# Food trends that can stop right now **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740 "2013-08-20T20:08:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/61 "2013-08-21T03:48:18Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > [As it happens, I just wrote a blog post on the subject.](http://www.whatscookinnow.org/?p=1076) > > The two trends I call out in this piece are 1.) Mason jars as drinking glasses (a particular affliction in Louisville, but I’ve seen it elsewhere) and 2.) the 8oz. burger, which is entirely too damn much burger. I like smaller burgers (1/6 lb to 1/4 lb are my favorite), but 8 oz is not exactly a “huge” burger, and I don’t think it’s a trend. That’s pretty much standard for “pub size” in my experience: anywhere from 1/3 - 1/2 lb. Some bars go even bigger. The one by me has been making 2/3 lb burgers its entire existence (over 25 years) and it doesn’t even advertise them as being “giant” or “huge” or anything like that. Their “baby” burger is 1/3 pound. ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/62 "2013-08-21T03:51:06Z")
Hatch chiles. Good GOD please get off it - they’re fine, I guess, but this is their “big month” and in some restaurants I’m surprised they don’t have Hatch chile Sundaes… Also - can we get away from the (decades-long) trend of having meals for one that would feed a family of four? I like to eat as much as the next guy, but when you get chicken and waffles and it comes out with damn-near a whole fried chicken and waffles as big as Frisbees… we’ve gone off the rails a bit here people. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/63 "2013-08-21T03:52:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Man, I _wish_ that real salad greens were a trend. I’ve been to way too many salad bars that had no leaf vegetable available other than (ugh) iceberg lettuce. I’m not exactly holding out hope of a salad bar getting something as wonderful as dandelion (it’s too seasonal, and there’s too much prejudice against it), but can we at least have some arugula? Or even just multiple varieties of lettuce? > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Does everything have to be fucking spicy? Do we need jalapeno and chipotle and buffalo and siracha flavored everything? With banana peppers and pepper jack on top, too. Just iceberg lettuce? Banana peppers are “spicy?” So what you are saying is that Cleveland is still stuck in the 1950s, same as it was when I moved out in 1965? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/64 "2013-08-21T03:54:38Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > Hatch chiles. Good GOD please get off it - they’re fine, I guess, but this is their “big month” and in some restaurants I’m surprised they don’t have Hatch chile Sundaes… Are you in New Mexico? I would _love_ to see Hatch chiles here. (I agree on the portion sizes though–they’ve gone nuts. And I don’t always feel like taking a doggie bag back home with me.) ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/65 "2013-08-21T03:58:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Are you in New Mexico? I would _love_ to see Hatch chiles here. No, Texas, but you’d think they just pick them wild on the side of the road here. If I hear one more Whole Foods Market radio spot about Hatch Chiles I might just write a strongly worded letter. I walked up to my Kroger store two days ago to get some beer and such and they were ROASTING THEM OUT FRONT in a high-heat propane tumbler for god’s sake. And for the record, they’re fine, but there’s a Tex-Mex place near my house that you literally have to hunt for things on the menu that don’t include them this time of year. They’re like Vidalia onions were about 15 years ago - nobody outside of their growing area had heard of them until one year - BAM - they’re the only onions anyone should eat, unless you’re some kind of uncultured swine. Marketing - it’s what’s for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/66 "2013-08-21T03:59:47Z")
Boba. Boba can just go DIAF. Beverages aren’t supposed to be chewy. Or worse, _lumpy/chunky_. Which brings me to coconut water… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/67 "2013-08-21T04:16:02Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > No, Texas, but you’d think they just pick them wild on the side of the road here. If I hear one more Whole Foods Market radio spot about Hatch Chiles I might just write a strongly worded letter. I walked up to my Kroger store two days ago to get some beer and such and they were ROASTING THEM OUT FRONT in a high-heat propane tumbler for god’s sake. I would kill for your problems. 😉 Having a grocery store with Hatch chiles roasting in front sounds like heaven to me. > [@](#): > > And for the record, they’re fine, but there’s a Tex-Mex place near my house that you literally have to hunt for things on the menu that don’t include them this time of year. They’re like Vidalia onions were about 15 years ago - nobody outside of their growing area had heard of them until one year - BAM - they’re the only onions anyone should eat, unless you’re some kind of uncultured swine. Vidalias are onions for people who don’t like onions. I have honestly never found a good use for them. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/68 "2013-08-21T05:07:24Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Some places just call for Mason jar glasses. Lucille’s BBQ uses them, as does Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill(s). My point exactly. It’s the sort of thing that a barbecue chain or a country singer’s namesake restaurant might employ to look more homespun. It projects charm in the same way that all the shit on the walls at Applebee’s does. But if Louisville is any indication, far hipper places are embracing the idea for some reason. (Note: I have never been to a Lucille’s or to any of Toby Keith’s places, so for all I know they may be terrific.) > [@pulykamell](#): > > I like smaller burgers (1/6 lb to 1/4 lb are my favorite), but 8 oz is not exactly a “huge” burger, and I don’t think it’s a trend. That’s pretty much standard for “pub size” in my experience: anywhere from 1/3 - 1/2 lb. Some bars go even bigger. The one by me has been making 2/3 lb burgers its entire existence (over 25 years) and it doesn’t even advertise them as being “giant” or “huge” or anything like that. Their “baby” burger is 1/3 pound. I don’t think the 8oz burger is a trend so much as upscale restaurants doing burgers is, and unfortunately that seems to be their standard size. I’m sure I ate plenty of burgers that size or maybe even bigger when I was 22 years old and had a fully functioning gall bladder, but neither of those things is true anymore and when I get a burger like that I just start off planning to take half of it home. Plus it just seems like the proportions are all wrong on a burger that size. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/69 "2013-08-21T05:17:05Z")
The nice thing about a 1/2 lb burger is that when I’m in the mood for a medium rare burger, I can get one when it’s that size. At 1/4 lb, by the time the outside browns properly, the inside is usuall well on its way to medium well and beyond (unless you fry it from frozen.) I get those burgers when I’m in the mood for a lot of red meat. But when I’m in the mood for a hamburger, I like a quarter pounder or a double 1/6 pounder. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/70 "2013-08-21T07:16:17Z")
Quinoa : who ever got the idea that quinoa should be imported in any country that can grow any other kind of cereal? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/71 "2013-08-21T09:26:34Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Quinoa : who ever got the idea that quinoa should be imported in any country that can grow any other kind of cereal? Because it’s not really a cereal, with all that that entails. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/72 "2013-08-21T11:45:33Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > How about we just stop with all the damned yogurt already? > > Holy crap, there’s an ever-expanding castle wall of yogurt across the back of Zehrs that is taking valuable shelf space from much more important products, like dead cow. The thing about this is, I have a recipe that I make occasionally that calls for 8 oz plain yogurt. It’s bad enough that yogurt only comes in 6 oz cups now, but I can’t even find plain yogurt in that wall o’ fancy flavored yogurt anymore! And yeah, I don’t get the love for Greek style yogurt either. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/73 "2013-08-21T12:18:04Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Whey can then be made into ricotta cheese. I understand it’s also much-loved by chickens. No, not this whey. You should google it. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/74 "2013-08-21T12:25:26Z")
Maybe you should provide us with a cite. I have googled it, and I’m not seeing much to substantiate your claims. In fact, most of what I’ve read indicates that most of the leftover whey from greek yogurt production is, in fact, used in livestock feed and agriculture. [Here](http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/06/12/whey-ing-greek-yogurts-environment-impact/) is one article. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/75 "2013-08-21T12:25:36Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > #1) Salted caramel-I’m sure that some genius sometime discovered that by adding a touch of salt to caramel it enhanced the flavor. This has been distorted into the idea that caramel should taste salty. Caramel should be sweet. It has been perfectly good sweet for decades. I do not like it salty. Stop making it salty in everything that has caramel. > You all can have your trendy foods, just leave me here in the corner with my unsalted caramel, whole eggs, processed pasta and no yogurt. I normally would agree but…Dreyer’s has a salted caramel pretzel flavor now that is like crack. Normally, we can easily have a scoop or two of ice cream and call it good but we both have caught each other getting seconds of that flavor. It’s “Sunny Salted Caramel Pretzel” or something like. Sounds ridiculous but crazy good. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/76 "2013-08-21T12:59:46Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > The thing about this is, I have a recipe that I make occasionally that calls for 8 oz plain yogurt. It’s bad enough that yogurt only comes in 6 oz cups now, but I can’t even find plain yogurt in that wall o’ fancy flavored yogurt anymore! And when you _can_ find plain yogurt, it’s in quart-sized tubs that you know you’ll be lucky to use half of before you have to throw it out. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/77 "2013-08-21T13:11:46Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Because it’s not really a cereal, with all that that entails. I knew someone would answer that. I should have posted a disclaimer. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/78 "2013-08-21T13:18:22Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > yes, it’s exaggeration (as I’d hoped the “Smitheringwick-upon-Bunkenshire” thing would have indicated) but not all that exaggerated. I have, however, had my fill of wannabe snobs who act like they can’t eat anything that isn’t composed of either obscure or positively revolting ingredients. I’ve been around long enough to sort of agree with Douglas Adams in that “delicacy” means “revolting shit that rich snobs choke down in an attempt to impress other rich snobs.” PROTIP: If someone brings up casu marzu, and your first impulse is to say/post “OMG I would SO eat casu marzu” you’re not impressing anyone. you just look like the douchecanoe you are. Sounds more like you’re against food snobbery than against actual food trends to me. I mean, I’d probably really like the spiffy grilled cheese, but I also like Wonder Bread with Kraft Singles pan-fried in margarine. By the same token, I might mug someone to get my hands on a bottle of Russian River’s Pliny the Elder, but I’m not at all above enjoying some Bud Light if the situation calls for it. I think the food trend I’m getting kind of tired of is the pseudo-foodie stuff that’s starting to leak into everyday products. By that, I mean that now we’re getting crap like “Artisan” Wheat Thins, or “On the Border” tortilla chips where the bag specifically calls out “sea salt” on the bag. I’m not particularly bothered by actual food trends or even food enthusiasts (don’t much like the term “foodie” either), but I get kind of irked now that it’s trendy enough to start bleeding into bog-standard foodstuffs. Not only is it meaningless, but it’s even more silly than the food enthusiast stuff. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/79 "2013-08-21T13:21:14Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > The thing about this is, I have a recipe that I make occasionally that calls for 8 oz plain yogurt. It’s bad enough that yogurt only comes in 6 oz cups now, but I can’t even find plain yogurt in that wall o’ fancy flavored yogurt anymore! Yeah, I can’t even remember the last time I found a single-serving container of plain yogurt (except possibly Greek yogurt). When I want to buy plain Dannon yogurt, it’s only available in the big containers in all the supermarkets I shop at. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740/80 "2013-08-21T13:21:46Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > They’re like Vidalia onions were about 15 years ago - nobody outside of their growing area had heard of them until one year - BAM - they’re the only onions anyone should eat, unless you’re some kind of uncultured swine. What’s even stupider is that plain old Texas 1015 onions are the exact same thing as Vidalia ones, only grown here in Texas, not in some pseudo-DOC set of counties in Georgia. Same goes for Maui onions. They’re all Granex hybrids derived from the same Bermuda onions. What makes them sweet is low-sulfur soil, not anything special about the onions themselves. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-trends-that-can-stop-right-now/666740.md?page=5)