13. Phone Eats First (feat. Emma Spoldi)

This week, h.e.r.LIFE gets a little academic, and we’re not mad about it! Inspired by one of Rachel’s favorite senior year classes (Communication & The Food System, Prof. Garrett Broad), she and Emma tackle the social media habit and otherwise millennial phenomenon, “Phone Eats First.” Rachel kicks it off with some trusty Urban Dictionary entries. What exactly does “phone eats first” mean and how is it used as present-day colloquialism? (01:20) Next up, what does it mean to be a “foodie”? (03:19) The girls run through their respective cooking backgrounds, then Rachel transitions into social media in quarantine times: how are Insta stories and TikToks feature food in new and unique ways (05:43). Next, did “Phone Eats First” start with editorial “food porn” in cookbooks and food magazines? (11:08) Thank you to Baumann & Johnston for this piece on “How to be a foodie.” And shoutout to Kristen Tomlan and her absolutely stunning cookie dough cookbook! Which brings Rachel to her next point: what do your cookbooks say about you? And is it that narrative the same as the one told by your Instagram feed? At (15:32), the girls reminisce about a time before Coronavirus, when they were free to brunch and Snap to their hearts’ content. Carroll Place has never been so sorely missed. Emma narrates the excited/embarrassed moment when the food arrives, and everyone instinctively reaches for their phones (especially when you order based solely on aesthetics). But, does context matter for this social media habit? And how much is based on Insta-gratification? This leads Rachel to Madeline Basirico’s study on the Phone Eats First phenomenon (18:36). Food, she says, is an easy way to form connections and interact socially. Rachel’s question for listeners: would you phone-eats-first on a first date? Now, the ladies transition into what truly is the heart of the episode: are we just bragging? (20:31) Are food pics the ultimate conspicuous consumption? How wild that Veblen’s 1899 work aligns so perfectly with our digital age?! At (24:26), Rachel leads a historical tracing of food as a status symbol. From the first sedentary lifestyles, to the 1950s housewife, not much has changed when it comes to food culture and performativity. Then, Food As Fuel: does social media help us or hurt us in terms of how we think about nutrition? (30:58) Are there new Instagram trends developing through modern food accounts? Thank you, Amanda Mull for your source on this, and quick shoutout to Cat's Clean Kitchen page! By (39:50), Rachel circles back to Basirico and asks, do we really think food photos on Insta paint an accurate picture? Rachel reveals an embarrassing (and deeply troubling) anecdote about her summer in the city. What does a $19 glass of wine on the Empire Hotel rooftop say about you?? Rach & Em leave you with this: by all means, let your phone eat first if that’s what brings you joy! Don’t let anybody shame your social media habits. That said, it never hurts to reflect on why we do the things we do. As always, thank you so much for listening! xoxo (see our full bibliography on our Instagram page: @her.blog.life)