Exploring the TikTok Trend: What is a 'Girl's Dinner'?

One day, because it was too hot to cook, I put a bunch of grapes, baby carrots,  crackers, baby brie, a dollop of hummus, and boursin on a plate and called it dinner. Little did I know I was eating what the TikTok trend is calling a "girl food." 

 "Girl's Dinner" is essentially an "aesthetically pleasing lunch" according to The New York Times. It is a mini snack selection for one person for lunch. Whether the dish is inspired by charcuterie or  an eclectic meal, Dinner Girl aims to challenge the trend of traditional combinations like pot roast.

 There aren't many hard and fast rules as to what constitutes a girl's meal. Would you like to add a goldfish? Just do it. And the cucumbers? Surely.How about a plate  of leftover pizza with cheese, crackers and veggies? Absolutely. In its basic form, a girl's meal is a meal consisting of a combination of several, mostly raw, dishes. 

 An example of a girl's meal comes from Alana Laverty, a content creator who rose to fame on the snack posting platform. He prepared an appetizer of sourdough, burrata, hard boiled eggs, soppressata and cherry tomatoes with white truffle oil and extra virgin olive oil.

 Another TikTok content creator, Marissa Mullen, has unveiled her collection of girls' dinners. One contained a slice of brie with honey, figs,  meat, nuts and slices of bread. Another was crackers with hummus, olives and fresh vegetables. 

 A woman's dinner might be what  Brooklyn-based TikTok creator  Kate called her daughter's dinner: a Caesar salad with crispy chicken, fries, and  Diet Coke. That trend, especially the bit about snacking at lunch, has sparked  controversy online about whether those dinners contain enough calories for one meal, according to Today.Everyone needs calories and nutrients, and some snacks may not be ideal for a person's needs. But there are many dinner parties for girls. 

 Many snacks on TikTok contain protein, carbs, fruits and vegetables, and come in larger than usual snack portions, just the right amount for lunch. 

 For example, this  Suburban Soapbox Cheeseboard has about 500 calories. Depending on what you eat during the day, that's enough for lunch.Registered Dietitian Mackenzie Burgess told Pop Sugar that people's calorie needs vary: "However, 500 to 700 calories can be a good place to start." is to break the trend of traditional dinners.

Take Laverty's snack plate, for example: there are proteins from  burrata, hard-boiled eggs and soppressata, there are fresh produce with tomato, carbohydrates from  sourdough and fat from  white truffle oil and extra virgin olive oil. Together, these ingredients could make a sandwich that's widely considered an acceptable lunchtime meal. 

 

 Rather than viewing snack foods as part of a diet culture, some view them as the opposite of a diet culture. Kathrine Kofoed, a nutritionist and health coach, told the New York Times, "It's a welcome change from the diet culture and  all these rigid expectations about how food tastes." Deviated from what one normally expects at dinner.

 

 dinner with snacks. During the Super Bowl, it's not uncommon to gather around plates of nachos, chicken wings, veggies and hummus, and other appetizers and call it dinner. And all of these ingredients can be part of a girl's meal. 

 

 When dining out with  friends, we sometimes order appetizers like bruschetta, caprese salad, and salami and eat them as a meal. 

 

 We are not alone in  this.Better Homes and Gardens has published an article explaining how to throw a dinner party with stuffed mushrooms, charcuterie, nuts, meatballs and more. 

 

 If all the talk about girly food is making you hungry, here's an easy-to-follow recipe for making a snack platter. 

 

•  Cuts fresh fruit and  fresh vegetables. If you would like a dip to accompany it, place a dip  ramekin next to it. 
•  Choose a protein.Protein can be a piece of cheese and slices of beef or  turkey wrap, hard boiled egg, hummus, or leftover steak, or a combination of these. 
• Add  carbohydrates. Baguette slices and crackers are a popular choice when it comes to a deli snack. Other options may include pretzels, french fries, or tortilla chips. 
•  Add what you want.Would you like to add a marinade or some olives? In order. How about  some candy bars? Excellent. Or maybe honey for cheese or bread?A good choice. The point of a girl's dinner is to combine different foods that sound good, even if they're not traditionally  considered dinner. 

 Here are some examples of snack meal combinations that follow the  formula above, in case you want to try them. 

 

1.  cucumbers, carrots, peaches, hummus, cheddar cheese and baguette slices. 
2.  Boiled eggs, brie, honey, apple, tomato, bruschetta and balsamic garnish.
3.  Leftover ground chicken, peppercorn cheese cubes, radishes, strawberries and some  chips. 
4.  tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, hummus, pita, feta and walnuts. 
5.  Ham, Melon, Gouda, Brie, Carrot, Ranch, and Grain Crackers.