food plates to be shared on social media platforms.
5. How has the emergence of foodies influence overall food culture?
Food culture underwent a revolution following the emergence of foodies. Millennials changed the landscape of the industry and continually advance the line of thought that reviewing of food and eateries is not a preserve of those trained in culinary education. However, with substantial emphasis on aesthetics, the emerging food culture of the foodies raises concerns because of the deviation from the traditional value placed on food. Restaurants are re-strategizing to please a generation of consumers that has little regard for the nutritive value of food.
