Calling time on Rate My Plate, the worst Facebook page in 2019

Since its creation only 10 months ago, the Facebook page Rate My Plate has taken social media by storm. Both the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star have written articles about the page, but what is it that has attracted almost 2 million members to a group dedicated to sharing pictures of amateur meals?

Disgust. Disgust is the answer.

In the same way that we're all repulsively satisfied by videos of blackheads being squeezed or spiders being removed from places they have no right to be in, the monstrosities posted to Rate My Plate trigger the same horrified-yet-unable-to-look-away reaction in us. If you're somehow (un)fortunate enough to have missed this wonderful page, I'll post some of my personal faves below so that you understand what it is that we're dealing with here:

Curried Sosig with sweet Potatoe by Chris R

Chicken Breast with Bulgur Wheat and a Homemade Curry Sauce by Mark L

Full English by Jack P

These beauties have only been posted within the past month so I'm not even sure I want to know what's hidden within the depths of this gag-inducing page, and yet I still can't stop myself from looking.

It has been suggested that we like searching for such nauseating images in the same way that we like going on rollercoasters – it feels dangerous but we enjoy the feeling because we know that we're ultimately safe. Now, whilst I understand that the chances of being injured on a rollercoaster are infinitely small, it's difficult to be so sure that us students are ever truly safe from the horrors that get cooked up in shared kitchens, but that's an issue for another day.

If there's one positive that is to be taken from this salmonella-riddled page, it's the newfound stardom of the bacon and eggs legend herself Carol C.

Bacon, Eggs & Beans by Carol C

Posting to the page on February 2nd 2019, Carol's notorious dish of bacon, eggs and beans has since garnered 350k+ comments and 37k+ shares, with people questioning whether the meal was cooked in a 'tumble dryer', and wondering how it is that the chef herself is still alive.

However, in spite of these somewhat questionable "cooking" skills, Carol C quickly became a group favourite, with her name now being found in the comment section of almost every post.

Recently being identified as a cleaner from Newcastle, Carol has since stated 'I don't mind negative comments, I just keep doing what I like. My main hobbies are cooking; I try to stick with tradition'. Whilst this is probably the best response Carol could have produced, given the circumstances, may I take it upon myself, on behalf of sensitive stomachs across the nation, to suggest that she take up another hobby.

And so there we have Rate My Plate. Without even delving into the group's fascination with sosigs and the abuse that is hurled at those ridiculous enough to submit meals that actually look edible, it's clear that this page is an absolute stomach-churning gem and, I'm sure, exactly what Mark Zuckerberg himself envisioned Facebook harbouring.