The Caviar Bump Trend Just Took An Even Stranger Path
Certain foods scream decadence. Shaved truffles gently enveloping a risotto, delicate marbling of a wagyu steak, or the briny caviar dollop on a bellini can be that elevated bite that foodies covet. While these extravagances might come with a generous price tag, the reality is that the indulgence is worth the splurge. As the caviar bump has grown in popularity, restaurants are looking for curious ways to serve that little extra.
Recently, many New York City restaurants are spooning old-school vibes to younger diners who are hungry for caviar. According to Business Insider, the trend combines a feeling of Old World money at an affordable price tag. While there is nothing illicit about these bumps, some people appeal to the splurge of licking fish eggs off their hands. Although New York Times writer Helen Rosner debunked the "new" factor of this food experience on Twitter, she also noted one of the downsides: Just like no one wants to eat food off a dirty plate, do you really want to eat caviar scented with your favorite hand lotion or have freshly washed soap scent linger on your tongue? Luckily, Martiny's in New York has a more sophisticated serving vessel that offers a hand up on the caviar bump experience (via Bon Appétit).
This caviar bump serving method proves to be a little stiff
As the caviar bump trend has more people licking those briny fish eggs, one restaurant is looking to offer a hand up to a new eating option. Instead of harkening back to Spring Break body shots or Nyotaimori (eating sushi off a naked body), Martiny's in New York is offering caviar off an "articulating wooden mannequin hand" as reported by Bon Appétit. While the outlet found the experience to be slightly unsettling and compared it to eating off of Pinnochio, comments on Instagram were slightly more harsh.
Putting aside the drug culture references, there were questions about the hand's sanitization after each use. While this hand can be staged for an artist's inspiration, the unfinished wood might not be the best vehicle for multiple lickings. As one Instagrammer responded in the Bon Appétit post, "(w)orse than those wooden spoons we used to eat ice cream with." Hopefully, there are no tongue splinters encountered during the experience or maybe the mini-martini's alcohol helps to sanitize, but the reality is that this unusual serving vessel is giving the food trend another "bump." Even if the publication's picture might be subtly flicking off the notion of the culinary culture absurdity, the reality is that the slight naughtiness of enjoying this splurge is waiting to be savored. With this particular serving method, it might be the ultimate visual one-upmanship that people are craving.