That dish is SO last season

Lately, I've been watching a lot of The Supersizers Go... on The Food Network. If you're not familiar with it, it's based on Morgan Spurlock's movie, Supersize Me. In each of the show's handful of episodes, the hosts spend a week gorging in the style of the wealthy of several significant periods of British history - from the Elizabethans, to the Victorians, to World War era rationers, and even to the high-powered, cutthroat sharks of 1980's Square Mile.

While also being hilarious, the show highlights the fact that food, like art, architecture, fashion, design, music, political movements, charitable causes, and so on and so forth, is extremely subject to trend - what's popular at the time. Dishes go in and out of style as quick as leg warmers, Jhery curls, grunge, post modern art, environmentalism, and vegetarianism.

The Material Girl

What makes The Supersizers Go... super interesting to me, is that food, unlike fashion for example, is essential to life (though some would disagree). It's easy to overlook that food and food customs initially spread in the same way as language and religion, and today they go out like last year's colors. Even though today our trends are short-lived by comparison to those of 500 years ago - they may no longer be impacted by war and rule, and they may not be as extreme as to give us dishes like pressed duck, cockentrice, pickled fish tarts, boiled sheep heads, or eel pies; they exist just the same.

The Duck Press

So as I sit in my bad jeans, old shoes, and faded polo shirt, I can't help but think about some of the culinary trends that have passed us by more recently. Check out my list here!

Today, it seems that the average person is well educated about ingredients and cooking techniques. Maybe it's thanks to the rise of the celebrity chef, or the pervasiveness of food TV shows, or wildly popular restaurants that end up being turned over faster than an egg on a tin roof in the summertime. 

Though I'm not in any position to say for sure, to me it looks like we're moving toward a more 'European' attitude toward food in North America. Portion sizes seem to be coming into control, and there seems to be a growing appreciation for the basics - good, fresh ingredients, seasonal eating, and simple cooking. Amen.

GG