Being experimental with food is one thing, and committing a culinary atrocity is another. And if there is one downside of the digital age, it’s that many people tend to fall into the trap of the latter for the sake of shock value and potential virality.
These photos are just some of the many examples of people’s crimes involving food. Some aren’t so bad, but you’ll find a good handful to cringe and shake your head for.
Bored Panda previously compiled a similar list, and unfortunately, we’re likely not running out of them anytime soon.
#1 Clamdy Canes
Image credits: My-Skeleton-Closet
But if you think unconventional food trends are a thing of the internet, you’d be surprised. As it turns out, taking an out-of-the-box cooking approach has been happening for almost five decades, and some of these have stood the test of time.
Food & Wine compiled a list in 2022, and it included many current favorites like fondue. Originally, this delicacy came with Swiss cheese, where people dipped hunks of bread into a vat of melted cheese using long forks. Then, the American influence came in the early 1960s, ushering in the birth of the chocolate fondue.
#2 My Wife Says This Is Crazy To Eat Oatmeal On Top Of Buttered Toast. Internet I Know You Got My Back
Image credits: weswalters35
#3 “Megetable, A Carrot Made Out Of Turkey”
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#4 One Man’s Next Level Is Any Sane Man’s “Just Why?”
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#5 To Prove How Stupidly Overpriced Those Restaurants Are. I Made 24k Nuggies! Total Cost $15
Image credits: 96Phoenix
Molten chocolate cake also made the Food & Wine list of game-changing unique food trends. Jean-Georges Vongerichten is the mad scientist behind this indulgent delicacy, something he came up with in 1987. But it wasn’t until four years later that it received widespread appreciation.
The best part about molten lava cake is that it’s not difficult to make. Bon Appétit Senior Editor Dawn Perry summarized the process in a paragraph.
"Molten chocolate cake is just uncooked chocolate cake. So that you're not just eating raw batter, place a truffle in the center. Then you can bake the cake all the way through, and as it bakes, the cold ganache liquifies in the center, and then you have a super-luscious interior.”
#6 Bacon Egg And Cheese Sandwich
Image credits: LogicRak91
#7 One Daughter Requested This Combination (And She Loved It) The Other Thought It Was Gross. What Do You Think?
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#8 Everything Ok, Babe? You Haven't Touched Your Whole Octopus Entombed In Gelatin
Image credits: AtheistBibleScholar
#9 From My Local Chippy Last Night. Peas Were Looking Slightly Radioactive
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#10 Someone Ordered A Burger With 6x Cheese
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#11 Whats Wrong? You Barely Touched Your Green Salad
Image credits: LogicRak91
But since some photos on this list border on outrageous, remember “bacon-wrap everything”? It’s self-explanatory: you wrap every food item in fried bacon, from chicken wings and goat cheese to cannolis and s’mores.
If you were a kid of the internet in the early 2010s, you knew of Epic Meal Time. Harley Morenstein took the bacon craze to an entirely different level with its all-bacon burger, fast-food meatloaf, and the infamous bacon weave.
#12 The Caption Was “#blessed”
Image credits: IthinkiLy
#13 A Promo Photo For A “Chicken And Waffles” Sandwich Posted By A Cafe Near Me
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#14 Not A Huge Fan Of The Peanut Butter And Onion Sandwich I Had For Breakfast
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#15 I See Your $38 Houston Airport Breakfast And I Raise You My $40 Dubai Airport Bacon N’ Eggs
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#16 Just 2 Eggs ??
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#17 This Pizza Margherita From Tgi Fridays Makes Me Want To End My Life
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#18 I Get Paid Thursday
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#19 A Full English Served By A Hipster
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#20 Chef Boy R Yes I Would
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Along with the pandemic, TikTok food trends swept the globe in mid-2020. People were cooped up, had nothing to do, and one day decided to whip something up in their kitchens.
The dalgona coffee craze will be a list-topper for many. It’s been around since the late ’90s in Macau, but took off during global lockdowns where everyone had nothing but time. Photos of different renditions made its presence all over social media.
#21 On The Gas Range?? ??♀️
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#22 $55 Bloody Mary Includes Whole Chicken
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#23 This Is A Snack That I Eat Every Day. Powdered Milk, Matcha Powder, And Sugar. No Liquid, Just My Saliva
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#24 Spaghetti Sandwich Someone Mistakenly Posted On R/Foodp**n
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#25 My Siblings And I Call This Barf Salad. My Dad (74m) Insists We Have It At Thanksgiving Because "People Will Be Looking For It."
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#26 First Time Using A Food Delivery Service While In San Diego, 2016. I Ordered A Cheeseburger Pizza. Not Sure What I Was Expecting, But This Wasn’t It
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#27 French Fry Spoons
Image credits: No-Eye-9491
There was also the “TikTok sandwich,” a.k.a. the one-pan sandwich. You pour three scrambled eggs into a pan, add two slices of white bread in the middle, and wrap the bread with the eggs once they cook. You can add cheese and bacon if you wish.
It is a simple, filling dish that gets the job done. You also get it done using one pan. That convenience made it a strong favorite among many home cooks during the pandemic.
#28 Ordered "Caprese" Sandwich At An Italian Restaurant At A 5 Star Resort In Mexico
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#29 This Is Supposed To Be A Caprese Salad
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#30 Ordered A Blackened Salmon Caesar Salad
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#31 You Definitely Can Beat It…
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#32 Before Work Breakfast: Pizza Rolls Smothered In Ranch With A Little Bit Of Garlic Salt…at 9am. Gold Help Me
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For those who have a sweet tooth, you must vividly remember hot chocolate bombs. For this decadent treat, take a chocolate sphere filled with marshmallows and candy sprinkles, drop it in a mug, and then pour steaming hot milk over it. In a matter of seconds, it cracks open like a piñata.
Hot chocolate bombs eventually got everyone hooked, and they were a treat for those making a living from them. New Jersey chocolatier Lori Waiser described them as something that “adds instant joy to someone’s life.”
“These are taking me close to 15 minutes apiece [to make], and someone’s dissolving it in less than 20 seconds,” she told the New York Times.
#33 Stupid Sandwich
Image credits: FangShway
#34 Seems Like Stupid Food, But The Kids Love It. Kraft Mac & Cheese With Hot Dogs. Wrapped In A Tortilla, Grilled In A Panini Press
Image credits: autistic_agronomist
#35 Red Hots, Lemon Jello, And Applesauce. My Mom Insists Every Thanksgiving And Christmas. Nobody Really Eats It
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#36 A Bar In Ohio Serves Giant Bowls Of Cereal That Are Impossible To Finish
Image credits: Antique-Ad1029
Then there was the pancake cereal, essentially bite-sized versions you could eat in a bowl. Back in a time when "food mashups" were at their peak, this was part of the highly recommended list.
Mini pancakes, as they're otherwise known, became so popular that they eventually came in quick-and-easy packs. Brooklyn-based retail chain Belgian Boys brought this viral trend to life, and it's garnered mostly positive reviews so far.
#37 My Son And I Made A Chicken Leg Volcano
Image credits: Falsepaul
#38 Guys I Found It- The Worst Candy
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#39 Instead Of Slicing The Meat And Cheese For My Crackers, I Just Lop Off What I Want And Chomp It. My GF Does Not Approve. Thoughts?
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#40 The Triple Threat - It’s A Pepperoni Pizza Slice, Garlic Knots, And A Calzone All In One
Image credits: Ok-Kick-3807
Here’s a slight problem with popular food trends: everyone is on board without thinking about how it affects their well-being. And this has gotten the attention of health professionals. Registered dietitian Daisy Mercer, for one, isn’t completely sold on the supposed effectiveness of liquid cleansing.
“In certain cases, a temporary liquid diet may be effective in treating certain medical conditions when deemed appropriate by a healthcare professional,” she told My Fitness Pal. “In most other cases, your digestive system does not need a break, and this does not help rid the body of ‘toxins.’”
#41 This Can’t Be Right. All Stores Lost Power And This Looks Like They Wrapped Old Meat In New Meat And Sold It
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#42 Salt Bae Posts Over Half-Million Dollar Bill From Abu Dhabi Restaurant On Social Media With Caption "Quality Never Expensive"
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#43 I Think This Belongs Here
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#44 Happy Thanksgiving!
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#45 Giving Yourself Food Poisoning To Save Your Employer Some Money
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#46 Someone Ordered These For My Mom For Christmas. Shari's Berries Charges $60 For Them
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#47 Sarah Is In Charge Of The Plates And Napkins Next Time
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Detox smoothies have become popular among young people in recent years. Designed to help with weight loss and to release toxins, these concoctions consist of fruits, vegetables, and a superfood powder of choice, and all blended into one filling drink.
But experts like Joanna Gregg aren’t boarding the hype train. As she told My Fitness Pal, “Detox diets or elimination diets may lead to short-term weight loss by restricting calorie intake, but the weight is usually regained when a normal diet is resumed. As for detoxing, there is limited evidence that specific nutrients can eliminate toxins from the body.”
#48 So.....regular Cinnamon Rolls?
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#49 What The Hell Is This
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#50 This „deconstructed“ Hot Dog I Just Made
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#51 In Case You Were Wondering The Perfect Way To Make Toast
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#52 3 Cheeseburgers ...mistakes Were Made ...by Me
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#53 When I Was A Student In France I Ate This Sandwich Pretty Much Every Day, It's Called "Sandwich Américain", Baguette + French Fries + Hamburger Patty + Andalusian Sauce. It Looks Stupid But It Was Delicious Af (Pic Below Not Mine)
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#54 I'm Sure The Top Part Will Taste Good With Some Chamoy Drizzle But As For The Tajin On The Bottle... Why?
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#55 This Curry Is Supposed To Be "A Girl On A Beach"
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How about you, dear reader? How creative are you when it comes to your food? Do you follow these trends, or would you rather come up with your own, seen on this list? Comment below!
