InsideHook polls 17 working chefs on the food fads they’re tired of, and a clear theme emerges: excess for Instagram’s sake. Many lament the “liberal use of luxury” — caviar, truffles, uni and Wagyu layered onto everything from burgers to omakase bites — arguing that such gilding buries flavor and cheapens what should feel special. Other pet peeves include sprawling “nacho/charcuterie tables” that turn party food into a trough; pretty-but-pointless garnishes like edible flowers and decorative tuiles; fusion concepts that create more “confusion” than cohesion; protein-obsessed carnivore menus that push vegetables off the plate; and perennial social-media darlings like avocado toast, goji-berry “superfood” dishes, and mac-and-cheese overloaded with add-ins. Several chefs also knock the boom in ultra-pricey omakase counters and the reliance on pricey name-brand pantry items, saying the best cooking lets high-quality ingredients (and restraint) speak for themselves.