2013 was a big year for food, let’s take a look at some of the highlights:
People continued to love Sriracha, hate on gluten, and embrace eating out of mugs.
Other food trends that continued through 2013: Instagram foodies, hip veganism, and Taco Bell wrapping their “food” in even weirder “food.” But let’s be honest: none of this is really news; Siracha has had a cult following for roughly 30 years, and plenty of swanky restaurants were serving haute vegan cuisine back in 2012. However, it’s worth noting that trends like these are still going strong, and that we can probably expect Pinterest to keep showing us how to cram our meals into mugs in the New Year.
Food-related articles confirmed what we already knew.
McRib courtesy of McDonalds.com
Turns out that the McRib is nasty, processed meats aren’t good for you, and Whole Foods is expensive. Seems to me that we suspected as much, but I’m glad that these authors are here to keep it real and prevent us from falling too far into denial.
Women had to fight to earn a place in kitchens…?
Way back in February, Kristen Kish became the second woman in Top Chef history to claim the title, defeating fellow finalist (and lady chef!) Brooke Williamson in the Iron Chef–inspired season finale. You go, girls!
More Recently, Time Magazine published “The Gods of Food”, a list of the 13 chefs thought to “most influence what we eat and how we think about it,” and failed to include a single female chef. When asked why the article was such sausage-fest, Time editor Howard Chua-Eoan stated that they “just went with the basic realities of what was going on and who was being talked about,” and that “the female chef is a relatively recent phenomenon.” It’s my understanding that Chua-Eoan then proceeded to dance on Julia Child’s grave while ripping up a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, though his representatives have yet to confirm this.
Both Paula Deen and the CEO of Barilla came out…
Courtesy of Thrillist
…as ignorant-ass fools. Ms. Deen got herself into all sorts of trouble in June when she admitted to both using the N-word and planning a “Southern plantation-style wedding,” effectively crumbling her empire like a deep-fried Krispy Crème. A few months later, pasta prince Guido Barilla entered the race for the food industry’s bigot of the year when he said that his company would “never do an advert with a homosexual family.” Barilla’s remarks led to widespread boycotts of the brand, which prompted Guido to issue a pretty half-assed apology with a heaping side of old-school sexism, stating that their company believed in “the concept of the sacred family…where the woman plays a central role.”
Cronuts, Ramen Burgers, and Satisfries, oh my!
Courtesy of Buzzfeed (thank you…mmmmmm).
2013 was a big year for food innovation. Chef Dominique Ansel started this wave in May by launching the Cronut, the sweet, flakey, love child of the crossaint and the donut, in his New York bakery, only to be up-staged by Keizo Shimamoto’s ramen burger, a hamburger in a ramen noodle “bun,” just a few weeks later.
Then, in October, Burger King unveiled their new Satisfries: crinkle-cut french fries that are lower in both fat and calories than regular fries. Coolest thing about these babies: BK spent 10 years developing them.
Jon Stewart Delivered the Most Epic Pizza Rant Ever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8IKxbOpt0E
Just when I thought I couldn’t love J-Stews anymore, he delivered the world’s greatest rant about Chicago-style pizza, wherein he likened Chicago deep dish to an “above ground pool of marinara sauce.” So if you’re looking to put off studying – I suggest you watch it.
Spoon University Launched its U of M Chapter!
Okay, maybe not the most momentous news ever, but definitely pretty cool nonetheless. Cooler still: we’ll still be here to keep you well fed and entertained in 2014, too.