Gastro Vandalism

Maybe it is the first time that you’ve heard the name gastrovandalism, but I am sure you have seen it all over social media, many times on your screen. The bizarre internet trend that’s named after its unreasonable success is everywhere. But why do people do it? What is the psychology behind it, and why do most people find it oddly fascinating to watch?

Gastrovandalism isn’t just bad cooking; it is a way of intentional destruction of food, often in ridiculous ways, mostly just for views. Thriving on social media, you can see many videos of people dumping entire bottles of ranch sauce on pizzas, deep-frying candy bars, or blending gourmet meals into smoothies. Any content that involves giant foods or bizarre ingredient combos (often inedible), food mashups, or different kinds of ASMR-style destruction (crushing or wasting) falls under the term gastro vandalims.

It is easy to label gastrovandalism as mindless internet garbage for many, but its popularity might reveal a lot more than that about human psychology. Content creators push boundaries to grab attention in a few seconds, and people often find their chaotic videos oddly satisfying. While some simply enjoy the contents, others watch them in horror. Either way, it gets more famous each day.

While some argue that gastrovandalism is pure entertainment, most highlight the issue that it includes excessive food waste. Food destruction for entertainment looks pretty insensible in a world where millions of people struggle with access to food. Beyond raising ethical concerns, there is also this question of how this trend plays with people's perception of cooking itself. Cooking has been seen both as an art and a skill for years, but now it‘s reduced to a point where people pour things over each other and get unreasonably more attention. Of course, not all food content falls into this category, but the growing trend of gastrovandalism raises the question of where food entertainment is going.

Food is meant to be enjoyed, experimented with, and sometimes even played with. If you enjoy doing or watching that, there is nothing inherently wrong with that. In the end, food is a form of art, culture, and connection. But as consumers, it is important to consider whether the content we watch celebrates food or devalues its significance. So, what do you think about gastrovandalism? Is it just a harmless and fun trend, or has it gone too far?