An Ode to Phiathefoodie

I normally wouldn’t post something of this nature because it isn’t truly data ethics focused and is more personal, but in lieu of the “giving thanks” season and this piece dealing with social media, online identity, and society, I’ll keep it.

I started Phiathefoodie in July of 2021, inspired by my friend Phoebe. It was originally a fun account where I would post pictures of meals I’ve had that I felt my friends would appreciate. However, in running this account for close to two years, I’ve been able to observe the way food takes hold of our world and how something as small as enjoying a meal with a friend or making a dish means much more. Through this journey, I have gained a deeper understanding of online identity, the human connection to both food and each other, widening cultural perspectives, and giving back to the community.

Online Identity

This summer, I researched extensively on online identities and the various theories on how users present themselves online versus in-person such as Goffman’s Dramaturgy, where people treat the world as a performance and have a front stage for self-presentation and a backstage which supplements this presentation, and Narrative Identity, where people share their identity as a story, focusing on the experiences they have gone through to get where they are today. I used to believe Phiathefoodie was almost an extension of myself and that I would tap into this persona whenever I was eating a meal or creating one. But recently I have realized that Phiathefoodie, or at least posting on the account, is my most genuine self. Something as simple as food connects each and every one of us, and despite our differences in personalities, goals, and lives, we all share the need for and interest in food. In contrast to my main account, where the expectation of my “best self” can drive my posts and interactions, I’ve realized that the opposite is true for my food account. This is not to say that my main account is not a genuine representation of me, but with this account, there is no front stage or backstage. Everything is put on the front stage, whether it is my successes in finding a restaurant or making a new dish, or my failures. There is no space or reason for inauthenticity.

The Human Connection to Food and Each Other

I used to joke that this account was anthropologically and psychologically proven, coming across a piece by psychologist Shelley E. Taylor that describes, “‘having lunch’ means something special to women … [and that] early foraging women had the important job of ensuring that they and their offspring got fed.” But I have seen this manifest in my personal life, using lunches and dinners with friends as a way to connect with each other. Some of my most meaningful, insightful, and psyche-changing conversations have happened over a simple meal, and I tend to go out for brunches and dinner relatively often. This occurrence is not unique to women of course as the quote suggests, as men are able to sit down and enjoy a conversation over a nice meal, but I will say it is not as common. There is a sense of intimacy that comes with it. And food overall is not the single driving force between my connection with others and also being in tune with myself and my thoughts. But the role of sitting and simply conversing while sharing food in developing friendship and connection is insightful. Technology has created a world where social interaction is able to be on a screen and over the web, but food keeps us personable, forcing in-person interaction and correspondence.

A Widening Cultural Perspective

Researching different recipes to try, scrolling on FoodTok extensively, and taking classes such as Read the World and Immigrant Literature have culminated in my interest in the global perspective, especially regarding cuisine. Growing up, my parents always placed a lot of emphasis on trying foods from different places around the world, and with Dallas being a larger metroplex, we tried various restaurants such as Ethiopian, Cuban, Brazilian, and others outside of the normal Chinese food at home. Doing so allowed me to understand how different cultures prepare food and how they value certain ingredients. For example, Koreans would use the method of preserving and jarring foods to endure the harsh winters when agriculture wasn’t possible, leading to the popularization of kimchi. With this account, I hope to encourage my peers and people around me to try new foods. I’ve had the opportunity to introduce Pad See Ew and Thai green papaya salad to my friend, dishes that I’ve grown up eating since I was small but that they had never tried before, and this experience made me realize the excitement and joy of embracing differences in culture through food. It has not only introduced me to new cuisines but has also allowed me to be more open-minded and go out of my comfort zone, which has applied to my everyday life. With the power of social media, I have been exposed to countless global cultures and cuisines, and there are still many I have yet to try. The diaspora of information in addition with globalization through technology is ideal for this exposure. I seek to continuously learn and try new foods and use Phiathefoodie as an outlet and catalyst for this never-ending journey.

Community Service

While researching food organizations near me, I found Jubilee Park and Community Center, a local non-profit serving southern Dallas. This area is classified as a food desert, where 20% of the population is at or below the poverty level and more than 30% live at least a mile from the nearest grocery store. I had initially wanted to work at the pantry, but it was open only on weekdays during school hours, so I turned to one of the things I know best: digital content creation. At the time, volunteers received only a brief overview of how the pantry process worked. Depending on the trainer available, information was often varied as there was no standard script for volunteers. By creating two separate training videos, I was able to streamline the onboarding process and provide more consistent information. I wrote an instructional script, then directed and produced footage of two friends I recruited to model the process. Once the project was completed, I left the video-creation experience with a newfound appreciation of how limited access to food causes people to view it purely as caloric sustenance rather than for health or enjoyment. These videos, now used to educate every volunteer who walks through the food pantry doors, aim to demonstrate guidelines and provide this context of client backgrounds.

While there are so many more things that I would love to research more, such as the evolutionary science and historical background behind humans’ relationship with food and the research behind “foodie” networks through communication, I wanted to keep this brief. However, I am currently reading “Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal” By Mark Bittman to continue this academic pursuit.