Fluent Essays

Diagnostic Writing h Snacktivities and Musings of a T e ·d· Millennial Foo ie KATE BEISPEL _ 0 degrees and I'm breaking a sweat as I hoist It's 8 . . my just-bought lobster roll into the air, struggling to position it in a way that focuses o_n the mountain of chopped lob- ster baking in butter, while subtly blurring out the ocean behind it. 1 have one goal for this picture-to make it on to the Food in the Air Instagram account. I've spent months of my life positioning meals in front of breath- taking backdrops and sending them in to the anonymous geniuses that run this account, with no success. This meal, I've decided, will be my big break. Courtesy of Kate Beispel 64w katebtlspel When yoor lunch ts e mOdel OfOOd1nthca!r maagmo_ Beautiful lllynlppoport Im having one olthos, X tool lllyftChoL Your rovortte x X X X 11r11utt1•r Where ls: thi.s from X lcatobeispol 0Satalll1tlnger Joey's BTS X X dyllllenbn>wn you're• modol X ond your lunch Is a model . s of a Millennial · · · dMusmg Kate Beispel wrote "The Snackt1vities an . rsity of . or at the Umve Foodie" for a writing class when she was a sem . d a number 1 penence an Texas at Austin. Drawing on both persona ex . es that her . 1· m maJor argu - . of sources, this communications/Journa is d d technology, is don foo an generation so uniquely and oddly focuse se she draws on ' 'Ii prove her ca ' . will changing both' business and culture. 0 h generation I . . . embers of er . hnology P ent1ful lifestyle evidence that m . career in tee . 1 · ursumg a almost certainly recognize. Be1spe is P and rnedia. Beispel draws re~ders in With a first-person Point of view. WRITING ARGUMENTS ed J'l'l.e· I've It tums out it wasn't. But that hasn't st oP:yell "wait, • · rneals an contmued to seek out arnazing . before I take a t take a bite . wait, wait" if sorneone dares O . tiling arnazmg, pictt1re. Trying new foods, finding sorne is one of my . . . followers and sharing 1t with all of rnY bobbies. And J'rn not alone- . the relationship , do justice to ' The word love doesn t • no secret-we re . d food- It s . between Millenn1als an that a generation , dichotoJ'l'l.Y- · k obsessed- It s a strange k bard in a )Ob mar et willing to wor . often perceived as un . vested in a gourmet uld be so 1n with little prospects wo According to Bon · Iy young age. Factualevidence lifestyle at a relative . wned by conde Nast, thlY food rnagazine o f d Appetit, a rnon $ 6 b ·]lion a year on oo . MiJlennials spend over 9 ;heY spend on food goes fi rc ent of the rnoneY . . . from a repu-table magazine supports Beispel's claim about millen· nials' obsession with food. fort}'· our pe bets don't 11e: this 1s towards eating out (Peele). The num . . 1 food and the e><penence that a generation that va ues f . h d' . g And of course there's a name or comes wit in1n · ' them. foodies. "foodies" are self-proclaimed food critics who under- stand the industry and all it bas to offer. Or at least they think theY do. They may even have a food blog. ·Foodies need neither a formal background in culinary education Poking fun at nor the ability to cook. Last week my friicmds and herself and her J decided to try poke, a Hawaiian fish salad dish that's very in right now. With no prior experience trying poke friends, Beispel supports her claim with an example and gains the trust of her readers. Defining the term gourmet, Beispel analyzes how millen- nials differ from previous generations. and no knowledge of what it's suppOsed to taste like, we critiqued our bowls as if we were Hawaiian natives. "The chunks of fish are too large," remarked my friend. "They should ~e about 50% smaller," someone else agreed. I co~ldn t h~lp but roll my eyes and laugh at the way foodies of this generation speak of food with the confi- dence of seasoned chefs. While Millennials are n t h loves food the as h o t e only age group who , pee ts t ey v I d • f other generations Ch . h' a ue 1 fer from those of · ens 1ng th 1. been a characterist· . e qua ity of food bas ic important to . years. The term "gourm t" h many dmers over the e as long been used to describe ARGUMENTS OFFAq 189 & d connoisseurs. Michelin star restau se ioo . rants Ne the . es restaurant reviews, and celebrities Wh ' . tu Yi rk rim O Wnte 0 ks aren't new to the scene either- th . okboo ese thing co b en present in food culture for decade " . _s 11ave e " . " s. iet it is Pin down exactly when foodie began t nard to . o replace met" as a term to describe those With d "gour e Ucated alettes. P M ny still link an obsession with food to ffl a . a uence d class but the term foodie clearly lacks up an ' . . Per-class notations. The Millennial foodie doesn't con . . need or Peet tablecloths and silver spoons and sorne ext ex ' rernely Pular restaurants today even arrive in the form f 1: po o 100d rrucks. Today, fifty percent of Millennials refer to them - selves as foodies, according to a recent study conducted by advertising agency BBDO, further indicating that the food obsession and appreciation isn't just for the wealth ("How Millennials"). Where there's a food line, there's: Millennial waiting: foodie culture is accessible to anyone who wants to be a part of it. Unsurprisingly, technology has signaled the differ- ence between gourmet cultures of the past and the food - ies of the present and future. In a 2914 Nielsen survey, Millennials cited technology as the defining characteris- tic of their generation ("Millennials: Technology"). For a generation obsessed with food, having the ability to share and tell stories about their meals is key. And they don't hold back. They believe that the aesthetics and presentation of a plate can't be enjoyed witho ut photographic evidence of it first . Walk into a restaurant and look around-people are Photographing their food before they eat . What they ;Ian t d . . . . , But theres no 0 o Wlth this picture is anybody s guess. . 1 ials to share shortage of platforms available for Mil enn •te th . b " their two favon eir culinary experiences and com me t enti- b blr accoun -0 sessions- food and technology. A Tum . d" even ti ,, · · • · t res of Foo ed Pictu res of Hipsters Taking Pie u hing food . 1 hotograp exists solely t o docu ment peop e P k"ll in itsein. th • dered (a 5 1 at they didn't cook and simply or This Paragraph builds on the previous one by expanding the analysis of millennial foodies. The importance of technology is emphasized via survey data. 190 WRITING ARGUM ENTS A photograph provides visua l evidence of Beispel's point. Beispel offers more evidence from social media platforms. . of Hipsters Taking pictures blr Pictures of food rum _ . 1 Jnstagrarn is a foodie f d h s gone vira • Clearly, 00 a . b hclub and @infatuation ts like @1g rune haven. Accoun O f Ilowers who tune in to see d of 700,00 ° have upwar s t if ed and not-formally edu- what these often non-cer I I h ve to say about food. For more cated Instagram users a specialized food experiences, Jnstagram users can check out accounts such as @spoonuniversity ~r @newfork~1ty that tailor their accounts to college students or specific cities. Even though @tinyfoods posts only pictures of miniature food, the site still has thousands of followers. There is a luscious culinary experience for any range of tastes and interests on the 'Gram. It's hard to exit the app without feeling hungry. Snapchat and Facebook have also jumped on the bandwagon. The food phenomenon is now global and at the tip of a foodie's fingers. Open up Snapchat and the Food Network Snapchat channel boasts endless recipes, hacks, and pictures. Users can even subscribe to the net- work so they never miss the carefully selected and curated content. Buzzfeed's "Tasty" videos reach tens of millions ~f viewers and create quick recipes on camera for users to mimic at home. The comments are full of thousands of Facebook users tagging t heir friends so they tune into the content as well. CHAPTER 8 ARGUMENTS OF FACT ( 19 1 here's Yelp. I don't remember the last nd of course, t rant or ordered a dish without Yelp-A ' d a restau . . . . I picke who aren't familiar, Yelp is the Wiki-urne for those . . it first. rs can rate and review restaurants 1ng f od. use . . dia of O t blishments), post pictures of dishes, pe theres a . . . (arnong O h r information and tips about dmmg out. ·ae ot e and proVI s food lovers to have additional control of 1 enable 1· · t th · · Ye P . xperience. It e 1m1na es e questioning · dining e their h r you'll like a new restaurant or dish. You whet e . over . 1. e your food before you eat 1t and see what v1sua iz can eople thought of it. You know the best dishes on other P • h , t U rant menu before you amve. T at s not to dis-the res a t the untrustworthiness of Yelp and the type of per-coun . 1 . d . W ho would be inc 1ne to post a review: usually son someone who had a one-star or five-star experience. Generally, though, thanks to technology, there's less risk for foodies when dining out. More important, the bizarre, distinctive, and often laughable behavior of Millennial foodies is more than a social phenomenon-this food-obsessed species has th e ability to drive society in powerful directions. Food giants are now changing their core values to align with those of Millennials. For a generation that isn't particularly brand loyal and values health, convenience, and low prices, companies are launching new products and remarketing old ones. Due to poor sales, PepsiCo, for example, has dropped ingredients perceived as unhealthy. Whole Foods plans to open a chain of grocery stores directed at a_ 3 o and under crowd, with lower prices for h ealthy, high-quality food. These stores will also feature smaller Packaoi • . o•ng, catenng to an age group that has yet to start a fain11y. So 1 k a· · 00 around: the power of the Millennial foo ies 18 real. Th f ey hav.e become unp aid brand a mbassadors or t ants they prefer They're marketers and promo -ers to · wh' 0 • for their favorite foods-just add a geotag to say ,, atever restaurant you're a t and anyone can access 1our Ph 1 to h ate Oto and opinions. Non -foodies may ave The effects of millennia ls' purchasing habits are explored. WRITING ARGUMENTS Beispel concludes her argum.ent with a new spin on an old adage. th em, but foodies are devoted to anything and anybody who stylishly satisfies their hUnger. And they've proba- bly taken a picture of your meal while you weren't looking. The phrase "you are what you eat" has been completely redefined . WORKS CITED "How Millennials Me changing the foodie Game-" JU)P Food service, rdpfoodservice. comfblow'millennials-changing -foodie-game/. Accessed 8 :rvt:ar. 2017. "Millennials: Technology " social connection.' Nielsen, 26 Feb. 2014, www.nje]sen.comfus/en/insightsf neWs/20141 millenniaJs-technology-social-connection.hnnl. Peele, Anila· "Just How food-Obsessed Is t11e 1YPical Millen- nial?" Bon /\ppetit, 16 Feb. 2016, www.bonappetit.com/ en tertaining-style/pop-cutture/ article/millennials-and -food. Pictures of Hipsters Taking Pictures of Food, Tumblr, pohtpof .turnblr.corn/. Accessed 8 Mar. 2017.