Image by Angelina Mo.
The internet has an obsession with food, even more so with people showing what they eat, watching people eat or listening to the sounds of someone munching down a raw crab. Its latest obsession is girl dinner, a rapidly emerging genre of videos on TikTok, showcasing a random selection of condiments and snacks, piling up to be a so-called meal. Masking itself as an act of womanhood bonding at first, the short clips of roughly five seconds can be more triggering than empowering.
When it comes to food, body image is its loyal companion, both are inseparable almost as in salt and pepper. Diet culture is one of the strongest survivors of ancient patriarchal expectations for women, even outliving the body positivity movement with heroin chic being brought back into life again last year. Tying it all back to girl dinner, it typically consists of an assortment of cheeses, pickles, crackers or chips and traces of fruits like grapes. Basically fun foods that can be understood as the female gaze on viands — but they also show a rather small portion, not qualifying itself to pass as an actual meal. And there comes the greatest danger of social media; comparing yourself with others, as in serving sizes, which also automatically means other body sizes.
As with most internet trends, there has been a range of videos adapting the concept of girl dinner but slightly modifying it, mostly with a comedic twist as in consuming only a pack of cigarettes and a glass of wine. Even with all the harmful connotations that come with the girl dinner videos, all of them create a space led by women for women. So, on a mission to make dinner fun again (and probably healthier both physically and mentally), we have selected 10 things that will contribute to a girl dinner that everyone can enjoy.
Image Courtesy of Conservas Ortiz.
Okay, this is actually a condiment but hear me out first. I had these sardines at Beuster with a good friend during a time when I was struggling to eat. They were served on a perfectly toasted focaccia paired with pickled red onions on the side and when I took my first bite, I felt something again after a really long time — I did actually enjoy food. It was one of those moments you would call building a core memory in true internet slang or dramatically speaking they reawakened my lust for life and figuratively food. Its cute packaging probably also did help. And I am sure the sardines are a great addition to a pasta sauce or in a sandwich to make it a whole meal.
Image Courtesy of Manufactum.
At first, this might seem a little macabre but having a good knife really makes a difference in cooking. I received this knife as a gift a year ago and since then I have been using it for everything which is probably not so MasterChef-approved. Whether it might be a tomato or an onion, sometimes even a loaf of bread which does feel like a crime, a good knife keeps things easy in the kitchen which automatically makes it easier to finally get up and cook yourself a whole dinner instead of filling up with snacks.
Image Courtesy of Amazing Crocodile Design Store.
As the name of the crockery set already tells, the arrangement of the plates and cups is there to make you pretty happy. It is a symbol of reassurance that for every meal there is a happy face accompanying you; it may be your face but it will for sure be the one in front of you. The smile is a reminder telling you that whatever is on your plate is enough, at least enough to make some pieces of pottery happy.
Image Courtesy of Mateusz Sipiero.
Dinner is not always necessarily about food but more so about the feeling of treating yourself or enjoying your day coming to an end with your loved ones. Candle holders have been part of table set-ups all throughout history, initially starting as an object of necessity and functionality, they now have turned into pieces of decoration to simply elevate every dinner table that sometimes just consists of pasta with tomato sauce.
Image Courtesy of Pasta Rummo.
Speaking of pasta which already happened here a lot, pasta has never been my carbs of choice but the reason for that is solely me only knowing spaghetti and penne while growing up. I have just recently discovered the world of shapes a piece of dough can take on and initially fell in love with the Mafaldine shape with all of its crinkles that perfectly soak up every sauce. Though the bigger is not always the better. Rummo has the smaller sister version of them which is called Mafaldotte, still holding the same shape but in a size that is way easier to eat.
Most of the girl dinner videos seem to be a dinner for one. Eating by yourself and nurturing your body is one of the highest forms of self-care, though it can get pretty quiet at times. A good jazz playlist helps to break the silence and even more with romanticizing your life.
Image Courtesy of eatme.berlin.
This one is for my fellow Berliners. On each menu and in each cafe the word bread seems to be forever replaced by sourdough bread. On my hunt for the best one in Berlin, I got traumatized when I unknowingly spent 17€ on half a loaf that claimed to be stone baked. So when I walked into Neumanns Bäckerei, shivering as I pull my credit card out, the woman behind the counter put me into a full-on shock when she said “2,50€, please”. Adrenaline-rushed, I walked back home and the first thing I did was to try a slice of the Neumanns Hausbrot, still with my shoes on. And in the end, it was all worth it because that slice of their Hausbrot cured my bread trauma; maybe it was the price point, maybe it was the feeling of relief or maybe it was the nice lady behind the counter, but the Neumanns Hausbrot tasted better than any sourdough bread I have ever tried before.
Image Courtesy of Gina Gertz.
“Another millennial artist who’s working on her childhood trauma” is the instagram bio of ceramic artist Gina Gertz and it couldn’t be more fitting. Cups and plates are painted to give off a nostalgic feeling – like something you would find in your grandparents’ home – but are then holding a surprising twist with familiar-sounding idioms being written on the center of each piece. “Fuck diet culture”, “See you in hell” and “Don’t be a little bitch” stare at you in the face while you drink out of a cup. It probably can’t get more girl dinner than that.
Image Courtesy of Byredo.
A red lipstick probably doesn’t make so much sense in a listing talking about dinner but I think there is something so elegant about leaving little lipstick stains on glasses or a napkin. Like signing off a letter you send to someone you have a crush on. Also, there lies such beauty in getting yourself ready even if it is just only for you.
Image Courtesy of Œuvres Sensibles by Sarah Espeute.
Food styling has been the trend on all of social media, whether you follow food blogs or not. Perfectly decorated tables have been creeping into everyone’s explore page, willingly or unwillingly, and when trying to recreate those you will quickly face the reality that all of it is actually pretty much work. So, taking the easier route, you also could just have a tablecloth that will do all the work for you and might even look cuter.