It has happened to the best of us: you sit down at a cafe or restaurant, order what sounds like a perfectly normal meal, and it turns up on a wooden board or in a series of pieces that you have to construct yourself.
Alternative serving methods are a major food trend right now, but one man and his Twitter account is rallying against it.
Ross McGinnes runs We Want Plates, a Twitter account dedicated to showcasing the most ridiculous serving methods from venues around the world.
McGinnes tells SBS that he set up the account after seeing one too many pictures of steaks served on chopping boards.
“And, I was served a piece of cake on a table tennis bat in Barcelona around 2008, which still gives me sleepless nights,” he says.
The Twitter account has 113,000 followers and counting, and has received hundreds of submissions from plate-lovers around the world.
From soup served in shoes, to chicken on a sword, to lamb chops in a glass, We Want Plates shows off serving methods that have to be seen to be believed.
The account has been running on and off for around a year, and McGinnes has amassed a series of favourite – or, perhaps, most hated – food serving styles along the way.
His absolute favourite audience submission came from a user who received their bread nestled inside a flat cap.
McGinnis thinks that venues have turned to quirky serving methods over the past few years in an attempt to stand out from the crowd.
“But when everyone is doing these weird things, nobody stands out,” he says. “Maybe if they concentrated on knocking up some food which actually tasted nice, they’d build a reputation based on that as opposed to gimmicks.”
McGinnes has been let in on some of the maddest serving methods imaginable throughout his journey with We Want Plates.
“For example, there’s a restaurant in the USA which just chucks all your spaghetti on the table – THE ACTUAL TABLE – and gives you a fork,” he says.
Some of his other most-loved submissions include: “Sausage and mash in a wine glass, food in dog bowls, the Swiss practice of serving of bread in slippers.”
We Want Plates has struck a chord with plate devotees across the world. So, why has it amassed such a following?
“Because so many people just want great-tasting food on a plate. It’s not too much to ask for, is it?” McGinnes asks.
