Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Predictions for 2005-2010


PurpleDingo99

Recommended Posts

Fennel could go mainstream, I am sure weirder tastes have. We're not talking durian, after all. Misstenacity, how do you make your tea? I have a huge jar of seeds from last year and I'd love to try it.

My prediction is a backlash against packaged, pre-prepared, GMO, shipped in from unknown place, dusted with unknown chemicals, "food" in favor of local/homegrown ingredients. As more people turn away from buying their food at Walmart, the momentum will help availability of such goods and drive prices down.

I live in a hamet of a few hundred (in a county of under 3000) and can get organic dairy delivered to my door from a farmer in the next valley, custom raised beef (marbled my way), fresh fish, and homemade fruit wines from various neighbors. (i am sure there's more but i moved here after the harvest last year so i don't know what the summer farmer's markets have yet) The only thing that's more expensive that way than the local grocer is eggs (3 bucks a dozen for freerange organic) and i can get this morning's non-organic eggs for about a buck.

This will also lead to more small gardens, where people will grow a few things they really care about. My mother-in-law grew salads in hanging planters last year; few kinds of salad greens and roma tomatoes, picked fresh every time she wanted greens, and has been converted from a non-gardener to...well, let's just say i want her new greenhouse.

And since fennel, once planted, will grow forever, this may help the fennel movement...not to mention boosting the population of mason bees (or whatever those tiny bees that cover my plants are).

Oh, one more thing. My cookbooks (writing in progress) will be best sellers. :biggrin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My predictions:

Dietary/Healthy -

The American people will increasingly see that fat is not the enemy, and that the only real one to avoid is hydrogenated oils. Saturated and animal fats will play an increased role in diets as increasing evidence that cholesterol levels are not explicitly tied to cholesterol eaten is shown.

An increasing epidemic of diabetes in the nation, especially in youth, will finally force schools to rethink the amount of crap they serve students. This will also cause a greater interest in whole grains instead of bleached flour and starches. Vegetable consumption, especially high nutrient-low starch vegetables like dark leafy greens, will increase.

The same diabetes epidemic, combined with increasing difficulty in maintaining a healthy weight, will keep interest high in low-carb eating. As more studies are published proving the safety of these plans fear-mongering media types will find it harder to bash them, and combined with research and development of better sugar substitutes and low-carb flour and bulking alernatives will lead more people to realize they can turn to this way of eating without sacrificing anything, except for the excess weight.

Food Culture:

Tech jobs being outsourced to foreign nations will stem the tide of Asian immigrants into the US. Asian food will continue to develop slowly in the 'cheap eats' category, but increasing presence of Asian companies (and thus Asian executives with money to burn) will lead to fast growth in high end Asian dining, especially in Indian and Korean cuisine.

Latin and Central American food will continue to grow in popularity as immigration laws are even further relaxed by politicians desperate for a quick vote. Ingredients currently found only in Mexican grocery stores will start showing up far more often at your local Safeway.

A wave of classic food revival will sweep the nation. Mid-range joint will revive such classics as Beef Wellington, Cherries Jubille, Crepes Suzette, and Lobster Thermidore.

He don't mix meat and dairy,

He don't eat humble pie,

So sing a miserere

And hang the bastard high!

- Richard Wilbur and John LaTouche from Candide

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My predictions:

Dietary/Healthy -

The American people will increasingly see that fat is not the enemy, and that the only real one to avoid is hydrogenated oils.  Saturated and animal fats will play an increased role in diets as increasing evidence that cholesterol levels are not explicitly tied to cholesterol eaten is shown.

An increasing epidemic of diabetes in the nation, especially in youth, will finally force schools to rethink the amount of crap they serve students.  This will also cause a greater interest in whole grains instead of bleached flour and starches.  Vegetable consumption, especially high nutrient-low starch vegetables like dark leafy greens, will increase.

A wave of classic food revival will sweep the nation.  Mid-range joint will revive such classics as Beef Wellington, Cherries Jubille, Crepes Suzette, and Lobster Thermidore.

A) I dont think people will start turning their backs on hydrogenated oils until 2010 at the earliest, because the low-carb rage will pick up the slack in the meantime. If/when heart attacks, bone decay, and other high-protein-low-carb diet side effects happen, then people will start to reach for hydrogenated oils. If those problems dont become serious nationwide due to low-carb diets, then I dont see a war on hydrogenated oil breaking out until 2012 at the absolute earliest.

B) Its going to take schools until 2015 to worry about dietary reasons outside of California. Here, with some of the worst schools in the nation, we still have to wait for supplies, teachers to be hired, then classrooms added, then new schools added, then extracurricular activities added, then campuses improved, and then, maybe, dietary conditions improved. Next year, the school is closing campus and welcoming fast food vendors to sell on campus as well. California is one of the more health-conscious states, as well, so I dont see the rest of the nation being too quick to change either.

C) Classic food coming back full force? I dont see that happening until 3020 :raz: . Even with the slowly (re)building popularity of things like fondue, chefs all over should be more willing to embrace 'exotic' cousines relatively unknown in america. Going back to classic cousine at this point would be like 3-piece suits coming back in style.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fennel could go mainstream, I am sure weirder tastes have. We're not talking durian, after all.

Ah, but I have nightmares sometimes about some trend setter reading "suggestions" like that and then pow! A few years later it's ALL my fault. Fennel in every bloody thing. Not that I have anything AGAINST Fennel, mind you, its just too funny sounding for me to deal with seriously. And don't get me started on cumin.

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been hearing about the Peruvian trend for almost 20 years in Los Angeles. It still not happening yet.

I know two Peruvian families. (They raise horses.) None of them cares much about seeking out restaurants that serve Peruvian food.

Mostly they like Red Lobster, Appleby's and pizza.

I have tried to pry some recipes out of the women and they keep promising to translate some for me but they are enamored with American frozen foods and "instant" stuff. I keep running into them at Trader Joe's - they can't be bothered with doing traditional Peruvian foods.

Their kids seem to exist on a diet of pizza, Thai food, Fatburger, KFC and Sonic.

I mentioned the possibility of visiting a Peruvian restaurant in Canoga Park but was told they all grew up on that stuff and are widening their horizons now.

Frankly they are amazed that I am interested in learning how to cook foods from their homeland because America has such diversity and, according to them, Peruvian food isn't all that interesting.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know two Peruvian families.  (They raise horses.) None of them cares much about seeking out restaurants that serve Peruvian food. 

Mostly they like Red Lobster, Appleby's and pizza. 

I have tried to pry some recipes out of the women and they keep promising to translate some for me but they are enamored with American frozen foods and "instant" stuff.  I keep running into them at Trader Joe's - they can't be bothered with doing traditional Peruvian foods. 

Their kids seem to exist on a diet of pizza, Thai food, Fatburger, KFC and Sonic. 

I mentioned the possibility of visiting a Peruvian restaurant in Canoga Park but was told they all grew up on that stuff and are widening their horizons now. 

Frankly they are amazed that I am interested in learning how to cook foods from their homeland because America has such diversity and, according to them, Peruvian food isn't all that interesting.

How incredibly sad! Let's hope they have an awakening and realize that it's also their heritage, and it's important. I hope you'll keep after them to teach you their cooking traditions. Maybe through such requests, they'll begin to realize what they have is so valuable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My best friend when I was growing up was Guatemalan. Her family used to tell me that Guatamalans wouldn't pay to eat to their own food at a restaurant. When I was very young I remember that when my family ate out it was usually at a Chinese or Japanese restaurant, my parents didn't want to pay to eat Korean food at a restaurant. This was when LA only had two Chinese-Korean restaurants and no Korean supermarket. If you can imagine that. :laugh:

Of course over the years as my parents prospered they eaten out at hundreds of Korean restaurants.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really hope cuisine de grandmere comes back strong. Another term for it might be comfort food or just dishes made from scratch. This will seperate chefs who primarily focus on spinning out "innovative" dishes from chefs who can actually cook. And no, I don't think creativity/innovation and great cooking can't go together. They should go together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, but I have nightmares sometimes about some trend setter reading "suggestions" like that and then pow!  A few years later it's ALL my fault.  Fennel in every bloody thing. 

Well at least we'd know who to blame. There are things that I'd love to know who to blame for...velveeta, for one.

If I predict the demise of velveeta, and any other food that is named "processed <i>x</i> food" (where <i>x</i> is any food) would it sound too much like wishful thinking? :wink:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Why have I spent all this time trying to redefine what food is and can be when there is such an intresting food in my foodland?" Said Ferran Adrian of El Bulli, "I have never been able to replicate that smooth consistency and complex, artificial flavor before. So why fight it? Long story short, Velveeta sorbet is a favorite right now."

:raz:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, but I have nightmares sometimes about some trend setter reading "suggestions" like that and then pow!  A few years later it's ALL my fault.  Fennel in every bloody thing.  Not that I have anything AGAINST Fennel, mind you, its just too funny sounding for me to deal with seriously.  And don't get me started on cumin.

I love fennel, and cumin is one of the best seeds in the World. So there! :raz::laugh:

Seriously, if Indian food becomes seriously mainstream in the US, cumin could become a very important all-purpose spice. But I think that'll take more than 5 years to happen.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seriously, if Indian food becomes seriously mainstream in the US, cumin could become a very important all-purpose spice. But I think that'll take more than 5 years to happen.

Fennel doesnt do a thing for me, but i use cumin every other time I cook (and ive never cooked indian.) Cumin is fantastic in the right configuration and concentration in mexican and tex-mex food (ive heard of it in chili more than once.) Strangely enough, it works surprisingly well with sherry or cream cheese.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

See! See! I just mention cumin and it's already the hot new spice!

Arrrrrggh.

Okay, I actually don't mind cumin that much. It's just a funny sounding name like fennel.

Long story short, Velveeta sorbet is a favorite right now."

I don't know about that, but Olive Oil sorbet is actually pretty good.

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Encouraged by government subsidies, the Hydrogen diet sweeps the nation. Weight loss is instantaneous, but air travel is adversely affected.

--mark

Everybody has Problems, but Chemists have Solutions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

fennell flavor is already mainstream they just call it TWIZZLERS :laugh:

the real funny thing is alot of people won't try something new unless there favorite movie star does or until the exec's come up with a catchy commercial. and THEN it would be cool. :cool:

im not one but there are some people who just dont care about variety in flavor and or cuisine at all.(ahemm, midwest) :wacko: now dont go crying you midwesterners im just making an general observation about a region. but meat and potatoes satisfies alot of people, somehow, someway. just the idea of eating something different has always interested me.i've never not tried anything, and i cant say i dislike any food. i dislike certain preparations, (meaning some people just dont know what he or she is doing) but not any cuisine.

my point is that resources will soon be abundant enough to where all cuisines will be considered and the places it will start will be the largest cities(NY,LA,MIA). probably not for 100 years or so but you will see an equalization in diversity from the world.

another observation, the US does NOT have the most diverse culinary scene in the world. i was looking at a show on the country of UAE(united arab emirates?) and they looked more open to diversity than us. those damn conserva-liberals scared of everyone that comes in the country. i wish they would GROW up and realize the walls they try and constuct will never stand.

The complexity of flavor is a token of durable appreciation. Each Time you taste it, each time it's a different story, but each time it's not so different." Paul Verlaine

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the eventual decline and fall of the bovine species due the havoc it's wreaking on our ecosystem, brine shrimp will be packaged and sold as protein replacement, right next to the uber-protein source; insects. Fish farms will dominate the landscape, and catfish, tilapia, and the aforementioned fish food will become the modern protein staples.

They'll sell fennel brine shrimp energy bars, and cumin tilapia chips, the catfish that used to walk will levitate, and there will be shakes made out of cricket legs. There will be aromas of strawberry and thyme, released from edible vanilla gelatin baloons, and motorcycle parts will be used as eating utensils.

Buckminster Fuller's vision of a world with sustainable foodsources will become a reality as we become the industrial furry preying mantis, and chocolate coated dung beetle mandibles become the new veal cheeks.

Edited, becuse dung beetles have a set of mandibles, not just one.

Edited by ChefDanBrown (log)
"It is just as absurd to exact excellent cooking from a chef whom one provides with defective or scanty goods, as to hope to obtain wine from a bottled decoction of logwood." -Escoffier
Link to comment
Share on other sites

See!  See!  I just mention cumin and it's already the hot new spice!

Arrrrrggh.

Okay, I actually don't mind cumin that much.  It's just a funny sounding name like fennel. 

Long story short, Velveeta sorbet is a favorite right now."

I don't know about that, but Olive Oil sorbet is actually pretty good.

I've heard some pronounce it "comin" :huh:

Cumin smells and taste very different in North African food than it does in Mexican food.

I can only think of a couple of dishes where the aroma seems similar but still the taste is different.

Indian cookery tends to use it with a much heavier hand and it's completely different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

no they just TOAST the cumin :wink:

Not just toasted, but added in greater amounts. 10 Times more than North African cookery. I'm used to the same spices, we just don't add as much.

I can be reached via email chefzadi AT gmail DOT com

Dean of Culinary Arts

Ecole de Cuisine: Culinary School Los Angeles

http://ecolecuisine.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the eventual decline and fall of the bovine species due the havoc it's wreaking on our ecosystem, brine shrimp will be packaged and sold as protein replacement, right next to the uber-protein source; insects.  Fish farms will dominate the landscape, and catfish, tilapia, and the aforementioned fish food will become the modern protein staples.

In the manner of Diet for a Small Planet, I've often thought that Mussel farms could be the savior of starving third world nations everywhere. Just throw some sort of floating devices into the ocean with a long rope hanging from them and seed the ropes with mussel "eggs". They'd grow like underwater weeds and require virtually no upkeep. Easy enough to harvest by running one's gloved hand down the rope and detaching the mature specimens. Voila! Cheap and easy protein source for anyone that wants it.

Has anyone done this yet? And if not, how come?

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the eventual decline and fall of the bovine species due the havoc it's wreaking on our ecosystem, brine shrimp will be packaged and sold as protein replacement, right next to the uber-protein source; insects.  Fish farms will dominate the landscape, and catfish, tilapia, and the aforementioned fish food will become the modern protein staples.

In the manner of Diet for a Small Planet, I've often thought that Mussel farms could be the savior of starving third world nations everywhere. Just throw some sort of floating devices into the ocean with a long rope hanging from them and seed the ropes with mussel "eggs". They'd grow like underwater weeds and require virtually no upkeep. Easy enough to harvest by running one's gloved hand down the rope and detaching the mature specimens. Voila! Cheap and easy protein source for anyone that wants it.

Has anyone done this yet? And if not, how come?

For the same reason that mass-growing of various forms of edible seaweed and algae aren't being experimented enough with.

Jon Lurie, aka "jhlurie"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the eventual decline and fall of the bovine species due the havoc it's wreaking on our ecosystem, brine shrimp will be packaged and sold as protein replacement, right next to the uber-protein source; insects.  Fish farms will dominate the landscape, and catfish, tilapia, and the aforementioned fish food will become the modern protein staples.

In the manner of Diet for a Small Planet, I've often thought that Mussel farms could be the savior of starving third world nations everywhere. Just throw some sort of floating devices into the ocean with a long rope hanging from them and seed the ropes with mussel "eggs". They'd grow like underwater weeds and require virtually no upkeep. Easy enough to harvest by running one's gloved hand down the rope and detaching the mature specimens. Voila! Cheap and easy protein source for anyone that wants it.

Has anyone done this yet? And if not, how come?

For the same reason that mass-growing of various forms of edible seaweed and algae aren't being experimented enough with.

What's the reason?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...