Instagram’s Effect on the Food Industry

Everyone loves looking at pictures. Whether they are photos of nature or wildlife, photos of family and friends, cooking experiences, or even pictures of fun events, people take pleasure in living vicariously through other individuals via these photographs. This has come to include the interest of seeing a delicious meal that another food enthusiast was able to sit down and enjoy. Over the previous few months, I have really begun to see the affect that Instagram has had on the food industry, whether it is home cooking, eating out or trying new restaurants, people’s photographs have proven to be a unique promotional tool for anything food related. Often times, I have had to make a mad dash towards the kitchen cupboards in order to satisfy my cravings after seeing one of these mouth-watering photographs. Chefs that are cooking from home or individuals that have visited a certain restaurant are able to snap quick photos from their phone and post them to social media resources like Instagram for the world to see. As a result, it can spark another’s interest in trying that recipe, visiting that food establishment or it may just simply activate that person’s hunger for any food.

I have been on Instagram for about one year now and during this period I have really enjoyed seeing the lives of friends and family through pictures and short videos. However, during this time frame, one trend that has really stood out to me was how proud these cuisine fanatics were about their food orders they put in or the meals that they had prepared. Eating is one hobby or activity that is going to be a part of everyone’s life and why not share your favorite recipes or cooking experiences with the social world? Any individual with access to the internet can snap photos of their appetizers, main dishes, desserts or even fancy beverages that they were able to consume, upload it to Instagram and within seconds, that tasty photo will be potentially visible to thousands of followers on some of the largest social media resources around the world. In addition to that, there are numerous different apps that will enhance these photos or even dozens of filters that will make the food and beverage item look even more mouth-watering. Even the most unappealing of food items can be made appealing through some of these fancy advancements in technology.

Another fun perk of using Instagram for meals is that this photo app also works with another app called Foursquare, which allows the user to share their location on a map with their followers. Individuals can “check-in” at certain food venues, buildings or other locations to let their friends know what they are up to. From this partnership, I see Instagram as being a unique marketing tool not only because restaurant goers and food consumption specialist are able to take appealing photos of their food and drinks, but they can also attach a location with that photo so if other interested parties want to experience that same menu item then they know right where to find it. Even if Instagram is not considered one of the most effective forms of media right now, I would recommend the free application to any chef, group or small business owner that is looking to promote any product or service.

Over the past year, this unique photo-related application has at times, proved to be sort of a motivator for me by seeing others accomplishments, it has helped me better engage in people’s lives that I do not see on a regular basis and it has even brought some awareness to me on certain things like local events or charity information. For example, I have found myself saying things like “well I didn’t know they served that food there”, or “wow that healthy meal plan has really paid off for that person” or maybe even “dang, I did not know that bar had that fun promotional there last weekend!” and by seeing photos of individual’s experiences in this situations, it has lead me to want to try new things, get more involved or not miss another similar event. Now is this going to be the feeling that everyone has who sees these photos? Not likely, but for being a free tool that anyone can use, why would groups and businesses not want to use Instagram as a marketing method? It definitely would not hurt the business or group at all!

Instagram can be a fun tool to utilize for any small business or non-profit that may not be looking to spend tons of money on marketing. For example, I began a kitchen related retail business recently with a blog, Twitter and Facebook page and as a fun marketing method I created a separate Instagram account from my personal account that was strictly for this ecommerce business. It allowed me to upload unique photos to all my other web sites as a way of interacting with my followers and visitors and my website has seen an increase in activity and engagement because of it. Now showing fancy photos of recipes that I prepared or menu items that indulged in will not necessarily sell products or make me a ton of money, but it can promote user engagement on all my pages and that is something that I want for my business.

The promotional photo options are endless and that is why I would really recommend including this resource in one’s marketing plan. Business owners like myself can snap and upload pictures of basically anything associated with their business, such as people having a great time using their products, the reactions of individuals tasting new foods, specials or discounts that are being offered for a period of time, or just photos of all the different menu items or product lines that managers and owners want to promote more. In my opinion, Instagram has not become as utilized of a free marketing tool as Facebook and Twitter, but I do think it could eventually reach that point, especially with the ease at which these users can integrate their Instagram with these other major social media sites. From all of this, restaurants and bars can promote their menu options through their visitors at no cost as long as those hungry patrons enjoyed their meal.

List Of Filipino Unusual Food

Just like anywhere else, Filipino has its own list of unusual food. Food that are common among us Filipino but for some find the food unusual or exotic. Here is my list for some Filipino exotic food.

Balot: Balot is not only a popular food in the Philippines, as Filipino eats Balot for a very long time. Balot is a hard boiled fertilized duck egg eaten from the shell. For some, Balot is so unusual as it was featured in popular TV show as one of the most unusual food in the world. Balot is so popular in the Philippines because of the believe for its aphrodisiac effect and for being high in protein. Now a days, balot is usually sell in the street fried wrap with batter known as Balot Tokneneng. It is also eaten in other Asian nation such as in Vietnam, China has also a similar preparation known as Maodan.

Bayawak : Bayawak (variety of large lizard) is another unusual meat consume by Filipino, before you could always find Bayawak in some Restaurant in Manila specialized with exotic food but now a days you could rarely seen some as the number of Bayawak started to decline.

Dagang Bukid (Rice field rat): For some, rat might be a pest on their rice field farm, but for some farmer it turns to be a favorite appetizer during drinking session. They usually cook rice field rat as dry adobo and Ive heard that it taste like a chicken.

Frog (Rice field Frog): For some people, eating frog might be look so unusual but I heard that some people fom other nation also eat Frog as part of their culinary cuisine. There are some variety of frog that are poisonous ,so be careful when choosing one. Frog is usually cook the way chicken cook in the Philippines as they have the same taste, personally frog is one of my favorite food.

Kinilaw or Kilawin : Kinilaw is a popular fish recipe in the Philippines, it is a fresh and raw fish marinated using vinegar, onion, ginger, salt, and chili. For some it might be look so unusual eating raw fish but there is also other county eat raw fish same as we do.

Dog Meat: Now a days, a lot of Filipino still eat dog meat as a day to day recipe or for just for pulutan. Eating dog meat is not allowed in our country and it is punishable by law but some of my hard headed countrymen still find a way taking dog as a food. I think, authority should implement a harder penalty for violator.

It is just a partial list of some Filipino unusual food, some of this food are my personal favorite especially balot and frog meat. For some it might be an unusual kind of food but for us, some of this food is part of culture and tradition.

Foods That Can Help You Get Pregnant Easily

Unknown to most women, there are some foods that can help you get pregnant easily. There are actually other factors to help you get pregnant fast and food is just one of them. What you eat can actually affect how fast you will conceive. This even applies to your partner, as it takes two to tango.
New findings indicate that your diet during pregnancy could even affect your chances of having either a baby girl or boy. In fact, research has discovered that expecting mothers who often had a high-calorie diet and ate breakfast regularly had more chances of giving birth to a baby boy. Scientists are suggesting that people being too busy for breakfast and having low calorie diets these days probably influence the increasing number of girls being born in recent years.
So how can food make one get pregnant easily? To date, there is proof established yet, but there is increasing evidence on the subject. In studies, those who took multivitamins that included folic acid or iron were found to have better chances of getting pregnant. It is also found that nutrients deriving from vegetables, fruits, beans and supplements in contrast to red meat, are able to boost fertility.
Watching Weight – Experts suggest that anyone wanting to get pregnant easily should initially watch her weight. Women who have a BMI (body mass index) of 20 to 24 have the most likelihood of falling pregnant. On the other hand, women with a BMI over 24 or less than 20 have a less likelihood of conceiving. However, this definitely does not mean there’s no hope for those who do not fall in the healthy weight category. Studies indicate that any woman can jump-start ovulation by making some healthy and moderate changes in their weight.
Organic Food – So what foods can you try to get pregnant easily? There are a number of foods that are considered fertility boosting. Try to consume about 8 portions of organic fruits and vegetables each day. Go for organic when it comes to animal produce such as meat and dairy products. Consume more brown whole foods instead of white refined foods-whole foods contain more zinc, which is good for you. Moreover, you need to eat fewer portions but on a regular basis each day to maintain proper blood sugar levels in your body.
Fiber – Don’t forget your fiber, which is important in maintaining a healthy bowel and boosting fertility. Finally, eat more “good fats,” which could be taken from oily fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel. You may take fish oil supplements or eat sunflower/pumpkin seeds, as mercury levels can be high in seafood. While you’re at it, drink around 8 glass of water each day.
Foods To Avoid – While there are foods that can help you get pregnant easily, there are those that you should avoid. Avoid drinking caffeine as much as possible. Also avoid drinking alcohol. These substances are known to present a risk of infertility in women.
Choose your diet well. Food has obviously been used as a source of nutrients for our well-being. But with so many choices these days, we need to choose the right kinds of food. Eating wisely can help any woman get pregnant easily.

Matching Champagne And Food

Champagne is regularly served as an aperitif or as a toast at the end of a meal, so it is often overlooked when it comes to food. However, because Champagne is naturally acidic, it makes a really good food match – and not just for oysters and caviar as you might expect, but for a number of different foods.

Non Vintage Champagne

This is the cheapest and probably most common type of Champagne available. Non-vintage Champagne is blended from wines from several years and, in doing so, this ensures that a consistent style is achieved. Non-vintage Champagne is younger and, generally, fruiter than other Champagnes, so is a perfect match for slightly lighter foods, such as egg or mushroom based dishes, hard cheeses, pasta or risotto (particularly with a cream or mushroom based sauce), vegetables, fish and seafood. Strange as it may seem, non-vintage Champagne also goes really well with fish and chips, as the acidity of the Champagne helps cut through the oiliness.

Vintage Champagne

Vintage Champagne is made from a blend of wines from a particular year, when the quality of the wine is good enough to declare a vintage. Because it has been aged for a few years, it has as slightly more complex structure than a non-vintage Champagne, so can stand up to stronger, fuller flavours. For example, all types of fish and seafood, especially when accompanied with a creamy sauce are a perfect match for vintage Champagne, as are lightly smoked foods, cheese, duck, caviar and poultry with a rich sauce.

Blanc de Blancs

Champagne is made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, which are red grapes, along with Chardonnay, which is a white grape. Blanc de Blancs, however, is Champagne which is made exclusively from the Chardonnay grape. This is a rare style of Champagne and goes well with lighter style foods and, in particular, sushi, oysters, goats cheese, gently flavoured white fish and vegetables.

Blanc de Noirs

This is Champagne made from just the red grapes, Pinot Noir and / or Pinot Meunier. If you come across a bottle, try teaming it with full flavoured foods such as meat and cheese.

Demi Sec

Demi sec style Champagne is sweeter than traditional brut champagne and is a good match for foie gras or foods that have a slight edge of sweetness to them. It also goes well with desserts (as long as they arent too sweet), as well as red berries – particularly strawberries.

Ros

Ros based Champagne goes very well with seafood, including prawns and lobster, or slightly pinker style meats including lamb, ham and game.

How To Stockpile Food For An Emergency

It is necessary that all individuals are prepared against potential disaster. It is impossible to be aware of exactly when an emergency might strike, and as such, one should take extensive actions to ensure that he or she knows exactly what to do in any situation. The implications of disaster preparation are numerous, and the process of readying oneself for emergency situations can seem daunting. Although, one can best protect himself or herself by starting with the basics.

The initial important step in amassing one’s stockpile would be to make it possible for one possesses a well balanced assortment of food items. It may be true that preservative-laden potato chips and snack foods will keep for many months, but if one ever had to actually use his or her foods stockpile, these food does not supply one with the energy and nutrients that his or her body demands. One should therefore ensure that the foodstuff in his or her stockpile represent every one of the significant nutrients that people demand for survival. This includes proteins, carbohydrates, and quality fats, plus a vast range of nutritional vitamins and minerals. Survival schools or a survival blog can be consulted for a entire checklist of the nutrients that the human body requires on a daily basis.

An easy way to make sure that one’s foods for an emergency features the vital nutrients would be to take on foods from several different groups. Although nutrition bars are very useful components of a survival kit, one should not rely completely on these snacks for his or her emergency sustenance. Great additions to a foodstuff stockpile would include nuts, dried fruit, jerky, crackers, canned beans and vegetables, and pretzels. One can visit a survival blog for more food ideas.

After collecting all of the vital components of his or her stockpile, a person needs to store his or her foodstuff in a protected place. The storage site needs to be very easily accessible even if the condition of one’s home has been affected by the disaster; for instance, if one lives in an site that is quickly flooded, then he or she should be certain to keep the foodstuff stockpile in the upper reaches of a cupboard or shelf making sure that the food items is not damaged. An emergency blog based in one’s specific location can be advantageous in determining a good location to keep one’s foodstuff for survival.

Eventually, it is required that one refreshes the meals in his or her stockpile on a regular basis. Many families setup a stash of crisis food and then overlook it over time. One really should be certain to check the stockpile each six months or so, changing any expired or spoiled foods as a way to assure optimal health in the case of a disaster.