Much Ado About Food Trends

Trends rule our lives. Women gear their calendars by what's hot in the spring and fall. Techies of both sexes get excited over the latest I -something. Even foodies go completely gaga over what the experts and trendistas tell us to put into our mouths.The question is: is a food trend all the fuss?

I recently found this out when I tried macarons for the first time. Recently writing about them made me curious. When I spied them in one of my favorite New Jersey bakeries I had to get them. I wanted something sweet for a dessert later that evening. It was either them or home style oatmeal cookies. Of course the macarons won out. Let me preface by saying that this particular bakery is one of my favorites. I love their cupcakes . They're even better than the ones that are found in Magnolia Bakery . Their cookies are wonderful. I had anticipated that their stab into the newest sweet trend would be too. They were not what I thought they were going to be.. The chocolate ones were a bit gooey and reminded me of a brownie. The vanilla was better, redolent of almonds with a non traditional butter cream filling. So this is what all the fuss was about.

Maybe I 'm not used to them . I thought my first macarons were going to be heavenly. They were more leaden than what I imagined. Maybe another bakery would do them differently., create a lighter, crisper shell with a sinful filling.However that's the problem with food trends. There's so much hype about them . What's good? What isn't? It's kind of like the fuss about fashion.Platform shoes may look wonderful but in reality they hurt the calves and make walking cumbersome. The hype overwhelms and sugar coats the actual product sometimes.

What to do about foodie trends that make you scratch your head? Like any other trend, ride it out. In the end it's all about what makes you happy - not others.Listen to your taste buds - not the style makers.

Are You Eating Enough?

It's a question most of us have heard since childhood: Are you eating enough?As adults we would say yes. After all we try to have three meals a day.The problem is are we eating the right foods.Do we just grab a burger and feel satisfied with that? Or should we be eating more helpings of veggies and lean meats.

Any meal is a tricky navigation. Thanks to busy schedules, especially now in the fall, it's hard to find a healthy fast food or actually stay in our kitchens long enough to cook. Sometimes we think a sandwich will do the trick. After all what's so wrong with meat and bread. ? It's just not substantial enough. You may want to put some tomatoes on it or even sliced hard boiled egg for more protein.Don't add chips to round it out. Think grape tomatoes or even a pickle as a healthier alternative. Soup is another good choice for lunch or dinner. Round it out with a small mixed salad.

Sometimes we also feel like forgoing meals to keep on a diet or to have a quick weight loss. Don't. This is not a good way to shed pounds, Eat leaner, lighter fare. Try turkey or veggie burgers as opposed to red meat ones. Ratatouille is a low cal dish, tasty and chock full of tomatoes, onions and eggplant.Never skip breakfast or fill in with a quick breakfast sandwich. Oatmeal is a good choice as is fresh fruit with black coffee or plain tea. Stay away from doughnuts , bear claws and Danishes. Tasty yes, filling, yes, healthy, no

Are you eating enough? Ask yourself at every meal. However make sure you're also asking yourself is it healthy enough or is it a filler? Eat , but eat well

Weird Flavors

You have to give food manufacturers credit. They have the nerve to give the public any flavor possible. Some of the work like Dunkin Donuts adding caramel to their mocha lattes. Some don't, yet they're still around. Sometimes it just takes an acquired taste to get these down.

One of th e ones that took me by surprise was Target's Market Pantry Banana Split Instant oatmeal. It sounded good and I thought "Give it a try. It'll be fun." It would have made a nice dessert but breakfast was another story. The banana smell was off putting at first as was eating the melted chocolate chips in it for the first meal of my day. After four or five days I finally became used to it. I 'd recommend it as a low calorie snack but will stick to my maple or fruit flavored oatmeal for breakfast. Another is salt and pepper popcorn. Buttered popcorn and even the cheese flavored ones are perfect. They have the right amount of salt and tastiness. However add pepper to the mix and this favorite snack takes on an ominous spin.The kernels becomes too hot and it makes then almost impossible to eat.

Potato chips are the perfect example of odd flavors. There's nothing wrong with the barbecue and sour cream flavors. Those have been around for decades. However some of the newer flavors coming out take a while to get used to. We have the Brits to thank for the ketchup and salt and vinegar flavors. These have been much loved by the English for years however to the American palate they're strange and almost foreign. There are also ones that taste like feta cheese and hamburger. Whatever happened to just the plain ones where all they tasted like was good , earthy spuds?

Weird flavors abound these days thanks to manufacturers trying to be creative and competitive. Some succeed, some don't. It all depends on taste or the need to explore news flavor combos.