Salt Bae

2017

Date: 7 January 2017 · Place: Nusr-Et Steakhouse, Istanbul, Turkey · Figures: Nusret Gokce, butcher and restaurateur · Tags: Instagram, Gif, Brand 01. The Sprinkle Nusret Gokce, owner of Istanbul's Nusr-Et steakhouse, posts a thirty-six-second Instagram video on 7 January 2017 of himself slicing an ottoman steak and finishing it with a flick of salt down his forearm. The clip hits ten million views in forty-eight hours. The pose, elbow up, fingers loose, salt cascading off the back of his wrist, becomes the universal pictogram for unwarranted flourish. The salt and the gesture are the meme; the meat is incidental. 02. Diplomacy and Steaks Nusr-Et opens in Miami, New York, Doha, and London by 2018. Leonardo DiCaprio, Drake, Maduro, and Mbappe all post salting-themselves photos. Argentine players Salt-Bae the World Cup trophy on the Lusail pitch on 18 December 2022 to FIFA's stated displeasure. The gesture is the proof that a single restaurateur's Instagram can generate brand value at a scale no advertising budget could buy. Sources • Nusret Gokce (@nusr_et), Instagram post, 7 January 2017 • Bloomberg, 'How Salt Bae Built His Steakhouse Empire', 23 May 2019 • KnowYourMeme entry, 'Salt Bae'