For the love of god.
Let this be a joke.
If you've been on the internet say... in the last five days, I'm sure you're familiar with the above Kickstarter profile. If you're not, there's not much to it. Zack Brown of Columbus, Ohio, asked for $10 to make potato salad and has received over $45,000 (as of when I first took this screen shot; it's going up even as I write this).
I've examined his profile, watched the video, read as many as I could handle of the comments (honestly, it was tiring sorting through all that dry, inane sarcasm), and I can't find where this is actually a charity effort, an honest passion – something other than a practical joke that the internet is gladly joining in on. If it is, and if I'm missing something – please let me know so I don't get attacked for libel.
But if this is what it appears to be, I can't find the value or the humor in it. Not to be hateful, but how many of those backers do you think passed a homeless person today and "didn't have any change"?
Kickstarter already rested on the frail assumption that people are generally good and honest and will use money you give them for good and honest causes. Campaigns like this threaten to ruin the integrity of such a website; there are already several copycat campaigns for funding other various food types. Strangely, those copycats are being slammed in comment sections for – not being original? I'm not actually sure why. Perhaps there can only be one ironic potato salad.
I should note, my frustration isn't solely with Zack (he only asked for $10, after all); it's not even with the individuals who pledged (you want to spend a dollar, even five on something that makes you laugh – go ahead!). It's with a system like this where creating a social media buzz around something, being able to sum it up in pithy, postable sentences, making it shareable and tweetable, is the only way to make people take notice anymore.
With that rant complete, here are five other Kickstarter food campaigns where your dollars could go a long way.
1. Gluten Free A’Fair: Bring Denver's first gluten free food truck to life
It's Denver, for one thing, and it's also a food truck! I love food trucks and I have it on good authority that a couple other people do too. Those with Celiac disease will be able to eat cinnamon buns, breaded chicken tenders and more if this one gets funded.
2. Yabisi Kakaw: Rebooting Puerto Rico's cacao heritage
This Kickstarter aims to "reboot organic cacao production in Puerto Rico" by finding surviving organic cacao trees and using their seedlings in an agroforestry campaign. Read all about the endeavor and their future plans for a multi-purpose farm on their page.
3. Wild Indigo Catering's Food Truck
Maybe I'm a bit biased on this one, since it's in my former neck of the woods, but food trucks always seem like a good idea to me. And good lord! Check out what you get for pledging $150!
4. Expanding Shiitake Village
Just the phrase Shiitake Village sounds magical. It's also a little funny. Pledge enough to this Kickstarter campaign and you'll get your own Shiitakes.
5. I'm Hot Sauce: Brazilian Hot Sauce by Cristiane Pereira
If this woman's awesome food photos and logo are any indication, she has a good shot at becoming a "leading brand in the hot sauce industry."
– M