Food Trends- From Kale to Cronuts
I have a love/hate relationship with food trends. Being food passionate, I DO want to know what is new in the culinary world, but I also hate them, because as many of you know, the “trend” soon becomes a never-ending barrage of articles, shows etc. about said food and that turns what was initial excitement into outright loathing. It is at that point, just when you think if you read one more article on the wonder that is kale, that you will be forced to act out by over-turning kale displays in the local supermarket, that a new “trend” magically appears and kale starts to turn up in salads at Burger King. Yes, you know a trend has died when you see said food incorporated into menu items at fast food and fast casual restaurants. For example, the pretzel buns that are now being advertised at Sonic and Red Robin. Do I ever get sucked into a food trend? Yes! I recently became obsessed with Cronuts and must admit that I am fascinated with the Ramen burger. So, if you will, indulge me while I rant (and rave!) about food trends.
Who starts these food trends any way? I imagine a bunch of food critics and bloggers huddling together in a dark, hot room smoking cigarettes and downing lattes while they conspire to “inform” the general public about what is up and coming on the food scene. I can hear them arguing, “No! We can’t use organic baby purple spinach! We JUST had kale.” Or “Cronuts were huge! How about a confection that combines bacon (a food trend that just keeps going) and ramen? We’ll call it a Bacra!” Okay, I know this isn’t exactly how it works, but sometimes it feels that way. I mean, really, how can ten food writers ALL come out with an article about Cronuts on the same day? And, who decides what is trend worthy and what isn’t? I mean, why kale and NOT swiss chard? Somebody, or a group of somebodies, made the decision to promote one food over the other. I would just like to know the process… That being said, here is my list of some of the more annoying, at least to me, recent food trends.
First, I must address kale. You know, I always liked kale. I would saute it with a little lemon and garlic, toss it in my salads and sometimes use it in place of cabbage in recipes. But then the trend happened and I found myself hating kale. Kale was everywhere: Guy Fieri was making kale salads, kale chips were in the grocery store, kale recipes were in every food blog and every chef put a kale dish on his menu. There was even a kale diet advertised! Enough! Yes, kale is good for you. Yes, it adds a nice texture to salad. Yes, it is versatile. But after the food trenders (okay, I made up a word) got through with it, you would think that kale was the answer to every problem that ever ailed you and that if you weren’t experiencing the wonder that was kale there was not only something wrong with you, but you may also be, gasp un-American!
Secondly, I am going to address the recent food trend that is the Cronut. Haven’t heard of it? How? The Cronut has been featured on several television news shows, on podcasts, in magazine articles, recipes, reviews, etc. Basically it is a donut made from croissant dough, thus a Cronut. Sounds sinfully delicious, right? I must admit, after I read about them, I became obsessed. It was easy to feed (pun intended) my obsession thanks to all the aforementioned coverage this food trend was getting. Those that sold Cronuts could not keep up. Lines formed around the block to try them and they would sell out in record time. Scarcity always adds to a food trends popularity and notoriety. I was dying to try this hard to find delicacy and just when I thought I would go to my death without eating one, the Cronuts trend died. How do I know this? Safeway now carries a Cronut. So, while the trend that is Cronuts is dead, I will at least not die before trying one…
Finally, I will address one of the newest food trends, the Ramen Burger. Yes, the Ramen Burger. It is a hamburger that uses semi-fried (but still soft in the center) Ramen noodles as the bun! And no, I am not making this up. It is a real trend and restaurants, food bloggers, magazines and the like are already jumping on the Ramen Burger bandwagon. As I type this, people are waiting in line for hours to eat one. Really?! When I first heard about this trend I rolled my eyes, but as much as it pains me to admit it, after reading at least twelve articles on it, I am now curious. What would a Ramen noodle bun taste like? What EXACTLY is the texture? See?! I was sucked in! Just like the food trenders hoped I would be…
What is a food passionate person to do? Ignore food trends and consider them the falsely inflated and calculated machinations of the food marketing world or embrace them and look forward to discovering a “new” exciting product in the food world? There is no easy answer. I do not think all food trends are simply useless hype and propaganda. For example, the farm to table trend, while the term has been bastardized and hijacked by marketers, the sentiment behind the trend was great. I do think that the exposure this trend received educated many people about where their food comes from and that there are conscious choices one can make about what food producers they choose to support. This trend also played into the organic food trend and the non-GMO trend, Both of these “trends” have turned into movements and have served to make people aware of pesticides and genetically modified foods. I guess one must pick and choose which food trends to follow or even pay attention to, for that matter. I just wish that the food trenders would learn that sometimes (most times!) less is more and that we don’t need 30 different articles in one week on the joys of Kim Chi.
I’m With The Chef
If you follow my blog, you know I am married to a Chef. It is something I never would have thought would happen. After years of working in the restaurant business, I found Chefs to be self-absorbed, egotistical and just not very nice. In fact, I used to tell myself (and my friends) that I would NEVER date a Chef. Flash forward more than a few years and I found myself on my first date with a Chef that would eventually become my husband. What did I tell him on this first date? “I always said I would never date a Chef.” Yes, I said it and he STILL reminds me of it! But date him I did and as you know, went even further down the rabbit hole and married him. So, how has it been? Let me start off by saying I love my husband very much, but there are some “special” things about him being a Chef, to which I have had to become accustomed. What follows is a little peek into what it is REALLY like being married to a Chef…
Get used to doing all the cooking. Yes, you read that correctly, I do all the cooking. My husband cooks and creates fabulous dishes all day at the restaurant, the last thing he wants to do when he gets home is cook. So the meal preparation falls to me. Luckily, I love to cook and my husband enjoys my food. But most people have some fantasy that I am eating beautiful, five-star restaurant meals nightly. If I had a dollar for every time a fan of my husband said to me, “You are so lucky! You get to eat his food all the time,” I would be a very rich woman today. Fact is, the ONLY time I get to eat my husband’s food is when I go to his restaurant.
Say goodbye to traditional date nights. Why? Because Friday and Saturday nights are when everybody goes out to eat (they are enjoying a date night) and my husband has to be at the restaurant to cook food for all those lucky daters. So on Friday and Saturday nights I am usually at home, alone. Oh, we still have our date nights, but they are on non-traditional days, like a Monday. I normally don’t mind too much, but sometimes it would be nice to actually go out on a Friday night.
Get used to eating alone. I eat the majority of my meals solo because as a Chef, my husband works long hours that always go well past a traditional dinner time. So I had a choice, either eat dinner at eleven with him or eat it at a more civilized hour. When we were first married, I would wait to eat with him, but after too many midnight suppers, I had enough. Now I eat my dinner at a normal time, alone.
Rethink Holidays. Chefs work Holidays. My husband is in the restaurant on Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Christmas Eve, etc. I discovered very early in our marriage that if I wanted to “celebrate” Holidays with my husband, I would have to rethink what they meant to me. So, we celebrate Thanksgiving either very late night or the next day. New Year’s Eve? We ring in the New Year together a couple of days later. Valentine’s Day? We go out to eat a few days later. What I learned, Holidays aren’t a day on the calendar, they are about being with the person you love.
Be prepared for the physical toll. Chefs get tired. They are standing all day cooking. They are lifting, chopping, stirring… So when their day off finally comes and you have planned a full day of dining out, running around and lots of activities, they don’t want to do any of it. What do they want? To lay on the couch, watch some television and nap. This was really hard for me. After spending most of a week alone, I really wanted to get out of the house with my husband and have some fun. Now we compromise, we spend one day relaxing at home and one day running around.
You must love food. This one was easy for me! Chefs are passionate about what they do and want to talk about it, a lot! Be prepared for endless discussions about the qualities of black garlic, the new spice in the potato dish and on and on. Be ready to read hundreds of “new” menus and to hear countless specials. For any really good Chef, cooking comes from the heart and soul, so they are immersed in food every minute of the day. Hence if you are married to a Chef, you will be immersed too.
Be ready for the fans. Today Celebrity Chefs are like rock stars. And just like rock stars, they have their fans. Most are harmless and it is fun to see people get so excited about my husband, the Chef. Then there are those that cross the line. You know the type: flirty and inappropriate. My husband wears a wedding ring and never makes any secret about being happily married, but that does not stop some women (sorry to say, yes it is women) from offering their number, their hotel room key (yes!) etc. I completely trust my husband and that trust is imperative when it comes to the aforementioned craziness. Also, when it comes to fans, be ready to be “the Chef’s wife”. I joke with my husband all the time that I should legally change my name to “the Chef’s wife”. Many times when we go out to eat people will recognize my husband and want to talk to him. That is when I become “the Chef’s wife”. Does it bother me? Sometimes, but not as much as it used to, now, mostly, I just get a kick out of it!
Yes, being married to a Chef has its obstacles, but doesn’t being married to any profession? As much as I didn’t want to marry a Chef, I also didn’t plan on meeting and falling in love with such an extraordinary man, who just happened to be a Chef. I guess that is it really, you marry a person, not a profession. So while being “the Chef’s wife” isn’t perfect, I wouldn’t trade it for the world because that ALSO means I am my husband’s wife and that is just ideal.
The Dreaded Spoon Push
Before I start my rant, let me say, normally I am a big fan of spoons. I love to eat ice cream with the tiny demitasse ones (makes it last longer), go nuts over the large serving ones and generally have warm fuzzy feelings about all spoons. But there are two uses for spoons that really drive me crazy. The first is the spoon push and the other is the appetizer served in a spoon. So, let the rant begin…
Really, I would like to meet the Chef who invented the spoon push and ask him, “Why?!” What possessed him to think that dragging a bit of sauce across a plate with a spoon looked good? It doesn’t. It doesn’t even make sense to me. Drizzle the sauce, put circles of the sauce around the dish, anything but the spoon push. I wonder if said Chef knew that the spoon push would become such a HUGE hit with Chefs. I see it used on Chopped all the time. Each time I yell at the television, “No! Not the dreaded spoon push!” I see it utilized in the Food Network Challenge shows, on Top Chef and when I dine out. I am begging all you Chefs out there, please stop! It doesn’t make sense and does nothing to add to the plate.
Now, onto the appetizer served in a spoon. Usually, the type of spoon one receives when ordering soup while dining in an Asian restaurant. Again, who thought of this? I get it in theory, in practice, not so much. It is a way to serve a small appetizer without using plate, fork, etc. But enough is enough already! For one reason it screams 1980. Why not be cutting edge and think of a better more current way to serve that appetizer? It doesn’t even work that well. It is always more than one bite and you never know where to put the spoon after you eat the appetizer. Again, caterers, Chefs, party hosts, I am begging you, stop the madness!
Whew, I feel better now. Am I the only one that obsesses about stuff like this? Please tell me I am not! Really, I want to hear your culinary pet peeves, please share. We can obsess together…
Help! I’m Stuck in a Food Rut & I Can’t Get Out!
My husband so kindly (note the sarcasm) pointed out to me the other day that I am stuck in a food rut. As annoyed as I was with him at the time, I must admit, he was right. I am stuck. Eating the EXACT same thing night after night. Desperately looking forward to every weekend so I can go out to eat and eat something different. This is no way for a “foodie” to live. Hell, it is no way for anyone but a contestant on Survivor to live. I need to make a change. Break out of this self-imposed food prison once and for all. So, how did I get here? And more importantly, how do I get out?
How I got here, really, is a common story to which, I am sure, many of you can relate. Life is how I got here. Complicated, busy, tiring life. After a long day at work, the last thing I am motivated to do is spend hours in the kitchen. Yes, I have seen Rachael Ray’s Week in a Day. So again, same song, different tune, the last thing I want to do on the weekend is spend an entire day in the kitchen cooking for the week. Besides, I am busy on the weekends… dining out, drinking wine, watching television and (gasp) relaxing. So, I am left with trying to find something I can make quickly (even when dead tired), that is healthy and palatable. Easier said than done. Furthermore, when I do find this magical dish, I tend to stick with it. I mean, if it’s not broken, why fix it, right? But, that, right there is how I got into this horrible food rut. A dish worked, so I stuck with it. For months now I have been eating the same thing for dinner (Monday-Friday) every night! Wow, when I see it written down, it is not only a little disturbing, but also makes me think that somebody out there might sign me up for the new episodes of the OCD Project. I know you are wondering what exactly I am eating. Well, it is something my husband has sarcastically named, “The Concoction.” Here it is. Three corn tortillas with onion, celery and mushrooms. Sprayed with Pam & microwaved for about a minute. Then topped with tomato, cheese and salsa. Microwaved another minute, topped with light sour cream, avocado, shredded romaine lettuce and LOTS of black pepper. Trust me, the sum is much more than the parts. Even my husband has begrudgingly admitted that it IS good. But five nights a week for over six months good? No. Like I said, I need help…
How do I get out? That is the real challenge here. Part of the issue is I am trying to eat healthfully. That in and of itself poses many limitations. Limits on salt, fat, sugar white starch, etc. That is why if I find something that is easy to prepare, healthy and I actually like eating it, I stick. Or should I say, I get stuck. I rotate about every six months (yes, I said months, close your mouths) or so. But really, I only have about three dishes in the rotation. I just keep eating them mid-week and dream about the weekends when I can break free and go out. I really wish there was a system similar to Life Alert, but for food ruts. A button that I could push that would summon a Chef. Of course he would be handsome AND cook only healthy delicious food. But since there is no Food Rut Alert system, I am going to have to figure out another way to break free. Yes, I know what you are thinking, “Isn’t she married to a Chef?” Yes. But the last thing he wants to do on his days off is cook. And the food he wants to bring me home from the restaurant, while to die for, is high in fat, calories, etc.
That leaves me right where I started. In a food rut. But after writing this, I am even more determined to break out and start adding some variety to my diet. I will keep you all posted. But lucky for me it is Friday, so tonight it is an Italian dinner out with a good bottle of Zinfandel and too much garlic bread. Happy weekend all!
When Food Kills
Looking at the title, I suddenly had visions of huge mutant spears of broccoli running at defenseless humans with machetes! But, no, although I do like that visual, I am talking about, of course, fatty foods and overeating and what it REALLY does to one’s body. As any regular reader of my blog knows, I am a HUGE proponent of moderate eating and I know food is more than just fuel. We are emotionally linked to food and to try to discount that link, to me at least, is silly. But recently, I had somebody very close to me go through a triple-bypass. And honestly, it has changed the way I look at all things food.
Let me get out of the way, that I have my cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar checked regularly. My numbers are all great. Also, I do exercise regularly and try to incorporate all the “should” eat foods regularly into my diet. But all that aside, having a loved one be so close to a major heart attack or death due to three blocked arteries, has left it’s mark on me.
Now when I watch Man Vs. Food, I think about Adam Richman’s poor arteries… And wish he would take better care of himself. The same goes for every overweight Chef on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel (you know who you are). Especially because they all seem to be preparing fattening food. Almost as if to say to the home audience, with a wink and a nudge, we know this is bad for us, but, come on, you know you want to eat it… And of course we do! Macaroni and cheese is GOOD (actually saw a chef label this as healthy because she used whole wheat pasta, along with two sticks of butter and about a pound of cheese)! Fried foods are FABULOUS! But nothing, absolutely nothing, is worth jeopardizing your health. By the way, is it me or do we as a nation seem to have given up on healthy eating? Five dollar pizzas, heart attack burgers, bacon fests, potatoes fried in lard… It is as if we are saying, the economy is bad, I lost my retirement, prospects are few, so I will be damned if I don’t eat what I want. Even the food these networks profile are fat-laden and artery clogging… Over the top donut shops, quadruple cheeseburgers with foie gras and bacon and my favorite, the 50 pound pizza topped with half of the butcher shop.
So, now I mumble to myself through these programs, “He better be careful” or “I hope she has had her cholesterol checked” even “Really? Do you need to add ANOTHER stick of butter?!” So please, go get your numbers checked, don’t ignore symptoms and eat AND exercise moderately. We Americans tend to be an all or nothing bunch. Exercising five hours a day and eating only raw vegetables OR sitting on the couch eating only fried foods. I am thankful every day that my loved one’s heart issue was dealt with before a major coronary event or death and would not wish the surgery and aftermath on my worst enemy.
By the way, he is doing well, walking daily, drinking plenty of water and has made significant dietary changes. His prognosis is good. Now go eat your broccoli before it tries to eat you! LOL!
Food Schizophrenia
Lately I have been feeling like I am suffering from a new psychological disorder: Food Schizophrenia. This disorder, I believe has been brought on by the combination of watching Man Vs. Food, Deep Fried Paradise, Best Thing I Ever Ate, etc then tuning into the Dr. Oz show and watching Oz himself gleefully hold up a human heart buried in a layer of fat. Talk about mixed messages! No wonder I break out in a cold sweat every time I am deciding what to eat. Do I go for the triple decker, bacon, extra cheese burger with a side of fries like Adam just ate OR do I steam some broccoli and cook some brown rice like Oprah did with Bob Greene?
It isn’t only the TV shows either… This schizophrenia is present during my morning news. Right after the perky blond tells me childhood obesity is at an all time high and that a large popcorn at the movies will immediately clog my arteries (even without the orange liquid they call “butter”), the sultry brunette is in the kitchen with a Chef cooking a delicious macaroni and cheese with a pound of butter, three kinds of cheese & heavy cream. I’m not even safe during the commercials! First comes a Jenny Craig ad with Carrie Fisher telling me how Jenny Craig is going to rewrite her life with smaller portions and healthy food, then comes an ad for Pizza Hutt stuffed crust pizza and it is only $9.99 for a large two topping! Really, what is a sane girl to do?
Do I eat anything I crave, at anytime and let my health and figure be damned? Because, well it seems like all the cool kids are doing it; Adam Richman, Andrew Zimmern, Anthony Bourdain, the Food Network Chefs and all those people on the food paradise shows on Travel Channel. Or do I start on a strict, health first regimen where I only eat unprocessed food that has at least 5 grams of fiber in it like Dr. Oz, the Biggest Loser trainers and that weird guy with the late night show on Oxygen?
So, what did I do? Stop watching TV, food programs in particular? NO! I live for my food shows. Go on a fried-food and fondue binge that has left me prone and bloated on my couch? No, although, parts of that scenario do sound rather appealing. I decided to eat in moderation. What a concept! Yes, I do sometimes have a fried food feast, but then I try to balance it with healthy dishes full of vegetables and yes Dr. Oz, fiber. It isn’t easy. And there are times I do eat more of the not so good for me foods. But I look at it this way, if I can keep my eating more moderate and less schizophrenic, then I will live longer. Which, to me, means the time to have even more meals…
So tonight I will have roasted broccoli & cauliflower with brown rice, but tomorrow I will go out to dinner and not picture the fatted heart from Dr. Oz when I put butter on my warm, sourdough bread.
Upside of the Down Economy-Great Chefs. Small Spaces.
Yes. ANOTHER blog about the state of our financial nation, ugh! But this time, it is about a good thing that has happened… At least for us foodies! Big salaried Executive Chefs were laid off in droves due to the economic downturn and rather than return to the lines, many opened their own restaurant. Where we can now benefit from a 5-star Chef (no line cooks preparing the food here) personally cooking our food and get that outstanding cuisine for a song.
For example, Chef Ivan Flowers. A 5 star Chef that was at the helm of L’Auberge in Sedona & Different Pointe Of View in Scottsdale. Well, when he was downsized, he opened a small bistro in Sedona-Fournos. It is all of nine tables with a tiny kitchen. But what Chef Ivan Flowers creates on those six burners and one stove is swoon worthy. Delicate Ahi dishes on corn fritters, fresh mozzarella, delicious Italian specialties and all at a fraction of the price you would have paid for his cuisine at the large venues. Plus you get to meet the Chef. Every night he is on the floor, chatting with diners and checking on their satisfaction. In fact, Fournos Restaurant was just named one of the top 25 in Arizona by AZ Highways Magazine, so I am not the only one discovering this trend! So, let’s rejoice and enjoy this time. Because eventually the economy will come back, and the Chefs will return to the large kitchens with full staffs, and we will be left with the memory of eating 5 star cuisine in 9 table joints!
I LOVE to eat & drink!
There, I said it… I feel better now! In a world governed by weight loss commercials, scary restaurant calorie facts & an ever growing list of foods you shouldn’t eat, it has become almost taboo to admit that you eat & drink not just solely for nutrition, but also for pleasure & entertainment. Now, I am not talking about emotional eating, I am talking about going out to dine or preparing a meal as an activity. Like some people go to the movies, I eat. And drink.
That being set forth, I will write here about good & bad meals. Both my own and those I ate at a restaurant. Great and not so great wine. Chefs I love. And those whom I wonder who they are screwing to become so popular. And even food related shows. Some are good… But I have a feeling that the Food Network is trying to fill the airwaves with perky Rachel Ray/Sandra Lee clones. UGH!
I hope you find this interesting, thought provoking, irritating, inflammatory and strange. Anything but boring! Also, I hope you leave here HUNGRY!
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