Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Whatever.

STOP OPPRESSING THE FOOD GEEKS!!!

Seriously -- "banning photography from restaurants" is not an issue, it's more specific than that. It's "banning photography from high-end, upscale restaurants."

Etiquette and protocol for enjoying your restaurant experience is so friggin bourgeois, I find it as a turn-off.

That said -- when in Rome... So when in an egotistically-charged, rockstar headlining eats place, ok -- mebbe I can understand the upside-down smile. They want the food to be eaten, not be visually dissected like a zoo animal.

THAT said, if we're PAYING that much for a meal, why are we not allowed to snap a photo? It's MINE, I ORDERED it. Plus, food photography and pornography does play a heavy role in whetting the appetites of those who are attracted to come that such a high-end or gem-of-a-find establishment. Chances are, it's a special occasion, and camera clickers just want to document and share the joy.

Sigh, sigh, and SIGH. Unabashed joy be banned. It must be restrained enjoyment.

THAT said... I DO think there can be something to an effect of a compromise.

Like a smoking, non-smoking section, there can be a photography-non-photography section of a restaurant.

The thing is -- it's also not taking the patron's enjoyment into account if the patron is made to feel dirty and unwanted as soon as he or she whips out a camera. It's not filling the air with cancer or horribly, horribly loud.

At the same time, I can see how the chef or waitstaff (at very specific KINDS of eateries) would see it as an obnoxious sort of phenomenon... I GUESS... urrrrgh.

But in the end, there should be some kind of consensus.

Yeah, Chang can say, "It's FOOD. EAT IT." at the same time, patrons can also say, "It's FOOD. COOK IT." Yeah. Don't think that'd go over too well with the chef, me thinks.

In the end, it's a battle of control/egos as well. Chang and co want their patrons to enjoy food a certain way and some of the patrons of the food blogging breed feel a fundamental way of enjoying the food is to document it and waxing poetic (or NOT) about what was eaten.

Crisp and diced with veggies, pliant when wrapped over meat.

Am I the only person who doesn't understand why this is "antisocial"? I mean, I take the photo, then I get on with my meal. And yes, that means eating the food and conversing with whoever I'm eating with. It's not like the photographing lasts the duration of the meal. Am I missing something?

I was one asked to leave a Burger King for taking photos.

And I'm pretty sure they sent around a flyer to all their stores with my picture on it, because I was trying to snap a few shots of their food storage room one day when the girl working the front counter invited me to ... "have a look around".

Turns out the Store Manager and Corporate don't really want people back there, despite what the friendly counter girls says. :)

Yes, this hardly compares to Momofuku but...

I don't understand how people who are fans of this very website could be against taking photos of food in restaurants. Aren't the pictures, the visuals, a big part of why we read it?
If you enjoy food porn, how can you be waggling your finger at the people who make it?

Once in a while I take photos in restaurants. I am always self-conscious when I do it and try to be as discreet as possible. I bring a small digital with good resolution and I try to sit near a window if it's light out so I can take an okay picture without a flash.

I feel that if I pay for the food and act responsibly, then I should be allowed to do that.

If people want to talk on their phones, I expect that they won't be any louder than they would if someone were sitting with them. After all, if they were talking to a friend at the table, what's the difference?

But on the subject of atmosphere, I am much more bothered in a restaurant when small children start screaming or crying and the parent doesn't remove them from the scene and thereby force everyone to deal with it.

I like looking at the pictures on food blogs. The ones without photos are never as interesting.

Also, in response to Chang's complaint that everyone wants the same dishes he's been serving for the last 4 months, my first response is: Really? I'd think it would be awesome to have something different! I'd also think that since his dishes have been so photographed, he's be inspired to come up with new one all the time to keep diners on their toes.