Someone Online Asked “What Modern Food Trend Can You Not Wait To Die?” And 35 People Delivered
Interview With Author
Some trends are well on the way to revolutionizing certain things in our world. But for every great one, there are a few that are ridiculous and annoying, simply begging you to ask the question, “Why?”
In this topic, food is no exception. From the things done in private kitchens to whole restaurant models, there are plenty of modern food-related trends that many can’t wait to disappear, so when one Redditor asked people to share theirs, they didn’t hold back. Check out what they said below!
More info: Reddit
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If I'm on a website I'm only there to look at your menu. I'm not interested in starting an order before I've looked at the menu. No, I don't want to give you my zip code. Just give me your menu and some food pictures.
While these modern food trends have undeniably spread worldwide, if you’re looking for the whole experience, resort towns are the place to be. As Bored Panda found out by reaching out to u/Prestigious-Humor872, also known as Alex, this is precisely the kind of place he resides in.
Alex is a proud 28-year-old father from Michigan, USA. He works as an accountant and enjoys reading, sports, traveling, and spending time with his family. The OP is no food critic or restaurant expert, which is precisely why his opinion matters. After all, he’s a part of the target audience for all those places.
Online recipes that I have to scroll for five minutes to find the recipe. I do not care, dear author, about how you discovered this meal or how my family will feel about it. I just need to know how long to roast the damn chicken
Tipping for food I’m picking up at a counter. What am I tipping for? And if that tip is necessary for the employees to make a living, the restaurant just needs to pay their employees a higher wage and charge whatever they need to charge for the food in order to do so. But I’m tired of being asked to tip for every single thing.
If I'm at a restaurant and paying for food before I've eaten it, I'm not tipping.
OP’s town, contradictory to what’s usual for its size, has an extensive food scene. He says that over the past few years, he has noticed way too many recurring themes, with new restaurants opening up around every corner and old ones making changes to catch up.
The curiosity about whether things look the same in other parts of the world inspired Alex to start this Reddit thread. The post exploded with nearly 8,000 upvotes and over 9,000 comments, which shows that he’s definitely not in the minority regarding opinion about these movements. “I was very surprised,” the author said. “I never thought I would capture the internet’s attention like this.”
Calling a slight alteration to a recipe a "hack".
Adding parmesan cheese to your grilled cheese sandwich is not a "hack". It's a minor recipe change.
Restaurants serving food on cutting boards, shovels, paper, shells, or anything that is not an actual plate
I recall as long ago as the 1970s that 'pub food' in the UK was usually served in a basket. It was a thing, differentiated pub food from restaurants, usually much more basic. The 'basket' was always lined with greaseproof paper, so did not need washing up like proper plates, so I always assumed this was just to cut down on the need for kitchen space and costs.
When asked what is the modern food trend that he himself can’t wait to end, the OP had a clear answer: “‘Gastropub’ trend and their tendency to market their foods as ‘artisan’ or ‘craft’ with an ‘abandoned warehouse’ themed interior.” He said that while this doesn’t necessarily mean that the food there is bad, his restaurant experiences tend to be less and less memorable with each night out, and the overused buzzwords on the menu just top it all off.
To add a little extra to the answer, Alex told us that he’s also getting tired of the popularity of Brussels sprouts, but as he said himself, “That may be because my wife loves them, and I eat them every time I’m out.”
Food trucks that charge the same price as a premium restaurant but serve half the size on a floppy plate that I have to stand up to eat
The stupid food wasting trends on YouTube and TikTok etc.
We were also curious about where exactly these movements come from, so we did some more digging. According to BlueCart, many factors influence the food trends, but a couple that stand out the most are health fads and pop culture.
The article explains that in fine dining, it is usually chefs who create these trends that are later mimicked by other restauranteurs. However, sometimes, there are also certain food consultants who help the restaurants develop these new items for their menus.
Any TikTok/IG trend that makes life more difficult for fast-food workers with overly complex orders or ordering stuff not on the menu or trying to “one up” each others orders etc
"Can you see that on the menu? If not, fűck right off and stop being a cűnt"
“Detox” foods. Just eat food and let your liver do its damn job.
Escoffier further tells us that it’s not always the taste that is the determining factor in creating these food trends. Sometimes, it is more focused on what people see and hear around them. For example, cupcakes were brought back and became one of the main things that come to people’s minds when they think of American culture, all because they were widely featured on the TV show “Sex in the City.”
The article also mentions that many other variables are at play, ranging from money and marketing to something known as food politics. According to them, there is even one person at Whole Foods, the Head Global Cheese and Specialty Product Buyer, who can change entire markets, all based on her preferences that day.
The videos of people making food in sinks. Gross.
Sweets on top of sweets. A milkshake with a donut, lollipop, and cupcake attached.
So, in the end, while modern food trends aim to please an average consumer, the target group rarely has a say in the invention process. It is unusual to see any kind of survey of what you’d prefer to find on the menu or what the place you eat at should look like. Instead, the restaurants assume what they think the general public will like and mimic it to avoid getting left behind. But thankfully, you don’t need to be an expert to have your opinion heard online.
Can you relate to any of these answers? What are the modern food trends that you dislike? Come down below to the comments and share that with us!
Graphic designy menus that try to be creative but end up confusing. Also pdf-only menus. I'd prefer a physical one
High Fructose Corn Syrup being in seemingly *every* commonplace food in America (almost said the ridiculous amounts of sugar in general, which I still hate, but I think is a bit less reasonable to expect). Sugar is a *huge* part of why unhealthy food is so addictive and unhealthy in America, and I think most people have become conditioned to expect high sugar in most things. We need to roll back that idea...
Making all fast food buildings look like cookie-cutter beige/grey boxes. They all used to have their own distinct personalities
A local pizzaria did this too. Everytime I pass it I feel like they should be selling floor tiles or industrial textiles. I have zero interest in buying food from them because their place looks so off-putting for food
Food that's designed to be "food p**n" with way too many toppings thrown on it purely for the shock value.
I just want a good, simple burger with a tasty patty. I don't want a Flamin' Hot B******e Destroyer 3000 with three types of meat, three types of cheese, and three types of sauce on it.
The ASMR food videos.
People filming themselves eating the food and smacking loudly into the MIC.
Back in the day, oxtails and flank steaks were cheap cuts of meat. They are expensive as hell now. I’m just waiting for Vienna sausages to be turned into ironic hipster food.
Pretty soon Alpo Canned Dog Food Meatloaf will take TikTok by storm.
I'm a chef, and even I'm tired of the twelve course menu, where each course is two bites.
I think we can all agree that, at this point, everyone just wants a nice sandwich. Right?
Making food instagramable. It's 80% looks 20% edible
I swear most of these recipes on social media is tasteless cause I don't trust their "omg, so goodd".
Fancy restaurants that say they serve “street tacos” and proceed to charge $18 for three.
I just went to a restaurant, not a fast food place, a sit-down restaurant where you have to scan the QR code for the menu, then a screen pops up where you have to place your own order.
No one comes to the table to answer questions, nothing. You place your order, a person comes by and throws your drinks at you. Then they swing by a while later and throw your food at you. That’s all you see of them.
You pay your bill on your phone, and are still expected to tip.
Deconstructed food. I did not pay you lots of money, so I get to essentially cook/make my own food.
Dump meals.
Wash your goddamn plates so I don’t have to scrub the table!
I just had dinner with my grandson, who ordered the Cajun style steamed crab dish. He was served a rimmed cookie sheet and a huge clear bag of seafood boil including vegetables, with a pair of scissors. The gimmick is to cut the bag from the bottom and slosh the whole mess into the pan, then dig in. It was a disgusting mess (to me) but he had a blast eating it. The table was a disaster.
2 ingredient desserts (with 7 "optional" ingredients that appear once you read the actual recipe)
Also, 5 of those seven are not things you'd normally have in your kitchen.
Hamburgers getting taller and taller. Like dude, what use is a 7 inch tall burger if I cant take a bite of it?
Content creators squeezing and scraping the food. Looking directly into the camera, taking a ginormous bite, rolling their eyes, and going "MMMMMM OMGSOYUMMYGUYS" with their mouth full.
Why is everyone complaining about watching TikTok videos? You are aware that you can skip them?
Every Frito Lay product does not need to be Flamin' Hot with Lime
I used to like Fritos and Doritos, back before anyone messed with them and they were just in their original form, made with their original ingredients. They were a highlight of my school lunch. But, even as a kid, I could NEVER eat spicy hot food, as my stomach would severely punish me for it. So, to all the “creatives” at all the longstanding traditional snack foods companies, let me say this, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Leave well enough alone, or at least leave the original untouched, so there’s something for the rest of us to eat. I’m 62, btw.
Well, restaurant trend. I am sick of polished concrete floors, exposed brick and pipes and ordering at a counter. Can we bring back a nicer dining room, please?
Exposed brick walls can be nice in the right settings. Just my opinion though.
Truffle flavor everything. Real truffle can be wonderful but in moderation. Truffle oils in everything. Enough!
Okay, so hear me out. Truffle flavored potato chips, good right? Okay, now I'm starving
I don't think it's going anywhere, but putting bacon in/on EVERYTHING. I feel like there was this explosion around 2010 where bacon was just everywhere. I vividly remember Denny's having like a bacon celebration month that featured a maple bacon sundae. The world never went back.
Not food specifically, but related.
I loathe first bite reactions on gif recipes/ instagram pages.
Note: this post originally had 40 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
Any dish being prepared on a TV cooking show that needs tweezers to create the right image on the plate. Just throw it all on, FFS, it doesn't taste any different with all your fancy stacking and arranging, which lasts about one second until you hit it with a knife and fork anyway.
People complaining about Tik Toks. I never complain about it because I don't have it and don't care about it. Problem solved.
They are literally answering the question though? "What food trend do you want to die?" That is the whole point of the listicle?
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Recipe blogs. I just want the recipe, not pages and pages of drivel about how how your grandmother's apple trees gave the best apples, or how you spend Sunday, or how you went fossicking with a picnic and found sharks teeth. Some sites have a "jump to recipe" button, which is good, but those that don't, I hate having to scroll through reams and reams of pointless dribblings and word salad.
This is just one of the reasons I don't read recipe blogs or make any blog recipes. The other reasons? Bloggers frequently steal recipes from other sources and present them as their own. They are more likely to contain mistakes. The recipes aren't tested. The "reviews" frequently consist of their fans saying how great all their recipes are while admitting they haven't actually made the recipe they're supposedly reviewing. I'll stick with Serious Eats and Cook's Illustrated recipes and eliminate all those issues!
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Any dish being prepared on a TV cooking show that needs tweezers to create the right image on the plate. Just throw it all on, FFS, it doesn't taste any different with all your fancy stacking and arranging, which lasts about one second until you hit it with a knife and fork anyway.
People complaining about Tik Toks. I never complain about it because I don't have it and don't care about it. Problem solved.
They are literally answering the question though? "What food trend do you want to die?" That is the whole point of the listicle?
Load More Replies... Recipe blogs. I just want the recipe, not pages and pages of drivel about how how your grandmother's apple trees gave the best apples, or how you spend Sunday, or how you went fossicking with a picnic and found sharks teeth. Some sites have a "jump to recipe" button, which is good, but those that don't, I hate having to scroll through reams and reams of pointless dribblings and word salad.
This is just one of the reasons I don't read recipe blogs or make any blog recipes. The other reasons? Bloggers frequently steal recipes from other sources and present them as their own. They are more likely to contain mistakes. The recipes aren't tested. The "reviews" frequently consist of their fans saying how great all their recipes are while admitting they haven't actually made the recipe they're supposedly reviewing. I'll stick with Serious Eats and Cook's Illustrated recipes and eliminate all those issues!
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