Cooking is an art form, and there are no limits to what culinary masterpieces chefs will come up with next. (Have you guys ever seen what an air fryer can do?) But when it comes to how brilliant dishes are served, there are many purists out there who think there’s nothing better than the classics. Plates and bowls were invented for a reason after all!

Below, you’ll find some of the wildest alternatives to traditional dishes that people have scrutinized in the We Want Plates subreddit. From fish sticks in Crocs to bread in a Versace shoe, we hope you get a kick out of these unappetizing atrocities down below. Be sure to upvote the ones that make you hesitant to ever eat in a restaurant again, and remember that sometimes it’s best to just stick with what you know.

More info: WeWantPlates.com | Facebook | Instagram |Twitter | Reddit

#1 This Isn’t A Plate! The Wig Is Up!

Image credits: verysmallgirl

#2 I Think It’s Necessary To Add That The Glasses Are Filled With Hot Pork Broth To Wash Down Those Hog Nipples

Image credits: IslayMode666

#3 Cocktail Served In A Plastic Bag

Image credits: CuttersBone

We Want Plates is a website, subreddit, Facebook page, Instagram account, Twitter account, and even a book! Just like wooden boards and baskets have taken the restaurant world by storm, We Want Plates has secured its place on the internet, demanding that people just use normal dishware. The subreddit, which has amassed an impressive 932k members since its creation in 2015, describes its mission as “crusades against serving food on bits of wood and roof tiles, chips in mugs and drinks in jam jars.” And the community certainly does an excellent job of mocking all of the ridiculous items restaurants find a way of incorporating into their kitchens for questionable reasons.

We Want Plates was started by Ross McGinnes, and lucky for us, my colleague Jonas was previously able to get in touch with him to hear more about how this community advocating for plates began in the first place. “I started the campaign in 2015 after a friend posted a picture of an average-sized steak on Facebook, which had been served to him on a large chopping board. It was captioned, unironically, ‘That is a big meal!’ It wasn’t a big meal — he’d fallen for all this style-over-content hipster gastropub nonsense,” McGinnes previously told Bored Panda. “I searched Twitter for an account which would allow me to vent my spleen with like-minded people, but found nothing. We Want Plates was born.”

#4 Fish Sticks In A Croc

Image credits: yomama3109

#5 A Full English Served By A Hipster

“Imagine going to spend your hard earned money on a full English and they bring it out on a BLOODY SPADE”

Image credits: TheOfficialSvengali

#6 Sushi For M’lady?

Image credits: SuperJezus

The creator of We Want Plates presumes that restaurants go to these extreme measures when plating their food to ensure that they stand out from the crowd, and perhaps go viral. “My local pub used to do a great Sunday roast: twelve quid, piled high, tasted great and yes, it came on a plate,” he shared. “One weekend they added a quirky offering to the menu: little sandwiches, pies, dainty cakes and mini milkshakes served on a miniature picnic bench. The benches, painted bright pink and yellow, sat on top of tables seating actual grown adults. And what was the first thing these infantilized diners did? It wasn’t try the food — it was whip out their phones and take a picture.”

“Over the following months, the picnic benches became increasingly popular, coinciding with the specials board becoming progressively smaller, before it eventually disappeared altogether,” McGinnes continued, much to his dismay. “I sat there one Sunday, watching bench after garish bench emerge from the kitchen like a technicolor carnival of idiocy, before my usual roast arrived. The meat was cold, and the potatoes were burnt. It was once their main Sunday trade, but the traditional roast had died an unpalatable death. But that’s okay because they were doing a roaring trade with the benches, right? Sure, until the pub down the road started doing them too. Then the one around the corner. Before you know it, everyone’s doing the same ‘quirky’ thing, except it’s not ‘quirky’ any more because you can’t move for mini picnic benches and now all their roast dinners are rubbish to boot.”

#7 There Was An Attempt To Include A Plate… Sort Of

Image credits: tw0_cent

#8 This Is Getting Ridiculous

Image credits: KBbop117

#9 Bread In A Versace Shoe

Image credits: trublue4u22

As impractical as these plating options appear, they seem to keep popping up in restaurants all around the globe, likely because they go viral on social media. I’m sure we’ve all seen the slices of cheesecake on top of milkshakes or towers of onion rings sticking out of burgers. But how are we supposed to actually devour these dishes? Many of them must end up becoming a huge mess and creating devastating amounts of food waste. There’s nothing wrong with simple plating, but unfortunately, social media is a very powerful tool, even in the real world.

Bored Panda was also previously able to get in touch with one of the moderators of this board-shaming subreddit, Merari01, who shared that, “A wonderful meal is enhanced by a superb presentation. But an overly excessive display can detract from the meal.”

#10 Tacos On Cactus

Image credits: Bodefeld

#11 Ice Cream Served On Only The Finest Of Frozen Rocks…

Image credits: Grumpylumberjack

#12 You Can Use A Knife To Cut A Toothpick From The Log After You Finished Your Dinner

Image credits: Savings-Note4851

“For me, the line [between creative and absurd] presentation is crossed when the creativity hinders the enjoyment of the food,” Merari01 previously told Bored Panda. “Food that cannot be eaten without messing up the table, because the sauce gets everywhere since there’s no plate but a piece of slate used. Food that cannot be eaten without carefully dismantling it from the display on which it is mounted and pinned. Our current top post is a good example. You’ll have to dismantle the display and then there isn’t much room on the board for cutting the meat.”

#13 Would You Like Some Steak With Your Lawnmower?

Image credits: JustSayNo_

#14 My Drink Served In A To-Go Box

Image credits: xoxodianessa

#15 I Was Wronged In Idaho

Image credits: SurroundAccurate

We Want Plates has become such a massive movement that even The Guardian has reported on their efforts. In fact, some of the Twitter account’s followers have begun sending boards and bizarre serving platters back to the kitchen to receive their meals on regular plates. “I hope we’ll make a difference,” David Martyn, one follower who was featured on We Want Plates after requesting that a Clifton pub provide him with a plain old plate when they attempted to serve his fish and chips on a roof tile. “How are you supposed to eat fish and chips off a slate? It’s presentation over practicality. And surely it’s old hat by now?” 

#16 Wine Bottle Pasta

Image credits: nightfishing89

#17 Next Time Just Throw The Dish At Me Please

Image credits: moritzmadafaka

#18 Caged Chicken Buns In Hong Kong

Image credits: Working_Vegetable212

One restaurant owner in Windsor was even convinced to change their approach after We Want Plates brought to their attention that eating ice cream off of a slate is not very practical. “We were delighted that someone pointed it out to us,” Conrad Byrne, general manager of the Fox and Hounds, told The Guardian. “We put the dessert on a plate that very afternoon and it’s changed how we look at our dishes. Now we don’t just think purely about the visuals, we’re asking: ‘How will the customer see this?’”

#19 Coffee In A Donut

Image credits: mrlogicpro

#20 World-Renowned Chef Jose Andres Serves An Appetizer Out Of A Stiletto

Image credits: deweysizemore

#21 Words Cannot Describe This

Image credits: tnethacker

Not everyone is on board with We Want Plates’ movement, though. Just like there are purists who are begging for regular dishes, there are innovators who refuse to turn back. Seth Levine, the executive chef of Hotel Chantelle who hangs small pieces of jamon from a washing line for his diners, was unphased by the criticism he received. “I’d never in a million years even contemplate changing my style because there’s a small group of people who want to eat off a white china plate,” he told The Guardian. “It’s fun to upgrade dishes a bit. I ate in a restaurant the other night where something was served to me on burning wood, and I thought it was incredible.”

#22 “Not Just Any Shoe, An Orange One”

Image credits: BringerOfWatermelons

#23 Everything But The Kitchen Sink Taken Too Literally

Image credits: DiseasedGoat

#24 We Want Tetanus!

Image credits: andhereweare55

At the end of the day, the most important factor we should all be considering when trying to enjoy a meal is enjoying the food. If it’s impossible to eat without making a mess, becomes instantly soggy or cold due to a focus on the display, or it just doesn’t taste great because aesthetics became the priority, the meal is a failure. And when we’re going out to a restaurant and paying $20 for dinner, that dish better be delicious! Save the displays for art museums; when I’m coming to eat, I want to know that my meal will be satisfying. (And no, I don’t care if my Instagram followers get to see it.)

#25 Whole Meal On A Cup

Image credits: mrzioh213

#26 Shovel

Image credits: KingZero010

#27 Meaty Deer Shoulder On Boney Deer Shoulder

Image credits: Gwendolin12

In general, I’m a huge proponent of creativity. But when it comes to how my food is being served, I’d rather not have any surprises. It’s great if my food is presented in a beautiful way, but once it’s been warped into something that looks like it belongs in a modern art museum or on my feet, you’ve lost my appetite. We hope you’re enjoying this bizarre list, pandas; don’t forget to keep upvoting the pics that have you begging restaurants to simply use plates. Then, if you’re hungry for even more of these odd alternatives to regular dishware, you can find Bored Panda’s last article featuring We Want Plates right here!   

#28 “Rudolph.” “Here!” “Dasher.” “Here!” “Dancer.” “Here!” “Prancer.” “Here!” “Vixen.” “Here!” “Comet.” “Here!” “Cupid.” “Here!” “Donner.” “Here!” “Blitzen.” “Got Some Bad News About Blitzen, Boss”

Image credits: wewantplatesofficial

#29 Pudding In Birmingham

Image credits: Serious-Extension738

#30 Bucket Of Burgers

Image credits: HasSex

#31 Cocktail Served In Broccoli Soup Can, On Newspaper, On A Preschooler’s Popsicle Stick Craft?

Image credits: Ok-Professional1355

#32 Glass Of Pasta

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#33 The Brick Isn’t Even Warm For The Sliders

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#34 Looks Like I’m Not The Only One Presented With Jello Shots In Shells

Image credits: reddit.com

#35 Wood You Like Some Chicken With That Pasta: A Classic Study In Wanting Plates

Image credits: onbiver9871

#36 Incarne (And Bones)

Image credits: Federal-Roof8729

#37 Nachos In A… Bin Box?

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#38 Got My Cocktail In A Rice Maker

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#39 Looks Like A Plant But Its An Actual Dish Served In A 2 Michelin Star Restaurant In La

Image credits: Afraid_Gear5853

#40 Saw This On A Friend’s Instagram. The Horror

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#41 $14 Worth Of Fried Potato Served On A Hacky Sack

Image credits: ReferenceRelative12

#42 Charcuterie Cups

Image credits: Deppfan16

#43 Can’t Drink The Milkshake Without A Face Full Of Cheesecake

Image credits: ryanstephendavis

#44 “Is The Ice Cream Locally Produced?” “No, But The Jam Jar And Bit Of Skirting Board Are From A Skip Down The Road”

Image credits: wewantplatesofficial

#45 Paint Can Fries

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#46 Served Right On The Table

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#47 The Burger Was Tasty, Though

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#48 First Drink Came In A Soup Bowl. With A Spoon. Second… In A Little Buthtub. I Think They Run Out Of Glasses

Image credits: bbygoat46

#49 Butter On A Rock, To Remind You That It Is A Restaurant In The Mountains

Image credits: Sajficka

#50 Smash In Burger Paris. Food Served On A 2pac Vinyl. Taken From Best Ever Food Review Yt

Image credits: BlackUnicornUK

#51 Have Some Gyoza With This Houseplant

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#52 And So, On #worldpastaday, We Bow Our Heads In Silence And Remember The Pint Of Spaghetti Bolognese

Image credits: wewantplatesofficial

#53 Completely Up To You

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#54 I Was Served On An Oven Rack

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#55 Chicken Mac & Cheese – BBQ Food Truck

Image credits: _thatsBS

#56 “Pasta Flight” Served On Wooden Board, Alongside Other Dishes On Actual Plates, Se Pennsylvania

Image credits: nameless_thirteenth

#57 Onion Rings On A Funnel

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#58 Breakfast Served In A Cardboard Egg Carton On A Chopping Board. Yummy, But Difficult To Eat

Image credits: lucy_lu_2

#59 So The Course Was Beef Tongue. Served With A Spoon Wrapped In A Mold…of The Chef’s Tongue

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#60 Brazilian Stew (Feijoada) In A Mini Dutch Oven Served With Rice & Bread On A Chopping Board

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#61 More Butter On An Icelandic Rock – This Time Whipped With Skyr

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#62 Mom And I Went For Burgers And Got A “Bucket Of Fries”. This Is Neither A Bucket Nor A Plate. The Burgers Were On Some Metal Plaques With A Handle, Too. But Hey Pretty Tasty!

Image credits: fullywokevoiddemon

#63 Lettuce Cups In Someone’s Yard Ornament

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#64 Fried Sausages Served On Individual Forks Sticking Out Of A Metal Brick – Raglan Road Irish Pub At Disney Springs

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#65 Appetizers On Nails At A Conference

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#66 Steak Tartare Served On A Clock?

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#67 Smoked Seal On Top Of A Seaweed Waffle, With A Seaweed Bearnaise Sauce Topped With A Pickled Blueberry

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#68 It Finally Happened

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#69 Fries In A Jar. How Do We Feel About This One, Gang?

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#70 A Lot Of Fuss For 6 Shrimp

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#71 Drinking Water Out Of A Measuring Cup Does Not Make Me Feel Quirky, It Makes Me Feel Like A Lunatic Who Needs To Go Do Their Dishes

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#72 Is This Allowed Here Too?

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#73 Chilled Monkey Brains! Or Jello, Served In A Silver Skull. You Decide

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#74 Pizza, Filled With Chips, And Jackfruit… In… A Metal Cone/Basket/Thing?!

Image credits: 420Eski-Grim

#75 Skewered Chicken Served On Top Of The Bottom Of A Glass(?)

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#76 Wheelbarrow Chriashi

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#77 Tiramisu In A Moka Pot

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#78 Hamburger In A Forest

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#79 A Cup Of Eggs

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#80 Skateboard Deck

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#81 Eggs Florentine On A Tile

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#82 This Wing Shop In Portland Use’s Frisbees As Plates

Image credits: RAYQUAZACULTIST

#83 Pickled Carrot Tart…on A Glass Box… Dill, Iceland

Image credits: Gjrt1986

#84 Ramen On The Go

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#85 Pudding In A Garden Trowel Anyone?

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#86 Ate From A Chipped Rock. I Even Scrapped Some Of It When I Took A Bite. Delicious Cake Tho

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#87 I Was Served This At A Work Event. Am… Am I Supposed To Drink It?

Image credits: RoseNPearlGirl

#88 Quite Tame Compared To Some Of The Other Posts, But This Appetizer Served In A Huge Bowl; At A High Class Restaurant In My Hometown

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#89 Honey I Shrunk The Staircase (And Dropped Some Food On It)

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#90 Crab Soup In A Crab. Phuket, Thailand

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#91 Paper Bag Green Beans, Just Like Mama Used To Make

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#92 Measuring Cup Coleslaw

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#93 Butter On Lava Rock – Loá, Reykjavik, Iceland

Image credits: Gjrt1986

#94 This 3rd Wave Coffee Shop Serves Coffee In Wine Glasses. They Say “Our Filter Coffees, Which We Serve Wine Glasses, Imply That You Should Enjoy Living Life Slowly”

Image credits: paleaversion

Source: boredpanda.com