It's impossible to know whether Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger anticipated that their photo-sharing app would shape the way we socialize, cook, and even where we eat and drink, when they launched their app back in 2010. But either way, Instagram's impact on society's relationship with food is clear and undeniable. While I'm personally prone to photographing any and every thing that catches my eye, Instagram has a way of stoking that quality in me and getting me to share every little mundane instance I happen to think deserves it (which is a lot!). More often than not, what I share tends to be images of food or drinks, sometimes on my own at bars I adore or sometimes over meals shared with friends in their homes. If you like a restaurant or bar, you want people to know about it so they can try it too, right? There are many reasons to do so, the least of which seems to be the actual promoting, the bigger incentive being 'likes' and giving off the impression that you have a busy and fulfilling life. Below are just a few examples I was able to pull from my own Instagram, shameless as they may be:
(Tacos by my friend Monica, pizza at Di Fara, Negroni and Hot Bird, cheeseburger and my favorite fries and a Nitro cream ale at Sea Witch, Gelato at L'Albero Dei Gelati, arepa at Arepa Lady, Perogis at Veselka, Pizza at Robertas, and the chicken biscuit at Pies N' Thighs! Whew..)
Instagram's popularity measuring contest aside, I felt especially prone to sharing my own cooking adventures at home in my kitchen (big surprise) once Instagram copy-catted Snapchats "stories" feature. At first I scoffed at the blatant appropriation of the feature, but it's quickly grown to be my favorite aspect of Instagram. The stories disappear after 24 hours, so it's easy to swipe once or twice, film something silly or ephemeral, and send it off and into the lives of any interested followers. I'll often reach for this particular feature when I'm making dinner at home, glass of wine in hand and a record on the turntable, just to share what I'm cooking, especially if I'm trying a new recipe. It's fun and easy and occasionally someone actually does make something I've made, and that's really the whole point of this show and site! To share and interact and recreate these experiences of eating and cooking, even when not physically in proximity. So as much as we are addicted to scrolling and tapping 'like' and peering into the lives of friends and celebrities alike, I'd like to say my takeaway is that sharing can be powerful, emboldening, and create bonds you might otherwise have missed out on.
So, for this episode I went deep into my own "screencaps" folder on my phone and dug up recipes shared by other friends, influencers, and cookbook authors I follow out there in insta-land. Some of these recipes have quickly become favorites for me, and they're somehow even more special because many do not have homes on blogs or in cookbooks just yet. They just appeared for a brief moment on a day when one of these (all women) creators or chefs felt like sharing. And thankfully that impulse to share has led me to cook many delicious meals! So here you go, here are my favorites harvested directly from the timeline.
Easy Tuna Salad from A Cozy Kitchen
Blood Orange Pound Cake from A Cozy Kitchen