2014 in Food in Pictures

The right way to start a year

The only way to start a year

Jessica's ancestral ice cream spot in Ogden, UT

Jessica’s ancestral ice cream spot in Ogden, UT

Sublime jackfruit salad at Spicy Lao Thai, Burbank, IL. SWSIDE

Sublime bamboo shoot salad at Spicy Lao Thai, Burbank, IL. SWSIDE

Looks cute, tho I hear those are Sysco patties + too much goop. Au Cheval

Looks cute, tho I hear those are Sysco patties + too much goop. Au Cheval

Indian potluck throwdown

Indian potluck throwdown

Florida flea market snaxx

Florida flea market snaxx

Stone crab claws, Cortez, FL

Stone crab claws, Cortez, FL

Mullett off the smoker, Cortez, FL Mullet Festival

Mullet off the smoker, Cortez, FL Mullet Festival

"Cortez Hotdog" Cortez, FL Mullet Festival

“Cortez Hotdog” Cortez, FL Mullet Festival

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Baby’s first Mother-in-law

Baby's first Jim Shoe

Baby’s first Jim Shoe

Hot mix for beefs at Zach & Julia's rehearsal dinner party

Hot mix for beefs at Zach & Julia’s rehearsal dinner party

My dogs on Bon Appetit's Insta! Thanks Julia!

My dogs on Bon Appetit’s Insta! Thanks Julia!

OG Hot Brown, Brown Hotel, Louisville

OG Hot Brown, Brown Hotel, Louisville

LNS

l.n.s.

Don't like donuts, but this shot worked out. Old Fashioned Donuts

Don’t like donuts, but this shot worked out. Old Fashioned Donuts

Uncle Joe's, Chatham

Uncle Joe’s, Chatham

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Sze Chuan Cuisine, hate to say this, but this is NOT OKAY

Sze Chuan Cuisine, hate to say this, but this is NOT OKAY

One of the things I ate more than most, Kimchi wang mandoo @ Joong Boo

One of the things I ate more than most this year, Kimchi wang mandoo @ Joong Boo

Lothson's, Dekalb

Lothson’s, Dekalb

Louisa's Pizza, Crestwood

Louisa’s Pizza, Crestwood

Viet feast at New Asia Cuisine, Albany Park

Viet feast at New Asia Cuisine, Albany Park

Yummy pig ear from Richwell Market food stall

Pig ear from Richwell Market food stall

Lamb brain, thanks @nookleptia!

Lamb brain, thanks @nookleptia!

Drank a lot of these. #micheladas

Drank a lot of these. #micheladas

Eckhart Park

Eckhart Park

Baby's first octopi

Baby’s first octopi

Sujuk, Upper East Side, NYC

Sujuk, Upper East Side, NYC

#ternerderber

Prep list #ternerderber

Many tape labels

Many tape labels

Placemat menu, Grand Haven, MI

Placemat menu, Grand Haven, MI

My Cohcinita pibil, Ox-Bow #mexicannight

My Cohcinita pibil, Ox-Bow #mexicannight

Happy place, Virtue Cider

Happy place, Virtue Cider

Best helper in the world

Best helper in the world

Lol

Lol

Dick's hive

Dick’s hive

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John Rossi’s 20th Anniversary Party

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Introducing camp to Italian Beef, they were absolute savages

Introducing camp to Italian Beef, they were absolute savages

Kimchi deuce

Kimchi deuce

Big ol' Coral tooth mushroom, Saugatuck State Park

Big ol’ Coral tooth mushroom, Saugatuck State Park

#mac

#mac

Brisket, upping my BBQ game

Brisket, upping my BBQ game

Samson loves Vienna Beef

Samson loves Vienna Beef

Kenosha, WI drive in

Kenosha, WI drive in

Best burger of the year at the Spot, Kenosha, WI

Best burger of the year at the Spot, Kenosha, WI

Tacos de pescadilla, Bien Trucha, Geneva, IL

Tacos de pescadilla, Bien Trucha, Geneva, IL

#caprese

#caprese

Grass carp smoking at Art EXPO, Michael Rakowitz' "Every Weapon Is A Tool  If You Hold It Right"

Grass carp smoking at Art EXPO, Michael Rakowitz’ “Every Weapon Is A Tool
If You Hold It Right”

Bonkers advertising at Super Sub, Marquette Park

Bonkers advertising at Super Sub, Marquette Park

Oh Matt, "Al Trunko" tour for Trunk Show

Oh Matt, “Al Trunko” tour for Trunk Show

Favorite queer Hawaiian joint in Milwaekee!

Favorite queer Hawaiian joint in Milwaukee!

#rocklobster

#rocklobster

Cilantro drying room @ Birrieria Zaragoza

Cilantro drying room @ Birrieria Zaragoza

Spinzer Halal on Devon. Get the hunter beef sandwich!

Spinzer Halal on Devon. Get the Hunter beef sandwich!

 

The rigs at Jamaican Jerk, Indianapolis

The rigs at Jamaican Jerk, Indianapolis

Conch at Joong Boo

Conch at Joong Boo

Bulgogi cheesesteak, Café Orient 33, Albany Park

Bulgogi cheesesteak, Café Orient 33, Albany Park

Happy 1st Birthday Birthday Nadia #haring

Happy 1st Birthday Birthday Nadia! #haring

Tarama, cod roe

Tarama, carp roe

Fish balls, Super H-Mart

Fish balls, Super H-Mart

#pulpo

#pulpo

La Quercia Acorn-fed Berkshire Prosciutto

La Quercia Acorn-fed Berkshire Prosciutto

Missing Basque country, pinxtos at home

Missing Basque country, pinxtos at home

Best meal of the year! #pakistanichristmas Nihari @ Bar BQ Tonite, Mississauga, Ontario

Best meal of the year! #pakistanichristmas Nihari @ Bar BQ Tonite, Mississauga, Ontario

Best meal of the year! #pakistanichristmas Reshmi & Bihari kababs @ Bar BQ Tonite, Mississauga, Ontario

Best meal of the year! #pakistanichristmas Reshmi & Bihari kababs @ Bar BQ Tonite, Mississauga, Ontario

 

For those that follow me on Instagram, many of these pics will look familiar. I do love IG. However, its really changing the way I shoot food, for better or worse. Primarily, the issue is composition, the square format. Typically, I shoot with my iPhone’s camera and then edit in IG, which results in a sloppier approach to framing the original shot. Then of course there is the shrunken-down experience of viewing images on one’s phone– its not the best format to capture detail. One solution is a cue I’ve taken from the IG feeds of food magazines such as Bon Appetit and Saveur, which is to take overhead shots which rather than focusing on the gooey, sexy details of food, reduce the images into emblems or symbols. I like that, though without a tripod, its a tricky vantage to shoot clean, sharp images. They might look okay on one’s phone, but even on a blog post, the images can get blurry. And lastly, there is this growing stigma that food shots, like baby and pet photos, are basic and passé. This has led me to shoot more of the context, scenery, etc. of what and where I am eating rather than the food itself. I like this challenge, though actual photos of food always get the most likes. Instagram may or may not be killing food porn, but is has definitely changed the game.

 

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