Girl dinner is something sacred. Anyone can follow a recipe for a salmon bowl or pick up Cava on the way home. But not everyone can make a plate so specific to your heart, so visually layered with cherry tomatoes, grapes, and crackers. That is something only you can do.
When you take out a tiny plate and 7 to 10 intentionally selected items from your fridge, you are about to craft an assortment of foods that only make sense to you and your taste buds at that exact moment. You will pair things your intuition whispers to you. Nerds Gummy Clusters. Babybel Cheese. Garden Salsa SunChips. My God, she’s an artist.
Not to mention, when you post it to your story, you are single-handedly fueling Ozempic allegations through the sheer lack of real food on that plate. Your like count is on a steady rise. Your dopamine is skyrocketing. “___” liked your story. Oh, I’m so sure. Bonus points if you added “dinner <3” and paired it with a song. Dinner, and it is quite literally cucumber, hummus, and prosciutto. Not one soul knows where your waist was last seen. But they do know you have artisanal fig jam.
This is the ritual. Grocery shopping in your own kitchen. Choosing your favorite plate. Hand selecting, curating, customizing, and above all, trusting yourself.
In a way, yeah, it’s performative. But that is where we must be honest. Tell me about your canned fish in that darling little farmers’ market tin. Is it a true representation of your spirit? Do you actually enjoy the taste of metal? No, you don’t. You are safe here. Shhh, it’s okay. TikTok told you to cut up raw red onion slices and douse them in olive oil, and you listened. You didn’t know any better.
When I put together a snack plate, it is usually for one of two reasons. One: I am feeling creative and inspired. Pinterest just gave me the best ideas, I worked out, and my caffeine isn’t making me twitch. I am on top of the world. Two: I am completely exhausted, did not make the time to cook dinner, and am too depressed to do anything other than grab what I see and make it work.
Either way, the ritual remains the same.
The truth about girl dinner? It is yours. No one in your likes or views is eating this. In fact, no one even really needs to see it. My love, you are rewatching your story every time someone new views it (because you have to see it from each person’s perspective). But are you not tired? That validation is fleeting. It will disappear in 24 hours (just add it to your highlights, your baby carrots were so chic). People often swipe through stories without thinking anyway. Did anyone really appreciate the way your tin of grilled sardines in olive oil was positioned so you could read the Trader Joe’s label? Probably not. But you did. And you did get a beautiful picture.
Now throw the fish away.
This ensemble of leftovers and random items found in the back of your pantry is ultimately for your eyes only. Whatever food has the pleasure of sitting on that plate is yours, and that is why it is sacred.
Girl dinner is born in reaction to your emotions and guided by your creativity. An honest to God work of art. The only extension of yourself that can be consumed by you. Post her because you are proud of who she is, not who you want her to be.
Did you throw the fish away?