42 Dishes That Are So Stupid, We Can’t Believe What The Chefs Were Thinking

If you’d kindly open your menus, Pandas, you’ll find that tonight we have an exquisite Pretentiousness Paella on offer, simmered for months inside an oak barrel in a waterfall cave just off the coast of Antarctica. As for appetizers, we have some Arrogant Avocado Toast and Tasteless Tuna Tartare, while the special is our Ostentatious Ostrich Omelet. And would you like anything to drink with that? Perhaps some deconstructed coffee?

Over-complexity and showmanship in the kitchen don’t always mean good taste or delicious food. Sometimes, simplicity is best. And plates exist for a reason. These are the lessons that r/StupidFood teaches us. The subreddit shames the most pretentious and arrogant dishes to ever leave a restaurant kitchen, and the gastronomic journey is something utterly delightful. We’re featuring some of their most pretentious food pics again for you to taste and sample, dear Readers. Don’t forget to upvote the photos that stunned you with how magnificently (and unnecessarily!) over the top they were.

Redditor u/Clackpot, the founder of r/StupidFood, told Bored Panda that they appointed a handful of new moderators since September due to the "ever-increasing workloads." They also revealed that they just had their busiest day ever on the subreddit. "/r/StupidFood came into existence to ridicule that which was already there, this idiotic belief that to be different or to innovate is inherently good when it so obviously is not—it needs to good difference and good innovation to make it worthwhile." You'll find my full interview with the founder below, so be sure to scroll down.

I also had a lovely chat about pretentious food and how we can stomach it with pie artist, food expert, and talented baker Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin, who recently published her new book, 'Pies Are Awesome: The Definitive Pie Art Book.' Jessica told Bored Panda that whether or not we should call out the chefs depends on the severity of their gastronomic 'crimes.' "If your lettuce was a little wilted because they spent so long arranging it artfully, or your ice-cream a bit melty by the time they added all the fancy toppings, keep the feedback constructive," she said. "If their 'reverse spherification shrimp balls with oyster foam' gave you food poisoning, feel free to let 'em have it!" Scroll down for Jessica's awesome insights about food, too, Pandas.

This isn’t the first time that Bored Panda has shone the limelight on r/StupidFood. When you’re done devouring this list, you can read our previous in-depth analysis of the online community and the culture of kitchen arrogance right over here.