Boutique Bottles

 Is water just water or are there variations - yes variations - that are slightly above just everyday H20?Surprisingly yes, water isn;t just water, mined from common springs. There's a whole new breed of the bottled stuff that's actually making waves.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food  section. It used to be that Perrier was the designer water of choice but not any more. There are more boutique ones as were tasted at the ninth  annual Fine water Taste and design show recently in Atlanta, Georgia. water tasting is surprisingly like wine tasting. It's tasted, swished around the mouth and then spat out. Like coffee and beer ,water is experiencing a third wave of popularity , much like coffee and wine with Gen Zers.They've be primed in the fruity Le Croix waters and now want to level up.It's also gaining traction with the wellness crowd who have grown increasing skeptical of just plain tap water along with purified water in plastic bottles. H20 connaiseurs now can try waters from melted snow that's been filtered through Peruvian rock and deep sea water that has been pumped up eighty miles from the Korean coast( you do wonder about salinity there). There is also water gathered from nets from a miisty Tasmanian forest as well as a Texas brand laced with lithium called Crazy water.

Most would ask - what's wrong with just a decent from the tap glass of ice water.There are a lot , especially Generation Z would would turn their noses up at it.people want to elevate water just from the hydration and turn into into an experience similar to wine or alcohol.Influencers continue to plug these waters.This is nothing new. Back in 2001 Manhattan's Ritz-Carlton introduced a water sommelier, a person who knows water like a wine sommelier Publicists began using phrases like luxury hydration options without irony. However America was last in discovering spring water.It started in the 1800's when many visited the update New York spa town of Saratoga Springs. Springs there offered naturally carbonated waters that touted health benefits. throughout much of the Nineteenth Century.Now there are more than four thousand waters to choose from, some are a few dollars, some - otherwise known as jewelry waters cost thirty dollars a bottle. The water people buy are divided into two categories purified and natural. Purified is nothing more than tap water that's been filtered  and s tripped of minerals. and impurities while natural comes directly. from the earth.

Water is being transformed.It's not just that drink from the tap. It's elevated with minerals and pure flavor.Is it worth a sip? Yes.

What''s On 2024's Menu

 This is the time of year fro predictions.It's no different in th e food and drink industries. What will we be eating? What will be trending? What do we want filling our glasses. These are all big and interesting questiuons.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. She;s not focusing on viral Tiktok trends. There will be plenty of those to follow once the New Year starts. Instead she concentrates on studies regarding small cultural  media and economic data points and watch the trends emerge. Some are reasonable and a natural progressionof some of today's most popular foods. Some seem downright nutty. Foodies and gourmands will still want and demand luxury but also the food's value too.It's not the rairity but is this food the best of its[kind will be the question we'll be most asking.Some trends make sense. Buckwheat will be the most popular grain in the New Year according to Cathy Strange , the Whole Foods Market ambassadoe of food culture. She had a foi gras terrine coated in it in a recent trip to Norway.Buckwheat will even be in hot cocoa and coating such fish as monkfush. YOu;ll see it in traditional dishes like udon noodles and possible waffles, pancakes and bread. Soup is another common food that will be the rage in the next twelve months.There is a rising interest in soups from Cambodia, Singapore and Indonesia. grocery stores will see more soups and soup starters on their shelves.

Water - which has been around forever - is also going to be a trendsetter in the upcoming year. More and more people will be pouring powders and syrups into big tumblers of water. There will even be "water sommeliers" in which a sommlier will educate people in the different waters from around the world. There will even be tastings. There will also be an interest in waste water(not what you think)This is taking the cacao water after the cocoa bean has harvested and turning into a tasty drink.Water stewardship will grow as more and more consumers look to companies to use less water in their production. A strange strend is goiung to be food flavored cocktails. Imagine taking a sip of a Waldorf salad at Manhattan;s most innovative bar Double Chicken Please. There's also a Thai beef salad at The Savory Project in Hong KOng. There's also an everything Everywhere drink that tastes like an everything bagel at the Anvil Pub and Grill in Birmingham Alabama. Also looks for florals and botanticals flavoring everything too. Cherry blossom and violet will dominate along with wildflowers in flavors.

There may be other trends in  the new year The one already predicted will be interesting and fun. Everyone should try them.

Kinder Times Hopefully

 With the Biden-Harris victory there should be a new era of kindness rushing in. The problem is it may take a while to get to the food and wine industries. There still will be hatred and harassment of women, and minorities. Can we make it change?

This question comes in light after The New York Times cracked open a case about male sommeliers sexually harassing female contenders for their positions at the Court of Master Sommeliers. Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. Nine men were accused of sexual misconduct towards women considered candidates for the court's top title of master sommelier. These men already hold that title and wield a strong amount of influence for the women to advance. An apology from the twenty -seven women in the 165 member court has been issued.Supposedly relationships between male and female members are common yet those liasons escalating into something bitter are rare. Yet this also extends to the food industry as well. We've seen it with the charges against Mario Batali and Ken Friedman , owner of Greenwich Village's Famed Spotted Pig. It should have been a wake up call for other for other chefs and restauranteurs around the world. Hopefully it will.

 With a new administration bent on healing and equality, America could lead the world in treating sexual misconduct and racial inequality in the  restaurant and wine industries. It starts with supporting businesses as small as a food truck pushing bulgoki to up and coming wineries and vineyards.It also starts with thoroughly investigating claims  about prejudice regarding hiring as well as in house promoting. Luckily , it hasn't hit the supermarkets (unless it has and all the big chains are adept at covering up scandal).Sadly it does occur in the fast food business and whatever problem is usually resolved - mostly with some kind of reparations. However it shouldn't happen in the first place. Another must change is promoting more minorities in the fast food industry. Wendy's, despite some gaffes in recent years (namely the symbol of white supremacy Pepe the Frog in a Wendy's jumper and red braids) has a good reputation of promoting Black and Latinx in more managerial positions. McDonald's does not have this reputation. In fact a few weeks ago Black franchise owners sued the chain for placing their franchises in high crime areas where they had higher operating cost, high employee turnover and lower sales.Burger King is the better of the two this way. They haven't had anything like this happen.

The Biden-Harris administration will bring a sense of freshness and unity in an already torn and shredded world. Hopefully this will apply to the food and drink industry. In the end , kindness will prevail.