The Latest Food Developments
Eating out is changing dramatically—not only in new types of
restaurants and new modes of home delivery, but also in the
proliferation of food trucks. These are not quite the traditional
kind of mobile lunch wagon; they often involve very sophisticated,
fusion, or artisan specialty foods. They are an excellent option
because the setup is much cheaper than a brick-and-mortar
establishment. Their real novelty, however, is the sophisticated
way they use social media to advertize and announce their location
through tweets.
The same technology also supports the pop-up food event, a kind
of spontaneous commando cooking. There is also the underground
supper club, which is yet another way chefs and restaurateurs are
getting around the myriad food regulations and high costs. Supper
clubs meet in private houses and are unadvertised, and guests make
a voluntary donation rather than pay a bill. There is a set menu, and
you basically eat whatever the chef decides to make. All of these developments suggest that we are further stratifying
into numerous more nuanced ways of eating and more varied dietary
niches, and the market is supplying people with exactly what they
want. Along with this increase in choice, typical food will probably
become increasingly simplifi ed and easy to eat—preferably by
hand. Forks and knives will probably disappear because they are
inconvenient. In this respect, although for completely different
reasons, we might be going back to the pre-Renaissance. Even plates will become superfl uous, because we will get used to
eating things directly from the package, which will also be edible so
as to cut down on waste. The fl avors will become less complicated
and easy to chew. Our aversion to eating recognizable animals will
probably increase, meaning that foods will be disguised in other
forms. Food will also come in more fun and interesting shapes and
colors—another echo of medieval taste.