Despite the eyebrow raising connotations, Food Porn has developed into a trend and has taken the world by storm and through the (ab)use of social media everyone gets to indulge every now and then.
A 21st century phenomenon and a completely new dimension to culture food porn merely means the presentation of food in an almost sensual and hedonistic manner that consumers find colourful, attractive and even irresistible, a condition they have come to term as a “Food Hard-on.” They are said to be able to arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food as a substitute for sex.
In a recent trip to Cape Town South Africa, courtesy of South African Tourism, Lifestyle dove in, nose first and indulged in some serious Food Porn. Strategically located and surrounded by the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, Cape Town is home to quite a number of decadent aquatic treats and the locals hardly have to worry about the freshness of their seafood seeing as it is extremely perishable and many have fallen victim of intense food poisoning from eating questionable seafood.
The first treat was with the famous television Chef Matt Manning who is notorious for spreading one across all starters from the entre to the desert and the ingredient for that day was apples. Through this fruit, Manning managed to make Wild Boar, Mac and Cheese with Apple Chutney canap├®s as an entr├®e. Followed by the salt baked celeriac, char grilled golden delicious apple endive and walnut. The second course was a bit tricky for most of us because it included marinated mackerel (fish) which had not been cooked and eating raw fish for virgin foodies was a bit of a test. Though it was edible it wouldn’t be a regular at the table.
The main course was a pan roasted Kudu Fillet (rare) with braised pumpkin, brae burn apple and baked potato puree and for desert, Apple and pistachio cake with lemon curd and raspberry mousse.
A pleasant shock to the pallets with a myriad shower of colours and flavours paired with the best champagnes and wines grown and bottled in the Mother City.
Conventionally one might frown at the consumption of alcoholic beverages before noon but the midmorning trek to the Stellenbosch Vineyards for a fun filled wine tasting expedition. From the different types of grapes ones pallet was expected to pick up various flavours like citrus, passion fruit, guava and pop corn caramel and many others. The crew had a field day with this and what would be a wine tasting for non connoisseurs without bringing the ‘Do you spit or swallow’ argument, food porn indeed.
Sweet potato fries are everything a regular fry should be except they are an orangish yellow and they almost returned back to the Chef after being mistaken for carrot sticks during lunch at the Dornier Vineyards restaurant. It would have been a colossal mistake as they were paired with a rich cheesy dip and the combination proved to be just what the doctor ordered after a morning of wine tasting rendezvous.
Cape Town’s multicultural versatility allows her to be a Food Porn haven as there is a vast mix of race culture and different nationalities offering diversity.
“Cooking food and presenting it beautifully is an act of servitude. It is a way of expressing affection through a gift… That we should aspire to produce perfectly finished and presented food is a symbol of a willing and enjoyable participation in servicing others. Food pornography exactly sustains these meanings relating to the preparation of food. The kinds of picture used always repress the process of production of a meal. They are always beautifully lit, often touched up.” (Rosalina Coward- Female Desire: 1984)
