the no in nom
February 22, 2011 8:10 PM Subscribe
Food Mourn: the opposite of food porn.
How food looks is the least important thing about it next to how it sounds.
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 8:21 PM on February 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 8:21 PM on February 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
A lot of these look gross... but the tags and comment make them look even worse!
posted by Night_owl at 8:21 PM on February 22, 2011
posted by Night_owl at 8:21 PM on February 22, 2011
Does anyone else want six of those LA Street Food pork and porks?
posted by heyho at 8:21 PM on February 22, 2011 [13 favorites]
posted by heyho at 8:21 PM on February 22, 2011 [13 favorites]
I dunno, I'd eat most of those. They're not especially high on presentation value, but I bet most of them taste pretty good.
posted by Malor at 8:32 PM on February 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Malor at 8:32 PM on February 22, 2011 [3 favorites]
Some look a lot better in the original.
Spinach egg mcmuffin is fine too, but the yolk is quite good for you. Don't skip it!
scampi salad is a little sloppy, but if i weren't vegetarian, i'd eat it.
to be honest, this gravy fest from the "antithesis" looks as bad as anything @ #foodmourn.
and if you added a caption of "rabbit and albino deer poop" i might not want to eat that one either.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:32 PM on February 22, 2011
Spinach egg mcmuffin is fine too, but the yolk is quite good for you. Don't skip it!
scampi salad is a little sloppy, but if i weren't vegetarian, i'd eat it.
to be honest, this gravy fest from the "antithesis" looks as bad as anything @ #foodmourn.
and if you added a caption of "rabbit and albino deer poop" i might not want to eat that one either.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:32 PM on February 22, 2011
Brown and beige food just has an aura of sadness about it.
posted by betweenthebars at 8:34 PM on February 22, 2011
posted by betweenthebars at 8:34 PM on February 22, 2011
this one looks like a Truly Med wrap (shawerma or falafel or something), which doesn't look so pretty after it's half done, but is a great little sandwich.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:34 PM on February 22, 2011
posted by mrgrimm at 8:34 PM on February 22, 2011
i just submitted my dinner tonight. sometimes you have no choice but to eat your feelings
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:35 PM on February 22, 2011
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:35 PM on February 22, 2011
the captions are pretty darn lazy.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:36 PM on February 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by mrgrimm at 8:36 PM on February 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Food Mourn: If any of you ever go to South of the Border, make sure you hit up Pedro's Diner. Preferably around 6am. Order the bacon and eggs. Make sure you get grits with it. When you're done shoveling the greased up and pasty muck down your gullet, pay your bill and head out to the parking lot. Don't forget to say hi to the teenagers shooting up in the rusty Trans Am. Now leave, and never look back.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 8:37 PM on February 22, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 8:37 PM on February 22, 2011 [4 favorites]
"The Antithesis," What I Had For Dinner Tonight, makes me never want to read about food again. Please do not introduce me to this man.
posted by kozad at 8:38 PM on February 22, 2011
posted by kozad at 8:38 PM on February 22, 2011
It's nice to find out that other people think most photos of food look disgusting.
posted by amethysts at 8:41 PM on February 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by amethysts at 8:41 PM on February 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Chicken wing on a stick sounds good
this pasta just looks comforting
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 8:51 PM on February 22, 2011
this pasta just looks comforting
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 8:51 PM on February 22, 2011
I had a meal.
The meal was unreal.
It made me feel
that it didn't appeal.
The meal was of veal,
congealed with some eal.
Cooked with some zeal,
with a lemon peel
and flubber of seal.
The price was a steal,
a very real deal.
But I can't conceal,
that it wasn't ideal.
It made me puke.
And that is my spiel.
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:51 PM on February 22, 2011
The meal was unreal.
It made me feel
that it didn't appeal.
The meal was of veal,
congealed with some eal.
Cooked with some zeal,
with a lemon peel
and flubber of seal.
The price was a steal,
a very real deal.
But I can't conceal,
that it wasn't ideal.
It made me puke.
And that is my spiel.
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:51 PM on February 22, 2011
This reinforces my belief that amber is the most disappetizing color of all (perhaps due to its resemblance to earwax).
posted by duvatney at 8:51 PM on February 22, 2011
posted by duvatney at 8:51 PM on February 22, 2011
actually, half of these look great. all the hunks of steak and potatoes or wraps or pastas are just filing
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 8:52 PM on February 22, 2011
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 8:52 PM on February 22, 2011
Snorlax and Dugtrio cake should get an awesome post of its own!
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 8:54 PM on February 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 8:54 PM on February 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
I do have to say that the pepperoni/goldfish combo made me very, very desirous.
posted by Night_owl at 8:57 PM on February 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Night_owl at 8:57 PM on February 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Protip: Poor white balance makes food look bad.
posted by Memo at 9:07 PM on February 22, 2011 [8 favorites]
posted by Memo at 9:07 PM on February 22, 2011 [8 favorites]
I expect it would be difficult for me to take an appetizing picture of the spinach bacon and onion quiche with a side of cheese grits that I had for dinner tonight. But it was damn tasty.
Not that it wasn't a pretty quiche; it was. But I am not a skilled food stylist nor a talented photographer.
And I was busy moaning in pleasure and shoveling cheese grits into my mouth.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:24 PM on February 22, 2011
Not that it wasn't a pretty quiche; it was. But I am not a skilled food stylist nor a talented photographer.
And I was busy moaning in pleasure and shoveling cheese grits into my mouth.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 9:24 PM on February 22, 2011
Brown and beige food just has an aura of NOMNOMNOM give me more of that meaty saucy savory unami brown and beige NOMNOMNOMNOM!
posted by Meatbomb at 9:27 PM on February 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Meatbomb at 9:27 PM on February 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
At least this blog has given me a name for my new band: Mega Giraffe Abortions.
posted by Rangeboy at 9:30 PM on February 22, 2011
posted by Rangeboy at 9:30 PM on February 22, 2011
The only thing separating most of these from being food porn is better lighting and a narrower depth of field.
Related to this is thisiswhyyourefat.com, which to me is neither yummy nor gross but always cracks me up. (Ok, when I'm hungry the pictures look really yummy).
posted by zardoz at 9:47 PM on February 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
Related to this is thisiswhyyourefat.com, which to me is neither yummy nor gross but always cracks me up. (Ok, when I'm hungry the pictures look really yummy).
posted by zardoz at 9:47 PM on February 22, 2011 [2 favorites]
They dissed carne asada french fries? How dare they!
Visuals for them may not impress, but they have french fries, cheese, meat, sour cream, guac, and sour cream.
This is a problem with the site. While not much to look at when mixed up, the above is god damn delicious. The visuals have little to do with the taste.
posted by zabuni at 10:10 PM on February 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Visuals for them may not impress, but they have french fries, cheese, meat, sour cream, guac, and sour cream.
This is a problem with the site. While not much to look at when mixed up, the above is god damn delicious. The visuals have little to do with the taste.
posted by zabuni at 10:10 PM on February 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
ex.plout says: This is more like food amateur porn. The lighting is poor, the pictures fuzzy, but most of it is still good to eat.
posted by just.good.enough at 11:46 PM on February 22, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by just.good.enough at 11:46 PM on February 22, 2011 [4 favorites]
This is more like food amateur porn.
It's been sitting in the warmers for at least 45 minutes but they claim it's been there for just over 18.
posted by pracowity at 11:53 PM on February 22, 2011 [5 favorites]
It's been sitting in the warmers for at least 45 minutes but they claim it's been there for just over 18.
posted by pracowity at 11:53 PM on February 22, 2011 [5 favorites]
More like food scorn.
posted by Betty_effn_White at 12:32 AM on February 23, 2011
posted by Betty_effn_White at 12:32 AM on February 23, 2011
(I'm sorry)
posted by Betty_effn_White at 12:37 AM on February 23, 2011
posted by Betty_effn_White at 12:37 AM on February 23, 2011
So the plan is to recycle pictures from elsewhere and then type the words from their URL under all of them? I am just glad they didn't register skankspankbank.com.
posted by Sallyfur at 2:14 AM on February 23, 2011
posted by Sallyfur at 2:14 AM on February 23, 2011
Photographing food so that the result looks appetising is very difficult. I have been trying to do it recently using sunlight and mirrors for the lighting and it has proved next to impossible to do on my own with 'real' food. The mixture of backlighting, raking angle lighting and a point light source from the front does seem to make the pictures look good, but trying to set everything up without a food stylist to look after the food is a pita. Never mind getting the props and backdrop right.
Who would have thought that the assistant food prop stylist would have an important part to play in modern society? It's a good job we are all from the B Ark!
posted by asok at 2:46 AM on February 23, 2011 [4 favorites]
Who would have thought that the assistant food prop stylist would have an important part to play in modern society? It's a good job we are all from the B Ark!
posted by asok at 2:46 AM on February 23, 2011 [4 favorites]
So basically what we've got here are people who are better cooks than photographers. None of that looks unappetizing, it just looks like food.
posted by valkyryn at 3:07 AM on February 23, 2011
posted by valkyryn at 3:07 AM on February 23, 2011
Maybe I'm just British, but most of these don't look that bad.
posted by nowonmai at 3:15 AM on February 23, 2011
posted by nowonmai at 3:15 AM on February 23, 2011
This is like saying that real-world people ought to look like they do in peopleporn, and hey, wouldn't it be funny to make a tumblelog with blog pix of actual women and be all HAHA U SO UGLY Y YOU NOT LOOK LIKE TAWNY KITAEN AND ALSO UR LIGHTING SUX.
posted by drlith at 4:27 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by drlith at 4:27 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'll never understand this compulsion people have for taking photographs of their food.
posted by tumid dahlia at 4:46 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by tumid dahlia at 4:46 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
I am [not actually, so don't you even think about it] waiting for a poo blog with full Bristol Stool Scale rating.
posted by pracowity at 4:56 AM on February 23, 2011
posted by pracowity at 4:56 AM on February 23, 2011
Food Mourn: If any of you ever go to South of the Border, make sure you hit up Pedro's Diner. Preferably around 6am. Order the bacon and eggs. Make sure you get grits with it. When you're done shoveling the greased up and pasty muck down your gullet, pay your bill and head out to the parking lot. Don't forget to say hi to the teenagers shooting up in the rusty Trans Am. Now leave, and never look back.
It suddenly occurs to me this would be a perfect place for a Mefi meetup....
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:10 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
It suddenly occurs to me this would be a perfect place for a Mefi meetup....
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:10 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's funny what added context or labeling can do. These are supposed to be 'unfortunate' examples of food, but to me, it looks like an irritatingly high percentage of pictures that litter my FB feed with captions like "OM NOM NOM" or "omg i made lunch!!1"
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 5:46 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 5:46 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Pepperoni goldfish pizza is adorable! I want to buy that girl a real pizza.
posted by nathancaswell at 5:57 AM on February 23, 2011
posted by nathancaswell at 5:57 AM on February 23, 2011
Photographing food so that the result looks appetising is very difficult. I have been trying to do it recently using sunlight and mirrors for the lighting and it has proved next to impossible to do on my own with 'real' food. The mixture of backlighting, raking angle lighting and a point light source from the front does seem to make the pictures look good, but trying to set everything up without a food stylist to look after the food is a pita. Never mind getting the props and backdrop right.
Yep. Being a photographer, i'm uneasy at going into food photography, most every image you see of food that looks good, has had hours of planing, styling, etc. to make it look that way. There are people who photography nothing but food, and are damn good at it. This blog on the other had has people photographing food with horrible white balance, no styling the food (when how it looks rarely has an effect on how it tastes in real life), and sometimes in that should never be used instagram style. Then they wonder why it looks "depressing"? :\
posted by usagizero at 7:16 AM on February 23, 2011
Yep. Being a photographer, i'm uneasy at going into food photography, most every image you see of food that looks good, has had hours of planing, styling, etc. to make it look that way. There are people who photography nothing but food, and are damn good at it. This blog on the other had has people photographing food with horrible white balance, no styling the food (when how it looks rarely has an effect on how it tastes in real life), and sometimes in that should never be used instagram style. Then they wonder why it looks "depressing"? :\
posted by usagizero at 7:16 AM on February 23, 2011
I hate to be so reflexively "well duh" about this, but I'm really astonished that anyone would find it remarkable that non-commercially-photographed food looks so much better than snapshots with phone cams or whatever. (It probably looks better when you're actually eating it, but that's probably influenced by hunger.) Not only have various sites (The Consumerist has done this in the past, I think, or maybe the AV Club) compared the ad pictures of different fast foods to the reality, but also I've seen more than one article about how food photographers make it look so appetizing via various techniques, some of which render it inedible.
But, then again, I can't tell you when the last time was that I actually read such an article, and maybe that sort of consumer ed isn't as common as I thought. I can remember consumer ed being part of my grade school experience, with some surprisingly nuanced discussions of advertising and food packaging techniques and such; I'd be surprised if that sort of thing (which would have been in the seventies, and very new to the curriculum) were still part of the curriculum today.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:15 AM on February 23, 2011
But, then again, I can't tell you when the last time was that I actually read such an article, and maybe that sort of consumer ed isn't as common as I thought. I can remember consumer ed being part of my grade school experience, with some surprisingly nuanced discussions of advertising and food packaging techniques and such; I'd be surprised if that sort of thing (which would have been in the seventies, and very new to the curriculum) were still part of the curriculum today.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:15 AM on February 23, 2011
This makes me sad. I see very little indication that those photos are creator-submitted and everyone all around is amused; in a lot of cases it actually seems like a meal the maker is proud of has been posted just to make fun of it. Mean.
Food blogs have made taking pictures of your food seem totally normal. But they pervert the expectations around it - it's like the unrealistic standards of beauty promoted by women's magazines. When you see people cooking food at home that looks like this and this and this, you start thinking that *everyone's* food should look like that, never mind the styling, the careful light, the finicky garnishing for just-so rusticity or svelte polish, the culling of dinners and shots that didn't adhere to the aesthetic. Sometimes real food is beautiful but not-great, sometimes it's ugly but delicious, sometimes it's just food that you put in your body. It's all fine. FU, Food Mourn.
(Full disclosure: I like pretty food, I'm not a very good photographer, and FoodMourn has me feeling all defensive.)
posted by peachfuzz at 9:32 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Food blogs have made taking pictures of your food seem totally normal. But they pervert the expectations around it - it's like the unrealistic standards of beauty promoted by women's magazines. When you see people cooking food at home that looks like this and this and this, you start thinking that *everyone's* food should look like that, never mind the styling, the careful light, the finicky garnishing for just-so rusticity or svelte polish, the culling of dinners and shots that didn't adhere to the aesthetic. Sometimes real food is beautiful but not-great, sometimes it's ugly but delicious, sometimes it's just food that you put in your body. It's all fine. FU, Food Mourn.
(Full disclosure: I like pretty food, I'm not a very good photographer, and FoodMourn has me feeling all defensive.)
posted by peachfuzz at 9:32 AM on February 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
HAHA U SO UGLY Y YOU NOT LOOK LIKE TAWNY KITAEN AND ALSO UR LIGHTING SUX.
agreed, but you need to update your cultural references.
This makes me sad. I see very little indication that those photos are creator-submitted and everyone all around is amused; in a lot of cases it actually seems like a meal the maker is proud of has been posted just to make fun of it. Mean.
Yep, and he or she isn't even taking the (unauthorized) photos from food blogs. A lot are just personal Tumblr blogs.
Double mean. High-quality humor could overcome the meanness, but I don't see it.
posted by mrgrimm at 9:43 AM on February 23, 2011
agreed, but you need to update your cultural references.
This makes me sad. I see very little indication that those photos are creator-submitted and everyone all around is amused; in a lot of cases it actually seems like a meal the maker is proud of has been posted just to make fun of it. Mean.
Yep, and he or she isn't even taking the (unauthorized) photos from food blogs. A lot are just personal Tumblr blogs.
Double mean. High-quality humor could overcome the meanness, but I don't see it.
posted by mrgrimm at 9:43 AM on February 23, 2011
Agreed that this could be so much better with Cakewrecks humor. Mostly meh.
Also, I liked the Snorlax cake (so cute and happy) and I'd like to know what the thinking is that turns that into "Food mourn". How can that pic not make you smile?
The thisiswhyyourefat.com site has some truly disgusting examples of food suicide, though. Much better site on the whole.
But then, that Friendly's burger on the pretzel roll is actually kind of appealing after my rather unsatisfying oatmeal this morning...
posted by misha at 9:51 AM on February 23, 2011
Also, I liked the Snorlax cake (so cute and happy) and I'd like to know what the thinking is that turns that into "Food mourn". How can that pic not make you smile?
The thisiswhyyourefat.com site has some truly disgusting examples of food suicide, though. Much better site on the whole.
But then, that Friendly's burger on the pretzel roll is actually kind of appealing after my rather unsatisfying oatmeal this morning...
posted by misha at 9:51 AM on February 23, 2011
It suddenly occurs to me this would be a perfect place for a Mefi meetup....
A meetup at the top of the sombrero would be so awesome!
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 10:09 AM on February 23, 2011
A meetup at the top of the sombrero would be so awesome!
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 10:09 AM on February 23, 2011
Potomac Avenue's was the only one I found really mournful. It's like when you see someone sitting alone eating a filet-o-fish--somehow, if it was a Big Mac, it wouldn't be so bad.
posted by Kafkaesque at 1:38 PM on February 23, 2011
posted by Kafkaesque at 1:38 PM on February 23, 2011
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posted by luftmensch at 8:19 PM on February 22, 2011 [7 favorites]