They've become so common at tables they are approaching salt and pepper shaker status: digital cameras. Driven by social media and our ever-creshendoing foodie-food porn movement, everyone is taking pictures of their grub with their cameras, phones and SLRs. The New York Times published a piece about it just today (read that piece here).Some begrudge it—"It's like keeping a journal during sex," Anthony Bourdain told some obsessive blogger types constantly snapping away on an episode of No Reservations—but I for one like shooting food. I mean, c'mon. Look at that tomato tower (shot by Barnaby Draper Studios at Pebble Beach Food & Wine, coming back starting Thursday, April 8).
I also happen to be sitting on a $100 gift certificate to bayside Bubba Gump's on Cannery Row (373-1884), where you can get a decent amount of cajun shrimp, popcorn shrimp, shrimp and salsa cocktail, peel-'n-eat beer-steamed shrimp, dynamite shrimp and shrimp-and-fish hush puppies for 100 bones.Hence I would like to take this opportunity to announce an old-fashioned shootout. Below are the rules of engagement. Winner takes the shrimp scholarship.
•Amateurs only.
•Dishes can be homemade or from/in a restaurant, but must be prepared and photographed in Monterey County.
•Entries must be e-mailed to edible@mcweekly.com (or dropped off at the Weekly offices) by 5pm May 1, 2010.
•Winners will be selected from a group of finalists by three local chefs.
And away we go.
