These are my confessions on what it's really like having an Instagram Husband.
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| Dinner at The Cure | Huntington Beach |
Reason #1: A Personal Photographer I Don't Need To Pay $
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| Kevin took 6874562 photos of me posing with this food. We then enjoyed it all after. Location: Sweet Origin in Irvine |
I've always wanted someone to just follow me around and document my life through photography. Kevin does almost the same sort of thing. Whenever we go to food events together, I like having photos of me posing with the food and eating the food and just lookin` cool with this abundance of food. And Kevin's the one! He's the one that helps take my vision to life. We still need to work out the kinks on the different angles to take that make me look "okay" in the pics, but I'm grateful that he tries and doesn't give up. And the best part after is that we get to eat all the food we too pictures of!
Aside from taking pics of me with food, he also helps me take photos in general. If I am too short for a food flatlay, he'll help take that photo since he's taller. If I want the photo to be styled a certain way and have no other hands to take the photo, Kevin's there to take that photo.
It's really hard sometimes going to food events without anyone else to help take photos. Especially if I am going alone and it's a private tasting with ... just me?... I basically have to do it all myself and am too paranoid to use the "timer" setting on my camera. What if someone steals the camera!?
Anyway, Kevin is that personal photographer that helps me get that perfect shot. Rather than attending as my plus one and just waiting to eat, he participates and is very helpful in the food photography process.
I hope he doesn't mind getting paid in (sometimes cold) food too much....
Reason #2: He Helps Provide A Second Opinion
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| Printed our own pictures on these Sea Salt Creamed Tea Drinks @ Pick Me Up Tea House | Garden Grove |
Whenever we go to food events together, we both try to taste at least everything even if we cannot finish eating it all.
Kevin and I do not have the same preferences so our opinions of food may sometimes be different. I am into salty and sweet combinations but Kevin isn't. I love salty cheese teas but that just isn't Kevin's thing.
But what I love about having him taste the food is that I am able to get another person's opinion on the food. Maybe it's something I don't like or think it's good but Kevin ends up liking. Or maybe it's the opposite. Either way, it's always better to be able to discuss about the food and hear each other's reaction about it!
Since not everyone has the same taste preferences too, I also keep this in mind when writing reviews on this blog. That's why in addition to expressing my opinion, I want to explain why and how I arrived at to that conclusion because maybe someone else might enjoy something I didn't enjoy!
But food isn't the only thing I need a second opinion on. It's also my photos. Is my photo good enough? Should I make it brighter? Darker? More structured? Did I style the food strangely? THESE ARE IMPORTANT!
And not only that, but I noticed that lately I have been losing sight of what my blog really is about. I do not want to be an advertisement. I want to be a food critic that writes useful reviews for others so that they can make more informed decisions on their next meal (food is expensive, can't be wasting hard earned $$ on a bad meal!). But it's just so conflicting when I also don't want to break be too mean and harsh. I want to still be honest yet constructive. There are many instances where I do end up asking Kevin if my particular review or caption would resonate well with my audience. And he helps remind me to basically not be a sell-out.
Reason #3: I Have A Personal Assistant To Boss Around
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| Taking photos of the Gringo Bandito hot sauces at Slidebar Restaurant in Fullerton |
Kevin is that hand-model I need when I want him to hold 3 stacks of burgers. He's also the one I need to lift noodles for the perfect shot and hold it for a few minutes. That's quite a workout, right?
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| When I had Kevin stack 3 burgers so that I could get that grubby Instagram shot Restaurant: The Cut | Location: Irvine |
While at an event, instead of relaxing and waiting for me to be done with photos, I am usually calling his name to grab me napkins, wipe a stain off my shirt I inevitably get from my clumsiness, get out his microfiber cloth to clean my glasses and camera lens and just overall be there for me for whatever I need to do for my photo.
I am so glad that Kevin is amazing at Excel. He helps me choose giveaway winners for my Instagram contests and uses complex formulas to remove duplicates, switched doubles / entries, remove unrelated comments and more. And he even made a formula to randomly choose a winner. How cool is that!?
All that behind-the-scenes, basically the boring stuff like taxes and invoices, is Kevin's job. Yup, he's that personal assistant I'm grateful to have.
Reason #4: My #1 Taste Bud
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| Matching in attire from Ties.com and Ross and eating Pizza Press |
There are so many places to try, so many new things to eat, yet so little time. So it takes a lot of patience and tolerance to always be dragged out somewhere to eat. That's Kevin, the one that is able to put up with my sudden "omg we must go here right now lets go lets go I just saw it on Instagram" and deal with my photos-before-eating ritual.
He's also someone I can count on when he accompanies me to foodie events. I gotta be honest, not every foodie event is fun. It's not as glamourous as it seems on Instagram. It's actually kinda like high school. There are cliques. There are people who have egos way outta line. They think they're better than you and won't bother speaking to you. And there are times when I feel thrown into an event without knowing one single person there. It's kind of isolating because I am awkward at "small talk". Do I even need to talk about something? Do I just take my photos and leave?
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| Creme and Sugar dessert cafe in Anaheim Hills |
There are some awkward times but luckily, Kevin is able to join me most of the time. He is that Taste Bud that I can be comfortable with and be weird around. And take as many photos my way without feeling too judged or insecure. And because he's there, I feel more confident to try to mingle with others. (note: most people are very friendly and nice! There are just a few that can make events feel isolating because they got their own cliques.)
Yup, Kevin's mah numba one Taste Bud <3.
Reason #5: My #1 Supporter
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| Elotes covered in Hot Cheetos and Doritos are from Swirl Fiesta in Riverside |
I feel very lucky, actually. I remember when Kevin first made Instagram. I am not sure why he chose the username "eating_with_hop" but he did and I was really happy inside. That was when we barely started. I guess he wants to eat with me all the time....
He continues to support through spreading the word about my blog, helping me out with my business cards, and overall doing the little things that matter like figuring out ways on how to improve it and providing suggestions.
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| Enjoying our Milk Box drinks at their Tustin location in matching hats |
I know it's hard to find a significant other that truly supports what you do, so I am grateful to have Kevin as my Instagram Husband and my IRL BF!
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| Macarons are from Honey and Butter Macarons | Irvine |
Check out Kevin's Instagram @eatingwithhop and his own series on this blog here.
Also, check out Kevin's perspective on what it's like to be an Instagram Husband.
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