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Food Trends

         Food trends are interesting, aren't they? I remember when a chef's salad was trendy. People thought they were being so health conscious and staying on a diet and would order one in restaurants. They came in huge bowls, piled with ham and turkey, at least half a boiled egg, and sometimes bacon bits. You could get them with chick peas in some places. They'd be smothered in dressing until people learned to ask for dressing on the side. Finally, someone realized it was like ordering a big sandwich with extra mayo. Eventually, they gave way to leaner salads.

         Then crepes were big. Restaurants specialized in them. Only the fillings changed. That gave way to quiche. The book, Real Men Don't Eat Quiche came out. I knew plenty of men who said that wasn't true. That gave way, too. Today, I only see quiche at women's gatherings or church functions. And men do eat them. It's just eggs in a pie shell. (The secret to a good quiche is the pie shell, and I'm lousy at pie shells.)

         Now almost anything with a Mexican flair can be found. Fried chicken never goes out of vogue. Pizza is constantly evolving, as they try to keep customers interested. Applewood bacon was all the rage for a while. In fact, you could put bacon in almost anything, and it could sell. I've seen bacon in cupcakes and bacon wrapped corn, bacon wrapped scallops!

         In general, cupcakes were all the rage for a while. Every store or bakery and women's magazine featured giant, fancy cupcakes. A true high calorie experience. But I've heard that trend is beginning to die out.

         Some trends never go away because people just like them or get nostalgic for them. Carrot cake comes to mind. They're still around, but not as common. Jelly rolls were big in the 40's, 50's, and 60's, but who sees them any more? Yet, you will see the concept with a different type filling. I've never made a jelly roll, but I made a pumpkin roll. It's hard work getting that spongy cake to roll like that without splitting. No wonder they went out of style. Frankly, I remember jelly rolls when I was kid. Can't say I ever met one I liked.

         It's hard to say what we'll see next year or a few years down the road. But we'll make the best of it!