In the past month or so I've become enamored with Facebook recipe videos. You know the ones--by Tasty or Proper Tasty or Buzzfeed Food. Each one under a minute, I've watched hundreds of dessert, entree, and snack food recipe videos since I glimpsed the first one on my feed a little over a month ago. My fascination with them took me by surprise because 1. I really cannot cook at all, so I have little use of recipe videos and 2. the videos go so fast that it's not like I'd learn how to make this amazing dish just by watching it once. Or five times. Who's counting, really? If I ever even got up the nerve to try the meatball baked dish, or the twisted pizza bites, I'd have to pause every millisecond or so just to keep on track. And I know I'm not the only one. So why are have these videos become so big recently?
Maybe it's because the videos simplify would be complex dishes in a way that makes it seem like "Yeah, I really could make that if I wanted to" without any of us actually having to attempt it. It's also nice to know that there are more dinner options out there other than ramen, for the average college kid. And I know for myself, there's a calming aspect to the videos, watching someone's hands chop veggies or deep fry a smores egg-roll; it's repetitive and soothing. No matter which video I click on, I know the dish is always going to turn out well, I know it's going to give me cravings, and I know somewhere in the comments is a link with the actual written recipe that I will never read. It's nice. No surprises, no room for cooking anxiety (which I am apt to get when making spaghetti), just fun simple recipes. Plus, a fair amount of them are actually kind of healthy. It's not like I'm saving any of them, or pinning them to a board on Pinterest, but if I were trying to eat a healthy diet, I know it's an option. And like I said, options, even imagined ones, are pretty nice to have.
There are also enough videos out there that you never really see the same video on your feed twice, which is refreshing, and has the added bonus of, if you share it, you know for sure that at least half of your friends will be watching it. I think the key thing with these videos is, they're simple and quick. In a society where everything is on social media, but also everything is going fastfastfast, having recipe videos to match our pace and brighten up our Facebook feeds is just the sort of thing we want every day. But, while trying to break down why we're all so caught up in these videos is fascinating, there are really just two things I want to know. Has anyone tried any of the recipes, and if so, were you successful? And, which recipe video is your favorite to watch?
