Strangely Appetizing

You have to work hard to gross out a generation that grew up with the Internet. But Food2.com a website for millennials that launched in May and already has a million unique visitors each month, does a pretty good job. To tout a contest for the best food photography, it showcased a fried-egg-and-bacon burger on a bun made of two doughnuts (above). A recurring segment called "WTFood??!" featured a British supermarket that was selling a Wimbledon special--sausage, strawberries, crème fraîche and mint--that sounded bad even for British food.

According to market-research firm Mintel, two-thirds of millennials consider themselves cooking enthusiasts, and 22% say they try to eat gourmet food whenever they can. "They like to share stuff with their friends, and food is something you can talk about," says Carol Phillips, who teaches marketing at Notre Dame. "It's a connection."

Cooking also remains a good way to get some. Food2, an offshoot of the Food Network, has a dating show that makes contestants MacGyver a meal without a kitchen, leading to a lot of meat cooked on car engines and ironing boards. The only thing, it seems, more important to millennials than getting some is being on camera.