The New York Times published an article yesterday about the modern practice of obsessively photographing one’s food before consuming it. In the article, they talk to a few mildly famous individuals who are known around the world for posting delicious photos of their every meal (and snack) for all the web to see.

One person says:

Unlike a picture of a flower or friend, a picture of a meal recalls something smelled, touched, tasted and ultimately ingested. Carl Rosenberg, 52, a Web site developer who divides his time among San Francisco; Austin, Tex.; and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, photographs his food along the way with a Nikon D3.

“You have more of a direct connection with your food, so it forms a more essential memory of an occasion,” he said. He often places a small stuffed animal, a sheep, which he calls the Crazy Sheep, next to his food before taking a picture; reminiscent of the globe-trotting garden gnome in the French film “Amélie.”

I sometimes photograph a meal for my own records if the meal is exceptionally fine, but I generally try to stay away from doing so because I think it’s a bit rude. And when I do photograph, I try to stay close to these general rules.