These ‘Roll For’ TikTokers are Using Fate to Decide Their Lunches
As an app, TikTok truly has it all.
From hosting the biggest celebrities and trends to being the home to very niche communities and discourse, TikTok is unlike any other app out there, so it should come as no surprise that it has become the capital of culture in recent years. One such community sees creators letting fate decide their meals, and audiences are clamoring for every thrilling and unpredictable new dish.
Roll for Sandwich
This delicious TikTok trend appears to have started with Jacob Pauwel. The Dungeons and Dragons player started "Roll for Sandwich" on his Adventures in Aardia channel, allowing destiny to choose a sandwich for his lunch. Launched on April 12, 2022, the show sees Jacob create separate numbered lists for each component of a sandwich—bread, main, cheese, roughage and wild magic—before leaving it up to the "dice gods" and rolling dice to decide each ingredient he'll be eating. The results are unexpected, to say the least.
@adventuresinaardia EP 120 – 2/10/23 – Somehow i still never see these coming… . . . . . . #rollforsandwich #rfs #dndtiktok #ttrpgtiktok #food #professional #iamaprofessional #foodietiktok #rfsseason3 #dnd #dice #sandwiches ♬ original sound – Adventures In Aardia
Some of the wilder combinations so far have been pepperoni, queso fresco and ice cream in Episode 120 and peanut butter, goat cheese, avocado and banana peppers in Episode 42. This process even makes seemingly mundane sandwiches exciting. After all, what are the chances that Jacob will somehow roll a sandwich with only delicious, complementary ingredients?
@adventuresinaardia EP 42 – 6/10/22 – If you don't know what I am refrencing throughout this video, I probably sound like an absolute crazy person! 😂 #rollforsandwich #dndtiktok #foodietok #iamaprofessional #professional ♬ Lute – AllMusicGallery
The series quickly grew a loyal audience who returns every week to see what combinations will come next, and it should come as no surprise that he's inspired others to start their own spin-off series. Just type "Roll For" in the TikTok search bar and you'll be met with a plethora of other great series, including "Roll for Cereal," "Roll for Sushi" and even "Roll for Taco," to name a few. Each one follows a similar premise to "Roll for Sandwich," with creators generating a list of ingredients to create an experimental ( and hopefully tasty) dish through the luck of the dice, as well as sharing slices of their personal lives with a glimpse at their favorite foods and cultures.
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Roll for Cereal
One of the more recent additions to the "Roll For" universe is "Roll for Cereal," created by Gabe Fonseca and hosted on his TikTok account Cereal Time TV. Gabe's TikTok was dedicated to sharing his love for cereal before starting his series. Gabe even has a cereal wall displaying his extensive cereal collection, with just over 500 boxes.
(Photo credit: Gabe Fonseca)
"I started the channel as a way to archive and share my collection with other cereal lovers," he shared with us. "I discovered there were lots of other people out there with this same quirky cereal obsession as well as people who just liked to learn about all the weird cereal facts I have to share."
It wasn't until December of 2022 that Gabe started "Roll for Cereal," but it quickly earned an audience. Although Gabe's series follows a similar format to "Roll for Sandwich" he also strived to differentiate it.
"One of the unique things about TikTok is the way creators borrow and remix trends and ideas to make them their own," he explained. "I've tried to make it my own while also honoring and crediting 'Roll For Sandwich' as best I can."
From the start, Gabe has infused his series with nostalgia and personality. Even younger audience members who didn't grow up with the same media can recognize that "Roll for Cereal" tugs at the heartstrings of childhood, with the addition of "tunes or cartoons" in his series.
"TikTok is a music app, so it's easy to share some of my favorite hip-hop artists and songs right in the app," he shared. "A lot of people seem to have similar memories of watching cartoons while eating cereal, so I figured I could share some of my favorite Saturday morning cartoons."
There's something quite special about the way his channel makes people feel like kids again by reminding us all about the simplicity of childhood, when life was uncomplicated and we could be giddy with anticipation for something as simple as a bowl of cereal.
Gabe has rolled some delicious and questionable bowls alike. One of our favorites was a combination of Reese's Puffs Minis, cereal marshmallows, marshmallow sauce, sea salt and cow's milk. And as entertaining as it is to see the bad combinations, viewers can't help but cringe when a bowl goes awry, such as the Hot Honey Jerk bowl which Gabe admitted "was pretty tough to stomach."
@cerealtimetv I think the #RollForCereal dice might be broken / inspired by #RollForSandwich from @adventuresinaardia ♬ original sound – Cereal Time TV
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Roll for Sushi
"Roll for Sushi" is another "Roll For" series that takes its craft very seriously and creates beautiful dishes. The series was created by @Photogami on TikTok, who also grew up playing Dungeons and Dragons and resonated deeply with "Roll for Sandwich." Photogami actually began making his own sushi during the pandemic and felt like "Roll for Sushi" would be a great way to share his love of the dish.
"I've always wanted to do something creative and to share Asian culture, specifically Asian, food with others" he shared with us. "I grew up eating tons of seafood, especially sushi and sashimi, and while it is a very popular food, there are so many facets of the cuisine that go unnoticed."
One thing is abundantly clear about Photogami's series—he is very detailed and dedicated, even custom-making his "Roll for Sushi" ingredient list to look like it is an integrated element of the Dungeons and Dragons Player's Handbook.
(Photo credit: Photogami)
Whether he's rolling for sushi or poke, the series demonstrates impressive precision in the creation of new dishes. Photogami explained that hunting down all of the ingredients for the series can get complicated, as he includes a whopping 20 options for the main ingredient alone, with a vast array of toppings choices.
The series has resulted in some mesmerizing dishes, but Photogami's favorite and least favorite rolls both came during Episode 14.
"We had rolled for a squid temari, which was incredibly fun to do," he explained. "Temari is a ball-shaped celebratory sushi often served at picnics and squid is never used for the format. Not only did it end up being delicious, but it was super fun to make and we ended up creating an original form of sushi. Unfortunately, I had rolled melons at the very end. With the melon, it tasted horrible and ended up with the series' first zero."
@photogami Ep 14 – "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" Spinoff of the great @adventuresinaardia #food #rollforsushi #rng #rollforsandwich #dndtiktok #imaprofessional #professional #dnd #sushi #japan #japanesefood #fyp #rfs #koreanfood #dice #foodietiktok #asmr #temari #fisheggs #squid ♬ Lute – AllMusicGallery
Photogami's dedication to creating his meticulous and visually enthralling dishes communicates a love for both his series and sushi.
"Food was always a way for me to connect with my culture," he said. "I want my viewers to feel that connection through the screen as well."
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Roll for Taco
Another series in the "Roll For" universe, "Roll for Taco," was created when creator Andrew Driovich (aka @bigpapadru) noticed there was a missed opportunity around one of his most beloved foods. Andrew spent part of his childhood in Mexico, enjoying tacos as a weekly treat with his mother and even becoming well-known by the taco vendors near his school. After moving to the U.S., he and his mom continued the tradition by recreating their favorite tacos from Mexico.
"It's a food that takes me back to my childhood and I wanted to share that food with anyone who watches," Andrew shared with us.
Thus, he seized the chance to begin "Roll for Taco" as a way to represent his culture, while also being inclusive.
"It's a taco, but you're also going to see ingredients from other cultures just to see what kind of madness shows up," Andrew said.
This is evidenced by the few times he's utilized nori (dried seaweed) as a substitute for a tortilla. He's also very aware that his series has rolled highly unconventional tacos, noting that his favorite rolls came in Episode 7, creating a taco consisting of nori, beef, mozzarella cheese and mustard.
@bigpapadru ROLL FOR TACO! – Ep. 7 😎🌮 IB: @adventuresinaardia #rollfortaco #mexican #cholo #food #dndtiktok #rollforsandwich #taco #xyzbca #fyp ♬ original sound – bigpapadru
Although he does enjoy the bizarre combinations rolled, he does admit, "I have hopes that one day I'll roll the perfect taco, which will just be a regular taco."
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