clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Instagram Was the Only Place for London to Dine Out on Trump’s Defeat

Happiness, memes, food, more memes

A ham, cheese, and tomato sculpture of Donald Trump O. Asler

Welcome back to Insta Stories, a column examining the London restaurant scene through the often-problematic medium of Instagram. This week’s filter is sad because it’s true.

News of the week

On the one hand, the results of the recent U.S. presidential election would seem to afford the perfect opportunity to begin the process of healing and reconciliation to which president-elect Joe Biden appears so passionately committed. On the other hand: Fuck that. Donald Trump spent his entire presidency trampling over other people’s feelings; it is only right and proper that he should be expected to take as much as he dishes out. And so, to reiterate: the man who once promised his supporters that they were going to win so much they’d be sick and tired of winning has now lost two consecutive popular votes and got his ass handed to him by a candidate who was a few bad days away from pulling out of the race for the Democratic nomination entirely. Last Saturday only confirmed what everyone has known for years: Donald Trump is a loser. Is it fair game to celebrate the success of the Biden-Harris ticket? Of course. Is it a little puerile to taunt the guy who came second and his acolytes at every opportunity? Absolutely. Does it make indulging in both any less satisfying? Hell no.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Raven Smith (@raven__smith) on

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nigel Slater (@nigelslater) on

View this post on Instagram

Champagne anyone? #fired

A post shared by The Nook-Wax Wine Deli (@thenook_london) on

Incoming pivot of the week

Pity the fools who, at the end of the twenty-teens, penned sincere navel-gazey op-eds on “the future of food delivery”. They could probably have predicted plenty of things coming down the pipe, but it’s hard to imagine anyone nailing the forecast that 2020 would be the year in which home delivery of a full Louisiana-style shrimp boil became entirely normalised.

Upcoming pivot of the week

Not to play favourites in the increasingly cluttered world of restaurants pirouetting on a sixpence, but 28 November can’t come soon enough.

Upside of the week

Is the real story of COVID-19 the amusing Instagram handles we made along the way? First the impeccable @domssubs, and now these jokers:

View this post on Instagram

Feel like pure shit, just want restaurants back xx

A post shared by H&S scran (@choplinebling) on

Premature jubilation of the week

Downside: already well into the dreaded Christmas Window, people are endlessly posting pictures of mince pies.

Upside: charcuterie Christmas cards are a thing now.

Dish of the week

Crunchier than most versions.

Shot of the week

Beats lunch from Itsu.