The 12 Best Food Tattoos, from Peanut Butter to Butcher's Diagrams
Most of the food-mad people we know appreciate works of art, whether they're on a plate or a bicep, and more than a few opt to turn themselves into working canvases, displaying ink that combines their two loves into one groovy tattoo.
So we decided to gather up a collection of some of our favorite food-themed tattoos, then asked Rocky Rakovic, editor of Inked Magazine, to weigh in with his professional thoughts on each. Here's the ink we spilled on the subject.
1/12Pie and Coffee in Twin Peaks
**Why we like it: Who cares who killed Laura Palmer? Pie and coffee with Agent Cooper in the Red Room? We're in! What Rocky thinks: "This Twin Peaks mash-up sleeve is sound with a good mix between portraiture, still life, and pattern ink. While there is a lot of color in David Lynch’s portrait, Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McLaughlin) looks pale in comparison." Conceptually? "It was a cool idea to bridge the two portraits with Cooper’s vices coffee and cherry pie—not to mention the zigzag pattern of the floor in the Red Room. The vibrant red of the cherries also pops against the muted red in the background." (Tattoo by Mez Love of Tattoo Boogaloo, San Francisco.)
2/12Chip on His Shoulder
Why we like it: We're suckers for a good food-based visual pun. What Rocky thinks: "Fairly flawless with good color gradation that makes the chip look authentic. The positioning on the shoulder is smartly centered and away from the wearer’s heavy concentration of freckles." Conceptually? "I love a good pun, food or otherwise. The chip on the shoulder is much more tasteful than a rump roast. This person would make an excellent dining companion." (Tattoo by Megan Murphy of Eternal Etchings, Villas, N.J.)
3/12Jif Peanut Butter
Why we like it: Hand us the butter knife, we're going in. Hell, forget the knife, we're going full-finger. What Rocky thinks: "The colors are vibrant and evenly tattooed, but the jar is a little misshapen." Conceptually? "The shocking thing about this tattoo is that most guys who can take a needle to the skin also brave chunky peanut butter." (Tattoo by Jeff Ensminger of Resurrection Tattoo and Body Piercing, Austin, Texas.)
4/12Miss Cheery Cherry Pie
Why we like it: It's retro, it makes us hungry, and now we've got that Warrant song stuck in our head. What Rocky thinks: "A good Traditional American pin-up tattoo. Tattooer Evie Yapelli did a fine job with shading and negative space to create a difference between Cherry’s shirt and her skin." Conceptually? "A risqué innuendo that was handled in a playfully bawdy way—just like sex appeal in the '50s." (Tattoo by Evie Yapelli of Show Pigeon Tattoo, Laguna Beach, California.)
5/12Pig to the Slaughter
Why we like it: I'll be honest here. Babe is one of my favorite movies. And that'll do, pig. That'll do. What Rocky thinks: "Good use of a limited color palette. On first look at the tattoo you say, 'Oh that's a regal pig.' But upon further inspection you then notice the blue dotted lines and realize that this delicious piggy is going to the market." C**onceptually? "Brilliant. The wearer can still be chewing his pork when he approaches the pitmaster for seconds as he needs just to point to the part on the pig he desires more of. Oh, and wait until he discovers cheek meat." (Photo courtesy Matthew Stein, aka ChefMattRock.)
6/12Butcher Diagrams
Why we like it: Stephen Eldridge has butcher-diagram tattoos of a pig, the French cuts of beef, and this fish. To come: butcher diagrams of a duck and Falcor, the flying dog from Neverending Story. In other words, this is a chef who is so into his art that's he's turning himself in a walking reference on meat cuts, real and imaginary. If that doesn't qualify as an awesome set of food tattoos, what does? What Rocky thinks: "Smart use of negative space within the animals by having the red lines be the cut-outs and the black as the cuts’ names as the red ink will fade more than the black. I also like the consistency in style between the creatures." Conceptually? "There are a lot of animal-dissection tattoos walking around, but this is the first fish I’ve seen. Congrats on the nice tattoos and sorry about the gout. Also, call Hasbro: I think we have a new idea for a RISK board." (Photo courtesy of Stephen Eldridge, executive chef at Gertrude's Restaurant of Phoenix, Arizona. Photographed by Susan Lyn Cope.)
7/12KitchenAid Mixer
Why we like it: Getting your first tattoo is like losing your virginity. Buying your first KitchenAid is like your first serious relationship. So it stands to reason that getting a tattoo of a KitchenAid is like marrying your high-school sweetheart, which means you'll save a ton of money going out to bars, signing up for Internet dating sites, and making some questionable decisions in life. So everyone should get a KitchenAid tat, right? What Rocky thinks: "The KitchenAid standing mixer tattoo is gorgeous and photorealistic right down to the reflection of this man’s kitchen in the bowl." Conceptually? "Like with a tattoo, if you take care of a KitchenAid mixer it will last you a lifetime. Perhaps the next time this guy visits his tattooist he can have the meat-grinder attachment added on." (Tattoo by Bennett Edwards of Trinity Tattoo, Norfolk, Va.)
8/12Pink Creamsicle
Why we like it: There's nothing more satisfying on a hot summer day than that first bite of a creamy popsicle. And you just know this one is strawberry-flavored. What Rocky thinks: "Excellent use of pink instead of black on the borders of the tattoo (though a black border around the stick would make it pop more). I’m a little confused by the shadow, it looks as if the treat is hitting the floor top side-down, which makes me sad." Conceptually? "Sweet. You can tell the wearer is a rebel not only because he or she has a tattoo but because he or she eschewed the popular orange Creamsicle for the pink version." (Tattoo by Eric Hylland of Primitive Soul Tattoo, near Denver.)
9/12Chickadee Cheeseburger
Why we like it: Though the idea of a bird resting atop a big juicy burger turns the stomach a bit, that is one mighty tasty-looking sandwich. Stick that chickadee in the deep fryer and you've got a nice side, too. What Rocky thinks: "Phenomenal tattoo that shows the tattoo artist can do black-and-gray work, bold colors, and delicate feathers. (Personally, I do prefer my condiments below the patty.)" Conceptually? "The client, a Michigan transplant to Southern California, missed the chickadees of the Midwest that he believed to chirp, 'Cheeseburger, cheeseburger.' The voices in my head do the same." (Tattoo by Jamie Lee Parker of MD Tattoo Studio, Northridge, California.)
10/12BLT Venn Diagram
Why we like it: The Venn diagram appeals to our left-brain inner Spock. And the BLT appeals to the right-brain writing-this-just-before-lunch part of us. What Rocky thinks: "It’s proportionally janky as the head of lettuce is the same size as the slice of tomato. That the ingredients of a BLT form a heart in the middle of the Venn diagram is a deft touch. I would also like to see the intersections filled in with creamy mayo." Conceptually? "Try as any may, you can’t find three other ingredients that beat the combination of bacon, lettuce, and tomato on a sandwich. While I’ve been seeing more and more kale (the tramp stamp of the culinary world?) tattoos, the trinity isn’t going off-menu anytime soon." (Tattoo by Esther Garcia of Butterfat Studio, Chicago.)
11/12His and Hers Avocado Halves
Why we like it: Because in any relationship, one of you has to get the pit. What Rocky thinks: "It’s vibrant, but when looking at the coloration in the two sides of the avocado they don’t match up. The position of the tattoo on the right is also problematic as there is a line-break for the wearer’s mole." Conceptually? "Do you know that Subway commercial where the two women bicker over who loves avocados more by presenting evidence of driving an avocado car and naming their child Avocado? This couple got matching avocado tattoos in real life. Side note: Do vegetarians split an avocado like a turkey wishbone, where the one who gets the pit gets their wish granted? Because they should." (Tattoo by Enoki Soju.)
12/12Fruit Sleeves
Why we like it: If Carmen Miranda were around today, would she be known for a fruit-sleeve tattoo instead of that fruit headdress? We like to think so. What Rocky thinks: "It can’t be expressed enough how tricky it is to tattoo curved objects, let alone this many (tattooists cringe when they hear the word 'grapes') while keeping the cornucopia—sans cornu—spatially and proportionally true." Conceptually: "This fruit sleeve is a reminder of the vibrancy and beauty in nature. I needn’t think we should ever worry about this person contracting scurvy." (Tattoo by Sylvie le Sylvie of Montreal.)
