If there’s one thing that I am certain of about my generation, it’s our undying infatuation with food. I mean, come on, we literally created a nationwide food blog for college students. If that doesn’t show our dedication, I don’t know what does.
With this intense obsession, some unique eating habits have developed across the members of generation Y. Eating like a millennial takes dedication and creativity. Here is a list of a few examples of what it really means to eat like a millennial.
Sometimes we eat food just so we can Instagram a picture of it
Photo by Jocelyn Gordon
Some of my favorite Instagram accounts are composed solely of pictures of #YolkPorn and perfectly symmetrical açai bowls. It was millennials who started this fixation with Instagramming the perfect meal and we have all fallen into the trap and have found ourselves guilty of having joined the craze.
We often eat foods only because we know it will prove to be a good addition to our Instagram aesthetic. Honestly, it could taste disgusting, but as long as it gets over 100 likes, we still order it.
Normal food is a thing of the past
Half of the millennial generation identifies themselves as “foodies.” What’s a foodie? Basically, our obsession with food is so fierce that we have created an entire cultural group, composed entirely of food-obsessed people.
Our obsession is so strong that we have grown bored of the basic and humdrum food that regular people eat. Why eat a normal cheese pizza when you can add goat cheese and caviar? A foodie’s main ambition in life is finding the most exotic, delicious and creative foods available.
Some of us are crazy health nuts
One great outcome from our food-crazed generation is the rise of a health-conscious youth. According to Forbes, our generation is more aligned with the “food movement.” This just means that we yearn for fresh veggies, organic farms and whatever Whole Foods is telling us to buy.
Maybe the health craze is just another trend that people are longing to feel a part of, but regardless of the driving force, millennials are paying more attention to what they eat and making an active effort to lead healthy lifestyles.
We love the power of customization
Whether it be Chipotle, Blaze or the old school Subway, people go crazy for restaurants that give us the power to have our food made exactly the way we want it. Who doesn’t love getting the exact meal you want without having to make it yourself? Feel free to thank gen-Y for the rise in customizable restaurants.
We love wine
According to Fortune.com, millennials drank nearly 159.6 million cases of wine last year. This surpassed every other generation in the U.S. and added up to account for 42% of all of the wine drank in 2015. Red, white or pink, we are absolutely crazy for wine.
Creativity is key
For some reason, we feel the need to get crazy creative with our favorite foods. Do you love burritos and sushi, but don’t know which one you want to eat? That’s okay, because millennials invented the sushi burrito. Can’t decide between cereal or pancakes for breakfast? Why not combine them? Basically, we are both indecisive and creative and it results in some pretty strange, but delicious recipes.
The innovative ways that millennials are shaking up eating are nearly endless. If you find yourself unable to finish a meal without snapping a photo or questioning whether your obsession with wine is normal or if you are a borderline alcoholic, chances are, it’s not just you.