The mimosas are gone. The glazed ham, biscuits & gravy, and shrimp & grits have been picked clean. Brunch is over, and the nephews just left with their; toys, books, and puppets; from Uncle James marking an end to Christmas 2019. Now that I have no more cards to write or gifts to shop for, I can finally return to blogging.
Subject: Ghost Pepper Fries from Wendy's | Date: 05/20/15 |
Photographers: James Kiester & Dani Cogswell | This picture was taken by the author of this blog. |
The world of food is as susceptible to trends as the worlds off music, fashion, and haircuts are. No kidding. Over the last few years fast food eaters have dined/snacked on “Ghost Pepper” flavored burgers & fries, Pretzel Buns, and Filled Cores (sundaes, burritos, etc....), while fine dining chefs made a habit using cooking with Alternative Proteins and topping dishes with Sunny Side Up Eggs.
I’m not going to plagiarize Eater.com’s list here, you can click the hotlink for the full list. I simply have some thoughts to share in response to their piece.
The veggie burger trend has been picking up steam since last summer. Frequent readers will remember that I tried Burger King's Impossible Burger and didn't care for it. Not only did it not taste beef, the patty While I will never be a convert to the proverbial church of faux meat, I think it's nice to see products being made available to the vegetarian population.
Of course, corporate food is more interested in creating new revenue streams than in “being nice.” Nevertheless, the result is the same. Yet, I wonder if it wouldn't make more sense to offer a few straight foreword vegetarian options (quinoa bowls, veggie wraps etc....) rather than trying to make vegetarian dishes look like carnivorous fare.
While most food trends have the shelf life of an unrefrigerated gallon of milk, they do serve a purpose. Such trends are the result of experimentation which propels innovation. Think about it, without trends testing the culinary waters, we’d still be eating wedge salads, tuna noodle casseroles, and Chicken a la King our grandparents ate.
That being said, some trends strike me as silly, if not downright stupid. I will never, and you can hold me to this, I will never use a glazed doughnut as a hamburger bun. I don’t know about you, but I don't want mayonnaise, ketchup, or mustard anywhere near my doughnut. Nor, do I want a tough and chewy pretzel bun on my burger or hotdog. The attraction of using a bun which an eater can’t comfortably bite through is lost on me.
At their best, food trends have the ability to keep things fresh and exciting for those of us who like to try new things. This is not to say that eaters should jump aboard every epicurean bandwagon which comes along. If a trend intrigues me, I’ll check it out. I love trying new foods and flavor combinations. However, I won’t latch onto something simply because it is a trend. Sometimes the proverbial emperor is naked.
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