Trendy Foods: Should We Love Them or Hate Them?

[TastyReuben]

Oh, don't get me started...

Yes, something that I first encounter as "trendy," I will avoid it like the plague, just out of spite, as much as anything else.

I'm also highly-resistant to rebranding, and right now, there seems to be a trend (that just wont die out) of calling dishes with perfectly good names that have been around for a hundred years by new "exotic" names, to make them sound interesting.

I'll never forget my niece going on excitedly about "this new way to make potatoes...and they're called hasselback potatoes! Doesn't that sound fun!"

Yeah, sweetie, that "new" way to make potatoes...your great-grandma was making those in the 1950's, but they were called accordion potatoes, and they were all the rage at the suburban dinner parties.

Pomegranate seeds...when did it become trendy to put pomegranate seeds on everything?

Kale...avocado...I don't even want to know...

Call me a grumpy old man, I don't give a crap. I'll sit over here with my wheat and everybody else can go fall in love with "ancient grains."

 

[CraigC]

I have never, nor will I ever give a rat's arse about what is trendy. I won't comment on what I think of those that do. I've never been in the "IN" crowd.

 

[TastyReuben]

...and add weirdly-flavored beers to that list!

 

[Mountain Cat]

TastyReuben posted something on the Tahini challenge thread about being shamed some 15 years ago for not being one of the cool people who loved hummus. I did not feel motivated to start a thread about hummus (obviously he's totally uncool for not loving it! ) but rather about trendy foods in general.

Despite the provocative title, I'm less interested in general ideas about whether we should love or hate something when it becomes trendy. My brother has a friend in Manchester, and I recall the two of them having a sneering disdain for bands once they became popular. Both of them loved U2's first 2 albums, but started to hate them once they released their breakthrough album, War, because they started to find worldwide popularity. I found this hilarious: the music was still great, but his friend Richard would talk in derisive tones about them becoming stadium stuffers. It was their impression of them that had changed - because of their popularity - not the quality of their music.

So, here, I want to talk about things that have been trendy, whether you've gotten swept up in the trend, and whether you found yourself liking or hating them more or less because of the trendiness.

I will list 3 that spring to mind that run the gamut of what I'm talking about:

Vinegar Shrubs

View attachment 45216

Did I buy because it was trendy? Yes. I admit I wouldn't have bought it if I hadn't heard about how great they were.

My impression? I still don't really "get" these. I remember seeing them at a favorite beer place, and I bought two similar to the above. Okay...they're vinegar, but they're mild enough that you're not just drinking straight from a bottle of apple cider vinegar from the market. Yes...they're okay. But, with each sip, I found myself having to decide whether I wanted to pour the rest of it out, or keep drinking to see if I would start to appreciate it. I kept drinking because I had paid the money, and I was raised to not waste things.

Do I want to have another? I can happily live the rest of my life without ever having another.

Coconut Water

View attachment 45217

Did I buy because it was trendy? No. I didn't even realize they were trendy at first. I thought, when I saw it, "what a great idea!"

My impression? I genuinely like unsweetened coconut water. I love the subtle sweetness of it.

Do I want to have another? I don't make a point of buying it. I have passed through markets hundreds of times and never even thought about it. Now that I've started this thread, I think I will have to give it a look next time I am at the market.

Salted Caramel

View attachment 45218

Did I buy because it was trendy? I'm not totally sure. I remember hearing about how great it is, and I did decide to try it because of the popularity. I think that qualifies as a "yes".

My impression? My first bite was - oh, this is weird. The salt is hurting the sweetness!! The second bite was - hey, this isn't so bad. The third bite was - OH. MY. GOD. Holy crap is this good!!

Do I want to have another? The only thing holding me back from having a pile of salted caramel every day is health concerns. I consider it to be absolutely brilliant.

They've long had soft water taffies / caramels out here in New England, so those are not trendy. (Nevertheless, I've always despised them -cannot abide either the texture nor the amount of sugar/sweet in them)

The only shrubs I've had have been home-made by others. I liked them. Maybe because we usually combined them with, ah, alcohol??? Yes, probably trendy, but not a bad trendy. At least home-made. And/or with Prosecco.

Coconut water - tried. Meh. Okay but nothing to grab again.

Do I try things because they are trendy? No. I buy them because 1) they might be served to me, 2) I always like trying NEW to me things, trendy or not. In fact, I don't ever think about that t-word. Mom and Dad raised me proper - try everything (FOOD ANYWAY) at least once. This is what happens when you grow up in the food melting pot that is (or at least was) New York City. I have to note some foods today considered "trendy", like various bits of offal, were simply what certain cultures around us back then ate all the time - and Dad always brought these home for us to try as well. I do thank him for that.

 

[caseydog]

After a bit of thought, I will pitch this in for consideration. Three categories of trendy:
1. Big businesses trying to create new income streams
e.g. wacky new flavours of existing products - cider (Rekorderlig), crisps/chips (Walkers/Lays) even ketchup (Heinz)
2. Craft producers bringing novelty products to market - i.e. your Twisted Shrub (never heard of shrubs before, but I want some now!)
3. Travel induced trends (discovered on holiday) - hummus, halloumi, za'atar etc.

The first category I avoid like the plague. Sorry, your goji berry and lotus blossom flavoured gin and your roasted ptarmigan and tarragon flavoured crisps are not for me. However, I am all over the latter two categories. I love trying genuinely innovative craft produced stuff, and I love immersing myself in local food when on holiday. If that includes trendy stuff then so be it.

You nailed it. If it tastes really good, and it happens to be "trendy" at the moment, then I'm all for it. But, it has to taste good, or I don't care who says I should eat/drink it.

I find myself wishing you and I lived in the same neighborhood. Well, at least on the same continent. I have a feeling we would have a few good meals together. -- even though you are a Brit.

CD

 

[CraigC]

They've long had soft water taffies / caramels out here in New England, so those are not trendy. (Nevertheless, I've always despised them -cannot abide either the texture nor the amount of sugar/sweet in them)

The only shrubs I've had have been home-made by others. I liked them. Maybe because we usually combined them with, ah, alcohol??? Yes, probably trendy, but not a bad trendy. At least home-made. And/or with Prosecco.

Coconut water - tried. Meh. Okay but nothing to grab again.

Do I try things because they are trendy? No. I buy them because 1) they might be served to me, 2) I always like trying NEW to me things, trendy or not. In fact, I don't ever think about that t-word. Mom and Dad raised me proper - try everything (FOOD ANYWAY) at least once. This is what happens when you grow up in the food melting pot that is (or at least was) New York City.

That is trendy? Coco Frio has been around a very long time and the coconut water I've had comes in its original container, an unripe coconut. Cubans are very handy with a machete.

 

[caseydog]

Oh, don't get me started...

Yes, something that I first encounter as "trendy," I will avoid it like the plague, just out of spite, as much as anything else.

I'm also highly-resistant to rebranding, and right now, there seems to be a trend (that just wont die out) of calling dishes with perfectly good names that have been around for a hundred years by new "exotic" names, to make them sound interesting.

I'll never forget my niece going on excitedly about "this new way to make potatoes...and they're called hasselback potatoes! Doesn't that sound fun!"

Yeah, sweetie, that "new" way to make potatoes...your great-grandma was making those in the 1950's, but they were called accordion potatoes, and they were all the rage at the suburban dinner parties.

Pomegranate seeds...when did it become trendy to put pomegranate seeds on everything?

Kale...avocado...I don't even want to know...

Call me a grumpy old man, I don't give a crap. I'll sit over here with my wheat and everybody else can go fall in love with "ancient grains."

Take a deep breath, TR.

I'm guessing that you know about the names of fish that are popular. Sea bass is a name applied to a number of different fish that would probably never sell using their real names. Same with Tilapia. Did you know that tilapia is a name applied to about a hundred species of fish caught all over the world?

CD

 

[Mountain Cat]

I am skeptical of the so called superfoods. Mostly because they feel like a marketing stunt and always come with a hefty price tag. If these are superfoods, how come they only start being popular now? And the health benefits they claim, have they been validated by science (have to admit I never deep dived in this)? On top of that superfoods are always something exotic with unusual names. Broccoli and cabbage are probably superfoods as much as goji berries but they're not so heavily marketed as such (I wonder why...). Superfoods are a hate for me.

Broccoli and broccoli sprouts are superfoods, too. I am leery and unhappy with that labelling myself. Only ONCE have I walked into a grocery where the store labeled a simple and unmodified veggie produce as a healthy superfood - and amazingly they did it wit a big sign above and an arrow pointing down. The ONLY time.

After a bit of thought, I will pitch this in for consideration. Three categories of trendy:
1. Big businesses trying to create new income streams
e.g. wacky new flavours of existing products - cider (Rekorderlig), crisps/chips (Walkers/Lays) even ketchup (Heinz)
2. Craft producers bringing novelty products to market - i.e. your Twisted Shrub (never heard of shrubs before, but I want some now!)
3. Travel induced trends (discovered on holiday) - hummus, halloumi, za'atar etc.

The first category I avoid like the plague. Sorry, your goji berry and lotus blossom flavoured gin and your roasted ptarmigan and tarragon flavoured crisps are not for me. However, I am all over the latter two categories. I love trying genuinely innovative craft produced stuff, and I love immersing myself in local food when on holiday. If that includes trendy stuff then so be it.

I LOVE category 3, as that was a part of my entire growing up process, whether from travel or just from living in a major metropolitan area for many years of my life. Category 2 is often worth a try. Shrubs are actually good, and I would not care if they are trendy or not.

View attachment 45226

Does this one go along with Spotted Dick? I only bought Spotted Dick at a Scottish festival I like to attend each summer (not around this past summer for some reason...), it was okay.

 

[LissaC]

Oh, don't get me started...

Yes, something that I first encounter as "trendy," I will avoid it like the plague, just out of spite, as much as anything else.

I'm also highly-resistant to rebranding, and right now, there seems to be a trend (that just wont die out) of calling dishes with perfectly good names that have been around for a hundred years by new "exotic" names, to make them sound interesting.

I'll never forget my niece going on excitedly about "this new way to make potatoes...and they're called hasselback potatoes! Doesn't that sound fun!"

Yeah, sweetie, that "new" way to make potatoes...your great-grandma was making those in the 1950's, but they were called accordion potatoes, and they were all the rage at the suburban dinner parties.

Pomegranate seeds...when did it become trendy to put pomegranate seeds on everything?

Kale...avocado...I don't even want to know...

Call me a grumpy old man, I don't give a crap. I'll sit over here with my wheat and everybody else can go fall in love with "ancient grains."

This made me laugh! The renaming is so true. I understand when it's done for marketing purposes otherwise no idea why people do it.

 

[caseydog]

That is trendy? Coco Frio has been around a very long time and the coconut water I've had comes in its original container, an unripe coconut. Cubans are very handy with a machete.

Trendy does not necessarily mean new. Things that have been around forever can become trendy -- and more expensive.

CD

 

[Mountain Cat]

Take a deep breath, TR.

I'm guessing that you know about the names of fish that are popular. Sea bass is a name applied to a number of different fish that would probably never sell using their real names. Same with Tilapia. Did you know that tilapia is a name applied to about a hundred species of fish caught all over the world?

CD

CD

Isn't tilapia a genus name, not a species?

 

[caseydog]

Isn't tilapia a genus name, not a species?

Ummmm, yeah, ummm didn't I make that clear?

CD

 

[LissaC]

Travel induced trends, they are great but can be hard to replicate in your home country, I guess it's even worse when you're an immigrant. My grandparents, who lived in Mozambique, dearly missed their Mozambican crab when they moved to Portugal. You can buy it here but it costs and arm and a leg

 

[Burt Blank]

I not amazed how new world wines became de rigueur with the masses. For me they are soulless like multi track CD's..
As for Super foods or health giving foods, I was mentally scared by my mother as a child who force fed me Cod liver oil capsules that always broke open before I could swallow them. But their good for you...... bollocks.

 

[TastyReuben]

Take a deep breath, TR.

I'm guessing that you know about the names of fish that are popular. Sea bass is a name applied to a number of different fish that would probably never sell using their real names. Same with Tilapia. Did you know that tilapia is a name applied to about a hundred species of fish caught all over the world?

CD

They can call fish whatever they want, because I'm not eating it.