“Don’t you dare even think about eating that.”

“Wait, why not?”

“I haven’t taken a picture yet!”

“Oh, well then of course not!”

Location Overheard: Playa Bowls

The night before State Patty’s Day and all through State College, students crowded McLanahan’s buying green apparel, lugging cases of liquor, and… açaí bowls? Playa Bowls recently opened a few months ago in State College, and of course the chain that features a variety of açaí, pitaya, coconut bowls and smoothies became immediately popular amongst students.

In case you don’t know what açaí is, it’s a South American palm tree that produces small, edible, blackish-purplish berries which are used to make the açaí base. This palm tree is native to Brazil, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. The açaí fruit has actually been a staple in the diets of people within the Amazon river delta area for centuries. However, its exportation hadn’t become popular until the 21st century, right around the time when açaí bowls became the newest trend. Açaí berries are loaded with antioxidants, healthy fats, and fibers, making it a generally healthy food.

So the Friday before St. Patty’s Day, I ventured out towards E. Calder Way to grab myself a a pricy $10 bowl. From the overwhelming list of açaí flavors, I decided on Pacific- Green Bowl, having already tried the Tide- Banana Bowl (FYI I rate the Pacific Bowl 9/10 and the Tide Bowl a 7/10). However, while waiting in line, the girl before me received her very colorful açaí bowl only to be stopped from taking the first bite by her friend who claimed it would “ruin the aesthetic.”

Since when has it become such a necessity to document the food we eat, almost as proof that we were actually at a particular restaurant? Taking photos of our food has become such a determining factor of whether or not we actually ate the meal or visited the five star eatery. It all started with the surge of social networking apps that took to our smartphones that focus on sharing photos. Apps that feature accounts that are run by individuals who can be classified as “foodies” began popping up, especially with the mom-friendly and fan-favorite app, Pinterest. Then, there was a transition to Instagram. In fact, explore pages on the app are full of an overwhelming amount of picturesque meals, coffees, and desserts.

I definitely do not go too overboard with the foodie pictures, however, if I do find myself in a situation where the food on my plate looks more aesthetically pleasing than the average meal, then, well yes, I suppose I will take a picture.

Like when I was in France and had been awake for nearly 36 hours and severely jet lagged, of course my first meal at a crepe shop nestled near the Notre-Dame Cathedral would be featured on the ‘gram.

So, yes, despite the annoying amount of food pictures I scroll through on Instagram, I do understand that sometimes the beauty of açaí, granola, fresh fruit, and coconut flakes is all too much to handle and requires the necessary action of taking a picture to help preserve the artful piece. I, myself, fell victim to documenting the fruit-filled crepe.

Anyway, clearly, discussions regarding taking pictures of food are pretty common in today’s day and age. I hope the girl and her friend at Playa Bowls got a “post worthy” picture because she’s definitely not alone in the act of doing so.  Just take a look at @Overheadla’s recent Twitter post.

@Overheardla | Twitter & Instagram