#malechef

VICE: From what I understand, you’re not the type of person who would generally be considered a foodie. Why did you start this blog? Chris Maggio: I’m a complete outsider to the culture of food. It’s a little painful for me to live in Brooklyn because there seems to be some sort of food renaissance happening here that’s culturally relevant. I feel completely excluded from it, but that may just be my own doing. It seems like I’m clueless enough to participate in the food movement in a satirical way. Most of the fodder stems from looking at food photography on food blogs and Yelp, where the idea of going out to a restaurant and almost stealing someone else’s piece of artwork is frequently exhibited for a wide audience to see. You’re arguing that taking pictures of your food at a restaurant is like stealing art? In a way, yes. I think going to a restaurant where the chef takes pride in the presentation and construction of a meal is something both chefs and consumers consider to be works of art. Photographing these dishes and riding the line between the creator and curator is a blurred path, a space where the photographer gains credit for someone else’s work. … Why do you think some people are obsessed with documenting images of their food? I think people are clamoring to brand themselves. There’s an unspoken socially constructed desire or pressure to be the authority on something. I think that this desire to document food comes from this idea of grappling… like how do I lead myself, or how do I sell myself? I think that food porn is just an easy outlet. I think it comes back to stealing other people’s designs, stealing other people’s art, and I think that it’s sort of fucked up.