Why do people fall for "food fads"? (relationship, issues, problems)

[Mightyqueen801]

When sushi first became a thing in the US, I couldn't understand it. There was a sushi place in the concourse of the building complex where I worked, and I used to walk past (when with friends) and say loudly, "New York City has plenty of good food. You don't have to eat raw fish!" (Yes, I know, this is the part where will runs up shrieking and waving their arms about how not all sushi has raw fish or lecturing about sashimi...spare me.)

I didn't think it would be more than a fad, but here we are, thirty years later, and they even sell it in the supermarket. I finally broke down and tried it a couple of times, and I still don't get it. Is it that it's bite sized? Low-calorie-ish? There doesn't seem to be much actual flavor to any of it except that you soak it in soy sauce.

Anyway, that was once a food fad, but now it seems to be part of the mainstream American diet for some.

[Mikala43]

Sushi, sashimi and poke have been in our state forever. We have a high Japanese population.

Which is another good point, what is a fad in some areas is just food in others.

[Sassybluesy]

Originally Posted by Ttark

Trying to fit in. Look at fixies, slim jeans and beards.

Ruth, the pumpkin pie spice fad is apparently big here right now and I'm in the northwest. I say "apparently" because all I have to go on is what I'm told and locally-originated articles in the Craplumbian that give the impression. I don't usually go to places that serve it and I personally don't know anybody who eats it. Bacon, not so much but I guess it was popular enough for a while that somebody got the idea to put it on maple-frosted doughnuts, which really is not very good. It's a bigger shame that it originated in Potland, but there you go.

I think Pumpkin Spice is a thing pretty much everywhere. I like a pumpkin spice latte now and then, and I'm in Missouri. I have a cousin who LOVES LOVES LOVES everything Autumn, and she's a huge pumpkin spice fan.


I've had pumpkin spice beer...and it was OK.


I've often thought bacon dipped in dark chocolate would be good.

[Sonic_Spork]

Originally Posted by Sassybluesy

I think Pumpkin Spice is a thing pretty much everywhere. I like a pumpkin spice latte now and then, and I'm in Missouri. I have a cousin who LOVES LOVES LOVES everything Autumn, and she's a huge pumpkin spice fan.


I've had pumpkin spice beer...and it was OK.


I've often thought bacon dipped in dark chocolate would be good.

The first time I had chocolate dipped bacon, it was given to me by the guitarist of the band GWAR who is a huge foodie and sort of a gourmet chef guy also. His whole family is like that. It was, I think...2010? 2012? They'd had a bacon party. Talk about going possibly too far, they had bacon flavored ice cream! Well. I didn't get to try that. I was not there for the bacon party. But later I asked him how it went, since he'd been talking about it on Twitter, and he simply vanished without a word. Which is so like him (he's super quiet) that I didn't think anything of it. He came back and handed me a strip of bacon covered in chocolate that I guess he'd saved from the party, it was frozen.

Now he is, as I said, a pretty talented chef, so he knew what he was doing. That bacon was DELICIOUS. However, it had obviously had the grease soaked off very well, and on top of that the fact that it was frozen helped, too. It was almost like nuts in chocolate. Savory in sweet. Not really weird, surprisingly good.

I've been to other places that attempted the concept, and left too much grease on the bacon, and that pretty much ruins it.

[Sassybluesy]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

When sushi first became a thing in the US, I couldn't understand it. There was a sushi place in the concourse of the building complex where I worked, and I used to walk past (when with friends) and say loudly, "New York City has plenty of good food. You don't have to eat raw fish!" (Yes, I know, this is the part where will runs up shrieking and waving their arms about how not all sushi has raw fish or lecturing about sashimi...spare me.)

I didn't think it would be more than a fad, but here we are, thirty years later, and they even sell it in the supermarket. I finally broke down and tried it a couple of times, and I still don't get it. Is it that it's bite sized? Low-calorie-ish? There doesn't seem to be much actual flavor to any of it except that you soak it in soy sauce.

Anyway, that was once a food fad, but now it seems to be part of the mainstream American diet for some.

I love sushi! (Picture Snoopy doing the happy dance. LOL)

[Sassybluesy]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

Yep, I followed the crowd right into eating pork belly.

Am I going to feel bad? heck no.

First time I've seen people come out against expanding your palate.

If OP had titled this as "why do people follow food TRENDS, instead of "fads", everyone would've been climbing all over each other to declare they've been eating pumpkin spice before it was popular, and they've been eating Kale and Collard greens since they spent summers at their grandmas. LOL

[Blue Wave]

What about the "gluten free" fad? Gee whiz, that one got out control.

I wonder how many of these self-diagnosed gluten intolerants even know what gluten is. Do they not realize that people have been eating gluten forever without having any problems?

[Marie Joseph]

Originally Posted by Blue Wave

What about the "gluten free" fad? Gee whiz, that one got out control.

I wonder how many of these self-diagnosed gluten intolerants even know what gluten is. Do they not realize that people have been eating gluten forever without having any problems?

Yes, this one is a big time fad.

I about died laughing when I saw an ad online for a new shampoo and conditioner and saw the tagline that they were 'gluten free'. WTF...is hair turning gluten intolerant too?

There are some people who do a gluten free diet because they believe it is healthier though in quite a few cases the gluten free versions of the same foods are far lower in fiber and higher in sugar. Not to mention 2x more expensive.

I would die trying to go gluten free. One of my favorite snacks is a couple of handfuls of wheat cereal of various kinds; I just love the stuff. I eat wheat, soy, tree nuts, peanut butter and am not dead yet

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Blue Wave

What about the "gluten free" fad? Gee whiz, that one got out control.

I wonder how many of these self-diagnosed gluten intolerants even know what gluten is. Do they not realize that people have been eating gluten forever without having any problems?

I have Celiac disease, and have been on a strict diet for nearly 10 years now. Gluten free is certainly not a fad due to the fact that people want to avoid the severely negative health impacts of modern wheat. It is an appetite stimulant, causes underlying autoimmune issues, has directly contributed to the obesity epidemic, and is big pharma's cash cow.

[Spuggy]

Originally Posted by Blue Wave

What about the "gluten free" fad? Gee whiz, that one got out control.

I wonder how many of these self-diagnosed gluten intolerants even know what gluten is. Do they not realize that people have been eating gluten forever without having any problems?

I’m doing so much better restricting gluten although I haven’t eliminated it completely. how do you know people didn’t have problems in the past or that the wheat of the past is the same as current wheat production.

Fads are fads because they can be fun, can open the door to new ideas and tastes, awareness and understanding. Not sure why some are auch stick in the muds.