In the age of digital media, food has become less a substance and social act and more a highly mediated visual spectacle. This paper contends that short-form media platforms not only mirror existing food culture but also shape it. By emphasizing speed, visual complexity, and engagement rates, these platforms recode food value in terms of what is most entertaining to watch rather than what is culturally significant, historically rooted, or labor-intensive.

To investigate this phenomenon, this research undertakes a digital ethnography and visual analysis of 50–75 viral short-form videos. Employing the sociology of absences approach, it examines what these videos emphasize, such as fast-paced cuts and striking visuals, and what they omit, including cultural significance and historical roots. Case studies of Birria tacos, Fufu, and Agua Fresca (renamed “Spa Water” online) are compared to their traditional counterparts to identify patterns of distortion and simplification.

This paper argues that the technical system of short-form video accelerates the aestheticization and commercialization of ethnic cuisine. The 15-second loop does more than circulate cuisine; it reorganizes it, transforming cultural heritage into an algorithmic spectacle that reshapes the values of modern food culture.