"Girl Dinner" is a window into our real weeknight habits
The internet culinary star "Girl Dinner" is a seemingly lighthearted trend featuring pictures and videos of simple, predominantly uncooked meals, largely charcuterie boards with varying degrees of complexity. While it has a strong aesthetic value and appears amusing on the surface, it offers a set of powerful insights that coalesce to depict how many actually eat.
Age inappropriate
First things first, the term "Girl Dinner" is clearly misleading, not to mention a bit patronising. And beyond gender, the meme stars Millennials, however no food format is ever constrained by age group either. Toddlers eat this way, students are partial to creating an ensemble, empty nesters are bored of decades of cooking, and Americans' have an embedded a culture of leftover combos.
Not only are there no consumption age limitations, the concept itself spans a a very broad timeline. "Girl Dinner" resembles an older version of this concept, the Ploughman's Lunch, which dates back to the 14th Century.
Solo satisfaction
Not only do many developed nations have a single household segment of 30%, let's not forget that solo diners exist in multi person households too. For many, solo cooking at the end of their day is a real low-light, so it's no wonder this meme has brought a serious injection of fun and entertainment to what is an excruciatingly dull occasion for many.
"Girl Dinner" inspires an opportunity for individual indulgence, breathing new life into Delia Smith's 1987 hit "One if Fun"!
Supercharged snacking
The spirit of the meme celebrates the freedom and satisfaction of a meal that's thrown together. It resonates so strongly because it reflects the reality of many people's midweek lives and their relationship with their fridge. We juggle work, hobbies, and social commitments, often leaving little time for cooking and resort to a fridge raid, a supercharged snacking event.
"Girl Dinner" is simply an organised and orchestrated fridge raid, and this curated snack-hack allow us to nourish ourselves without sacrificing precious free time and significantly streamlines the dining process.
Buffet blockbuster
Variety is the spice of life, as they say, and the core of the "Girl Dinner" concept delivers just that as it actually boils down to the long-successful buffet format. Buffets offer a feast for the eyes and the taste buds, and the diverse selection of ingredients and dishes offer unparalleled variety. Whether you're a picky eaters or adventurous explorer, your varied preferences can all find satisfaction.
"Girl Dinner" offers buffet style on-demand variety from your fridge, eliminating pre-dinner dread and instead creates a sense of excitement.
Personalisation personified
Unlike a typical, more tradition meal format "Girl Dinner" achieves the ultimate mix of choice and control, the dominant dimensions of personalisation. We get to decide what we want and how much we want, and this sense of control taps into our deep desire for satiation satisfaction and allows us to create our personally unique dining experience.
And this brings "Girl Dinner" full circle, it's a very versatile method for sharing and hosting, leading us back to the timeless charcuterie board!
Spring 2024