Facebook Marketplace Food: Drippin’ in Sauce

By Xavier Espinal

A looming green Dollar Tree sign sets the backdrop to a quick cash exchange deal in a parking lot. The opening of a car trunk is captured on one of the three iPhone 16 camera lenses; resting in the back of the Toyota Corolla is a red, oozing, jaw-dropping…tray of seafood boil. This was my mouth-watering introduction to the world of Facebook Marketplace Food videos that quickly sent me down an Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole filled with Biscoff cinnamon rolls, suspicious chunky fruit drinks, and steamy oxtail. This niche world of social media short-form content has been adopted by influencers like @itsgabrielrivera, @george.pnw, and a number of other “foodie” influencers who eat these obscenely gorgeous homemade curations in the front seat of their cars. These videos visually stimulate the stomach, tapping into a part of the mind beyond restaurant food, featuring homemade goodness instead. Watching these influencers slurp down these hunger-inducing creations is not only satisfying, but furthermore taps into our innately human big back cravings. 5 out of 5 Stars