We've all done it.

We've all taken a picture of our food before digging in. We've all scrolled through Instagram, wishing we could have a meal that very second that'd look just as tasty. We've all eaten somewhere not simply for the food itself, but for the photo-ops.

About a week ago, I did exactly what everyone has done. I heard about this cookie dough place in NYC called DŌ. I'd seen it all over Instagram. And I was fascinated- because I've always been the kid who'd sneak a piece of cookie dough while my mom wasn't looking. And honestly, I think the idea is genius, taking that childhood memory to the next level- edible cookie dough in all different flavors.

But this isn't a story about how I loved my cake batter flavored cookie dough. This is about society's expectations and my expectations.

When I got my cookie dough, I did what almost everyone in my generation does, I took out my iPhone and took several photos of the "Instagrammable" creation. Yes, crazy how we're all told to not judge appearances, grown up to believe we shouldn't "judge a book by its cover." But here I was, snapping a picture of food I really, mostly got because of the pictures I've seen of it. Before going, I didn't ask if it was tasty or not, I just assumed, "it's flavored cookie dough and it looks good, so it's gotta taste good."

But that's where I was wrong. As I sat on a bench in Washington Square Park eating what I'd seen all over social media, I was disappointed. The cookie dough was way too sweet, and my expectations were thrown in the trash literally.

I felt kind of defeated at that moment because my friend, sister and I specifically walked across the city to try the cookie dough. I felt almost guilty for dumping the rest of the cookie dough in the trash. I was upset because I enjoyed the vanilla ice cream in the cup more than the actual cookie dough.

I also felt liberated. I didn't have to continue eating it, to pretend that it was good just because I thought it would be.

I realized that people are always going to judge based on appearance. We are so intrigued with the next big food fad and what looks good on our Instagram feeds.

Like I said, this isn't a story about cookie dough. It's about how we can't spontaneously go to a cookie dough shop without the expectations of previous pictures we've seen on social media. It's about how we are so quick to judge everything based on what we see.

You know the saying, a picture is worth a thousand words?

Well, I'm telling you right now what a picture doesn't tell you. It doesn't tell you that perhaps the newest food fad might not be for everyone. It doesn't tell you that perhaps the food was thrown out shortly after the picture was taken.

So next time when you want to try the next big food fad, don't be too crushed if it doesn't taste as good as it looks. And don't feel defeated if you throw out that pretty creation in the trash.