Food or Selfie - Which One Will it Be?

Sitting in my favourite coffee shop once again, thinking, something I do a lot of these days.  Been reading a couple of books lately about the wonders of the human brain and how it functions and the fight between proponents of theism and atheism.  Am I going to discuss the lofty heights both these  subjects reach?  No, of course not.  I wouldn't be able to give them justice.  Besides, I want to talk about something much more important - taking photos of food you're about to eat. Yes, folks, this phenomenon has been with us for sometime, but the ubiquitous use of mobile phones has increased the practice exponentially. 

Facebook is full of foodie pics. Why? Is it to torture your poor student friends who are in their dorm eating cornflakes with no milk or Maggie instant noodles with no flavouring? Or, maybe the person you are dining with is so darn boring, taking photos of food is a form of cerebral relief. 

Could you imagine going to see your friends for real and showing them a picture of what you had for breakfast.  They would give you a queer look and think, “Get a life,” but somehow posting it on Facebook etc. transforms you into an interesting informed foodie. 

I can almost understand it, if the dish was exquisitely presented and made from unusual exotic ingredients, but photography of a plate of fish and chips or Nasi Campur -  Really! 

Woe betide  any one eating before the unforgettable snaps      (in this case an oxymoron)  have all been taken, sacrosanct. 

Maybe some are documenting it in case it's their last meal, like a condemned prisoner awaiting their execution, so all the world can goggle over what they have consumed before they depart to the afterlife. (Makes me think, what is a perfect last meal? Is it better to be light - toast and marmalade or go out with a bang, a full blown 3 courser with all the bells and whistles - I transgress.)

Needless to say 99.9999..... % survive to eat another day.

Oh, the memories of using film for photography.  No indiscriminate shots of food those days.  It would have to be the level of a wedding banquet or a 21st birthday to justify the expense.

Maybe I'm being a little too harsh here. The average punter doesn't give it a lot of thought.  As long as you have a constant stream of info to amuse your friends ( or not ) on Facebook, that's all that matters.  

After reading most of the banality that passes for comment on social media, the occasional picture of food is fairly harmless and of course much, much better than that narcissistic selfie!    

Exquisite example of a bowl of light fluffy opaque over processed white rice. 

  

Time Waster

Sitting in a local restaurant the other day, I happened to glance up and notice the table across the room. There sat 3 adults and a child interacting with 3 tablets and a smart phone.  When I walked to the counter, I could not help but notice all of them playing games.  Each and everyone in their own little world, eyes intensely focused on the screen. 

I myself confess to being guilty of using a smart phone or tablet when out with my feeble excuse of only wanting to catch up on the news, do some research or send an email or two.  Now, some will say plenty of people read the newspaper eating breakfast.  Isn’t that the same thing?  True in some respects, but usually some level of conversation is generated by this.  'Zombies V Plants' and 'Angry Birds' don’t reach such dizzy heights.

I am sure you have experienced the bus / train syndrome where people have their heads buried in the screen of their smart phone looking intently at the last Facebook musings whilst listening to music through ear buds.  Almost no one indulging in the old fashion concept of conversation.  My father would be turning in his grave to see this trend.  He would love to talk to anyone who within ear shot and over the years got to know many people through this activity; it was a very big part of his life. 

My own pet theories as to why?

One, time filling.  When we are not sure what to do with ourselves, we resort to pulling out the phone to check.  Checking what really doesn't matter as long as that awkward moment passes.  I myself look at phone some 40 times a day.

Secondly, notice how people who are bored with the surrounding conversation pull out their phone to show, in a not so subtle way “I have had enough”. 

“Facebook is communicating,” I can hear you say.   Can’t disagree with that, for me it’s quite impersonal - communication by remote control.  We become a lot braver when we don't  have to look into anyone's eyes with all the feelings that go with that and say things that we might not or could not say face to face.  

A lot of the conversations on Facebook I find is an exercise in banality, foodie photos, selfie photos, baby photos etc.  All a very self-deluding exercise in narcissism,  which in reality has little appeal outside the sender.  Am I missing something?  To me Facebook is more like, ”In Your Face,” book!

There, got that out of the way.  Back to the topic at hand.  Direct communication or lack of it.  With all the time we spend on our machines being constantly bombarded with stimuli, I wonder whether our ability to concentrate is being severely tested.  Few people especially the young can be seen sitting quietly contemplating, deep in thought. 

And those 3 adults and the child you ask?   All good things must come to an end.  Upon leaving, the child created a scene when he refused to give the phone to his father.  The magic, the spell had been broken.