Food for thought for the Insta diners

Why we need to disconnect from our phones for the best eating out experience

- JENNA CAMPBELL

WE all know how it goes. The food arrives at the table and the internal monologue kicks in.

“I should really just eat it, but something is telling me my Instagram followers might want to see what I’m having for dinner.”

And so the same old tale plays out, your hand twitches and, without even realising you’ve left the flash on your phone, the woman on the table next to you is giving you daggers for spoiling the ambience. But at least you now have 30 pictures of a bog-standard carbonara on your camera roll.

There was a time when we would baulk at the idea of snapping a picture of our dinner, but in 2024 it’s become commonplace. As slaves to our mobile phones, no restaurant is safe from the glaring flash of our iPhones, and no experience special enough to warrant putting them away.

It’s quite depressing really. The idea that rather than soaking up the dining experience, we would spend it scrolling through our phone, adding filters, uploading it to our social media accounts, and ignoring the company we’re with.

It’s a slightly hypocritical take from me, but at least I recognise I am part of the problem.

Trying out new dining spots is part of my day-to-day and usually involves getting an unseemly amount of images for reviews and social media posts. I wish this stopped post 5pm, but it’s also bled into my personal life, much to the chagrin of those I eat with.