A wise man once said:
Apparently “deconstructed” food is a hot culinary trend. One of the best places to get deconstructed food is the supermarket
— Gus Van Santa Claus (@mattytalks) December 14, 2016
Deconstructed food has overstayed its welcome. It’s no longer a trend, it’s an embarrassment. It’s become a Band-Aid for lazy cooking and catfish bait by wannabe chefs, who incorrectly assume people just love fancy plating (who doesn’t love a well-placed smear!).
At its best, deconstructed food is an art form; a style of preparation that is playful and different and absolutely delicious, with each component its own complete masterpiece. What deconstructed food is not is all the ingredients of a dish splayed out like an IKEA assembly line with an instructional sheet. In other words: tomato sauce + a shot of vodka + celery + dish of spices does not equal a deconstructed Bloody Mary. It’s mise en place.
The trend has been growing and morphing for years. If you’re not a molecular gastronomist, the food you attempt to make at home is unlikely deconstructed, rather just unfinished. Here are some examples of how far this “trend” has outgrown itself.
Unless this order is from Instacart, this has got to be a joke or something.
Melbourne this deconstructed food thing is getting out of hand.This is my order of avocado toast#luckyihavecutlery pic.twitter.com/WUVxjXxtAF
— Kara Irving (@Kara_Irving) September 14, 2016
Like, seriously. WFT?
I really hate this deconstructed food trend like wtf pic.twitter.com/IYPTs0Ua9v
— Moddddddds (@ModiFavila) October 28, 2016
This guy gets it.
Deconstructed S’mores! ?? #foodxury #Dessertsat5 #food pic.twitter.com/u2QrDMyMkv
— Foodxury (@foodxury) November 19, 2016
Isn’t chicken soup already deconstructed chicken? What’s happening here?
[FOOD INSPIRATION] Deconstructed Chicken Soup with Brian Palombo https://t.co/y5VV1HfdMU #chef #porcelain #tabletop pic.twitter.com/44uSk3l8VZ
— Bauscher Hepp, Inc. (@BauscherHeppUSA) October 25, 2016
Worse.
#Awesome Food : #Deconstructed chicken noodle soup. [OC] 5376×3024 https://t.co/36kIRYAjce pic.twitter.com/wKhjh3q4yt
— Vilo Kanis (@SeeYouGuysCom) September 14, 2016
To be fair, that children’s book also thinks this trend is immature.
“How would you like your iced coffee?”
“Deconstructed and served on a child’s book, please.”(Pic: Lyn Nguyen) pic.twitter.com/deBZOZ7JPj
— We Want Plates (@WeWantPlates) November 29, 2016
You know why nachos were invented? Because it’s way easier to pile all that stuff on top of your chips.
Deconstructed Nachos! Beans, salsa, cheese and sour cream. Definitely a #SwigFavourite! 😀 #Food #Foodie #Pune pic.twitter.com/mi69aXEAQh
— Swig – Bar & Eatery (@Swig_Pune) October 17, 2016
Here, let us help you with that wording. Deconstructed pie = pudding.
#Food #News (#GroupBoard) : Deconstructed mini banoffee pies – a tiny sweet treat #dessert https://t.co/nS5PPmQe3I pic.twitter.com/3fFxjpduSf
— János Medenica (@JanosMedyx) October 25, 2016
See above.
Please RT #recipes #food #cooking #delicious #cook #recipe Deconstructed Cannoli https://t.co/3A4fWlT62k pic.twitter.com/b6ZmhKQGvG
— New Recipes (@NewRecipeesss) October 14, 2016
There’s a reason pie crust was invented: to keep the fillings inside.
Hey #mileend, it’s cold outside, get #warm and #fuzzy with our #deconstructed #ApplePie #grilledcheese #comfortfood pic.twitter.com/Lsi0JmtOiE
— 90° Melt (@90degreemelt) November 18, 2016
No way is this even related to pie.
Please RT #recipes #food #cooking #delicious #cook #recipe Deconstructed Apple Pie with B https://t.co/GmGboQduKs pic.twitter.com/CjaLBsjudG
— Recipes Blog (@Recipesblogg) October 11, 2016
Expensive restaurants be like.. pic.twitter.com/lhCrng3h5u
— Epic Meal Time (@EpicMealTime) October 1, 2016
So, creme brulee?
#Treat your #sweet tooth craving tonight with a #Deconstructed #KeyLimePie from #CAVE! #PalaCasino pic.twitter.com/kXnUFNmDVz
— Pala Casino (@PalaCasino) October 5, 2016
That looks a lot like salad.
My #deconstructed #sandwich 4 light #dinner #tonight ??? #vegan #whatveganseat #colorful #rainbow #food #followme pic.twitter.com/dI7avTP7zi
— Spoon! (@spoon_channel) June 26, 2016
I believe they call this “deconstructed bottled wine”
Privileged tasting tonight. #Masi #deconstructed # amarone #valpolicella @CoopWineSpirits #winelocker #yycwine #downtown pic.twitter.com/uaSB4XJdwL
— Chris (@Ravenousmoose) November 5, 2016
Die, deconstructed food.
If there’s one Pinterest post I resent, it’s any deconstructed food Pinterest post. #hipsters pic.twitter.com/jTy9rp90tj
— Suzette Ferretti (@suzetteferretti) October 19, 2016