Today’s Friday finds is inspired by a new study that suggests that instagramming your food before you eat it makes it taste better. By taking a minute to enjoy the food’s visual attributes before diving in, you cultivate anticipation and a deeper appreciation of the multi-sensory experience of your food. Interestingly, the researchers believe that the taste benefits don’t apply to healthy food, but this may have to do with the aesthetic quality of the foods they prepared. (They used fruit salad and red velvet cake, but maybe they had an ugly fruit salad and a highly photogenic cake.) The one exception is that once people see others taking pictures of healthy food, it raises the pleasure they get from photographing their own. In other words, maybe eating healthy just needs a little more inspiration.

That’s certainly what happened to me when I saw the Instagram feed Tasty as Heck (pics featured above), by chef and designer Heike Muller, who creates colorful, mostly vegan, super-food laden dishes that make eating with the eyes feel like a joyful treat. While I don’t have time to make such stunning concoctions every day, it’s a great reminder that healthy eating can be even more beautiful than junk.

And now, some more Friday finds:

• Heartwarming story about a soup kitchen that is being run like a restaurant, giving dignity to the homeless who dine there. There are greeters and servers, and the chef even takes suggestions from diners. (I love this as an example of aesthetics being used to bring dignity to people who are often overlooked.)
• Great read on the connection between writer’s block and emotional life, and how to solve it.
• A bit of a downer, but more research on the rise of depression and anxiety among young Americans.
• I love this organization’s name: Radical Joy for Hard Times. Seems like something we all could use these days! (via Julia)
• Playful project with mirrors in urban space. Fun to have your sense of space played with in such a simple way.
• I can’t tell how I feel about this Gaudi-esque house yet but I am a sucker for curvy architecture. And some of the interior views looking out are just stunning.

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Images: Heike Muller, Tasty As Heck