COM004 – Blog # 3: “We Eat First With Our Eyes.”

_{Creamy Eggplant Pasta}

I absolutely love cooking. I prefer to do it with others, as cooking is a great social activity, but I still enjoy trying out great new recipes on my own. I am a dairy free vegetarian, so most of the food I eat falls under the “Vegan” category. I find I’m often encountered with curiosity when telling people my diet, with the most frequent remark being, “I could never do that, my diet is mostly dairy and meat!” When we rely heavily on those food groups it can definitely be tricky to navigate the world of veganism, as it can seem quite daunting. I have been dairy free for two years now and a vegetarian for just under ten, so I do have the luck of being quite experienced. That said, I am constantly looking for new recipes to change it up.

Thanks to the rise of vegan food bloggers on social media, I have an endless amount of inspiration! 

_{Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai and a Mediterranean Chickpea Salad}

The target audience for these bloggers are either people who are already eating plant based, or those who are looking to incorporate more whole foods into their diet, without compromising taste. In order to attract this group, vegan food bloggers make their foods look aesthetically pleasing to the eye, often disguising their food to look more “meaty.” As the Greek philosopher Apicus said, “We eat first with our eyes.”

As the online community of vegan food bloggers is quite large, in order to attract a following to a specific page, the recipes have to be attainable. I cannot tell you how many times a post has popped up on my feed with food that looks absolutely delicious, but the recipe itself is just simply too extreme. These bloggers have to remember that while their following is looking for inspiration to eat plant based, they have to offer realistic recipes. 

A great way for these bloggers to attract their target audience is by posting videos of them actually making the food, instead of just the finished product. Watching someone create a recipe from the whole ingredients all the way through to the final product gives us the feeling that if they can do it, we can too. A lot of people are visual learners so watching instead of reading is a great way to encourage more people to cook.

^{Ginger Soy Tofu}

All that said, I believe the very best way vegan food bloggers can communicate with their audience is by creating an emotional connection to the food being made. This may sound like; “this is my grandma’s favourite recipe.” “This is the meal I make when I want something delicious but only have x amount of money.” “Make this meal for your partner to really impress them!”

Cooking can be an overwhelming task, but it is a skill everyone is kind of assumed to have. Cooking plant based can be even more overwhelming, as most of the traditional cooking we are taught incorporates a lot of animal bi-products. With the use of social media, vegan food bloggers are able to showcase their delicious plant based foods, encouraging others to try out something they maybe never would have before.

Have you ever found a recipe online that you can’t live without now? Let me know in the comments below!

_{All photos shared in this blog post have been taken by me.}