The Past as Prologue? ...................................................................

Lecture 36

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his lecture will make some long-term predictions about food, where it
comes from, who grows and processes it, how it gets to us, what we
do with it, and how and why we eat what we do. Most importantly,
it will suggest some ways that knowledge gained in this course might be
used to enhance our appreciation of food—not only by knowing how we
got to this point, but also by using the lessons learned to shape the future.
Hopefully, this lecture will encourage you to learn more about the foods that
have been discussed throughout the course and then use those as starting
points for further exploration.

Food Trends of the Future
 Obviously, we have become a culture that is fairly obsessed with
food, but it is not simply a matter of people in general knowing
more about food or even enjoying it more. Our relationship to
what we eat, how we eat it, and with whom have changed in many
surprising ways.

 In terms of food writing, the Internet has had a major infl uence

on the availability of recipes. Until recently, cookbook writers

were afraid that the ubiquitous availability of recipes online

would put them out of business. Online information is faster, more

interactive—with more choices and ratings—and potentially better

able to cater to specialized tastes.

 Strangely, the profusion of online information has given the

authority, the connoisseur, even greater authority because even

though it seems like we have more information, getting reliable

information has become even more diffi cult. The last couple of

decades have seen a profusion of high-quality food reference works

written by authorities.