We all know Hewitt girls love their food. When 10:15 AM rolls around, the staircases begin to fill up and swarms of girls rush down to Le Bistro for their goldfish fix.
Recently, Hewitt girls have taken their epicurean obsessions to the next level by creating Foodstagram accounts, including those by the names of new_fork_city and thegoldplatter. These Instagrams contain hundreds of photos of mouth-watering dishes that almost looks too good to be true. Each post has a Geotag, which allows followers to fulfill their (understandable) cravings by following the Instagram-generated map to pin point the picture’s location. The photos also include Emojis and clever captions and hashtags, quintessential features of any successful Instagram post.
I got the chance to speak with Gillian Presto ’14 and Natalie Landsberg ’14, who created the now “Insta famous” food porn account, new_fork_city, currently followed by over 2,900 Instagram users.
When I asked Gillian what inspired them to create the Instagram, she simply responded by saying, “Our love of food was definitely new_fork_city‘s inspiration. Both Natalie and I love going to different restaurants and cafés to try different foods, so we decided to team up with a friend outside of school (Emily Morse, Chapin ’14) and create a Foodstagram where we could share all of the food we eat.”
When the creators decided that the three of them would not be able to capture the best “foodgasmic” delicacies in the tri-state area alone, they opened up the account for submissions. Tag #newforkcity on your next worthy photo, and you may find your food featured.
Natalie commented, “One of my favorite posts on the Instagram thus far definitely has to be the toasted s’mores from Smorgasburg in Williamsburg. The s’mores were toasted on two homemade graham crackers. They were absolutely insane!”
The admins of thegoldplatter have requested to stay anonymous because of their belief that, in this day and age where everything is out in the open, mystery is a hidden gem. Nevertheless, I was able to score a low-key interview with the creators. On the account’s inspiration, one of the creators said “I really just love taking photographs in general and I suddenly caught myself loving taking pictures of food, so what better way to show my love of photography better than through a food Instagram?”
So, why the sudden surge in Foodstagramming? You might say that the creators made their accounts because of their love for photography. But even so, why choose the platform of Instagram instead of a blog? There’s some simple logic behind it: if food makes people happy, and happy people follow accounts and like posts, food is essentially a magnet for followers and likes on Instagram.
Who doesn’t get excited about IG likes piling up? If you don’t, you may not have an Instagram. In the digital age, likes can do a lot for people’s egos and can boost the self-esteem that teenage girls often lack. Instagram has become a quick and easy way to raise (and in some cases destroy) confidence, and food has propelled that notion, all while giving the viewer something tasty to dream about.