Really? Right In Front Of My X?

About

Really? Right In Front Of My X? is a phrasal template and exploitable image macro meme using a character from comic artist Flork of Cows holding an object while disgusted that something had taken place in front of it. It is similar in delivery and meaning to "Right In Front Of My Salad," which is originally where the reference comes from, but is more versatile in having the item used be as silly as the thing it is reacting to.

Origin

Though the first instance of its usage can be traced to an August 12th, 2021, Facebook comment made by Alvin Anacta^[1], who admits in replies that it is a stolen meme, it is believed to have been conceived inside Filipino Telegram communities, as a Telegram sticker pack for Flork exists, which has the original image without a caption. This evidence is made stronger with the first instance of the meme being "Really? Right in front of my Pancit Canton?," which is a cultural dish found in the Philippines (shown below).

Precursor

Right In Front of My Salad? is a quote said by a character in a gay explicit film after she discovers that the two leads are having sex behind a kitchen counter upon which she's eating a bowl of salad. The quote led to parodies and tributes online following its discovery in late July 2017. It is used in various situations where one is indignant.

Spread

Many different Filipino users on social media started to use the image, which helped it spread within social circles. The specific usage of the Pancit Canton remained the only version of the meme, with other items or changes in expression not edited in until later. This caused the original creator, Flork of Cows, to create a September 29th, 2021, post on X^[2] in which he recreated the meme in his style and helped spread awareness of it (shown below).

In the following years, the image macro would be edited and used as a reaction image on various social media sites and forums. On December 5th, 2023, Imgur user Themadstylist983^[3] uploaded an album to Imgur called "My Growing Stash of Really, Right In Front… Memes" in which many different variations of the reaction were grouped together, and the comment section adding more. This post showed how a variation of the meme, in which a specific panel would be made to counter an earlier one, can be used as a No U (shown below, left and right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References