The inherent flaw of restaurants as status symbols

Plus eggs, beans, and frozen oranges!

I went to a restaurant this week that can only be described as “buzzy” and my DMs were immediately filled. Half with people saying “Omg how was it!!?” And half with people affirming “so glad you got to go” or “that’s my favorite thing on their menu” - a subtle reassurance that yes, they had been there and yes, they are part of a trend conglomerate that is informed enough to know where to go, why to go, and how to get in before everyone else. Restaurant culture feels like airplane boarding groups, some people always have to be first. And of course not everyone is like that, most people are just excited to share an experience! But I have a feeling the people who are, know exactly what message they are sending.

I spent the next morning dutifully texting people who recommended the spot to me, saying it was SO GOOD, and that the place is GENIUS, and the BREAD? I DIED FOR THE BREAD. And truly, everything was that good. I loved the spot, it deserved the hype. But all the attention around it as a status restaurant left me feeling powerless to have my own opinion. I felt like I couldn’t decide what I liked, because it had already been decided for me. Like this trendy restaurant, or else.

This isn’t my first time feeling this way. There are lots of places I’ve been unimpressed with that are THE places, and there are lots of places I love that have never seen the light of day GrubStreet. And for a long time I was worried I had no taste (which is part of the reason this newsletter was almost named “No Taste,” but…I digress).

And this got me thinking about how dining has always been a status symbol, but now it’s having the Most Enjoyable Experience Possible as the ultimate status symbol. It’s not just about going to the highest priced restaurant in your city (which is strong 1950’s dining energy), but it’s about knowing all the best places, the holes in the wall, the new openings, the 500 square foot place in Brooklyn that you need to take two trains to get to, THE RICE CAKE LADY (she is the best, though), and knowing them first. Because as soon as there’s a line out the door, the pride of going there goes from everything, to nothing. “How embarrassing for all the people waiting in line just because they saw it on TikTok” is a sentence I’ve heard more than once.

Dining out always has been and always will be one of the most accessible forms of entertainment (thank you Nikita Richardson for that line), but the inherent flaw comes in when the status of dining makes it 1) largely inaccessible and 2) not fun anymore. The restaurant I went to this week is in my old neighborhood, a quiet place with a strong local community, but I have a feeling the locals aren’t treated as well at that restaurant as they could be. Whether consciously or not, the restaurant has made itself inaccessible to them. And Resy is a game of setting alarms and getting on waitlists. It feels like an online bar fight to get a bar seat. And I’M A LOVER NOT A FIGHTER.

I guess I’m just a little nervy about trying to keep up. So 2023 is going to be my year of delicious first, trend report second.

And look, I have a list of restaurants I want to go to this year. A long list. Half of them because people I admire have told me to go. Most of them because I think they’d be great on Instagram. But if I’m going to be spending $22 on a yuzu fluke, you best believe I’m going to prioritize the fun in the experience first.

This is a rare essay excerpt in Snacks. Maybe it’ll be a nice soft launch of a newsletter called “No Taste,” because there’s so much more I’d want to say. But fear not, dear reader, not every week is like this. Read on for the good stuff:

The weekly round-up!

This week was small but mighty:

• Kimchi Eggs - one of my highly requested recipes that I always thought was too simple to share, but it hits every time. Video here, recipe here.

• Kale Basil Beans with Tonnato - c’mon kids, get on the tonnato train. Video here, recipe here.

• Frozen Citrus Yogurt Bars - with chai-inspired spices! Recipe here.

And if you applied to be a recipe tester last week:

First, WOW, THANK YOU! So many of you applied, and after the email snafu (thank you for your patience!) I’ve been combing through applications all week. Also, you guys made jokes in them and it’s bringing me so much joy, 10/10.

I’m in the beginning process of selecting testers, but I hope to have final decisions in the next two weeks! You’ll know either way (and I mean that in a real way, not in an HR professional way ;)

If you are interested in applying, send a few paragraphs about yourself, a resume and your social handles to justine@justinesnacks.com.

Xoxo,

Snacks