What’s hip in the food world for 2010? Trend reports are
emerging, and here’s
what’s hot:
- High end sausages from luxe chefs
- South American cuisine (think chimichurri sauce and odd rainforest nuts
and
berries) - DIY veggie patches with unique culinary produce
- Street food
and food
trucks - Korean food as the new Thai
- Healthy high-end granolas
- DIY
butchering
classes - Chicken and beef liver
- French bistro cooking
- The humble hot
dog - Anything homemade (especially jams and baked goods) when
delivered on a single-speed bike - alternative eating including
gluten-free and vegan - The return of the dinner party
- Urban Chicken Farming
- Sous Vide at Home
What’s
seeing some backlash? The cupcake frenzy seems to have run its course,
though cupcake coffeehouses may be the new Starkbucks; silly bacon
stuff, though serious charcuterie remains strong; fake martinis;
molecular gastronomy just for the sake of being molecular; “extreme”
food as sport.
What are you looking forward to seeing more…or less of in 2010?
Please view my previous posting on Dec., 30th,2009.
Oh, and for smarty pants which slammed my typing-spelling,I’m so sorry I did not use a spell checker. No need to slam people. I’m in a rush. Give me some leeway O.K?
I must respond to the Dec., 26th posting from the Sebastopol (resident?)which lives in Seoul who says Korean food is NOT diverse. That is absolutely silly. I lived in Seoul almost two years,and spent a week in Koh-Samui Thailand, which hardly makes me an expert but one only has to walk down almost any street in Kang-nam-gu or elsewhere in Seoul to SEE the diverseity of food,you don’t have to taste it.
Whether it is fish,ell,turtle,dok (rice flour sticks,steaming in hot chili sauce),bun-day-gee, (steamed silk worm lareve,served by street vendors in cone shaped newspaper wrapping), mon-du ( similar to dim-sum,Sam-gup-sal-three layered pig skin-fat then meat, cooked on a stone( wow! my mouth is watering!), or all the absolutely diverse and traditionally served soups. Only a blind person could miss all this-and for 6 years this person lived there? That’s 3 times longer that me.
Please ignore that posting.It is inaccurate.
I am arranging now for my lovely wife to start teaching basic Korean food preparation around the area here in Santa Rosa. People need to know about this fantastic food and wonderful culture.
In response to the posting for Korean people being rude.If anyone is interested, I will respond to that accusation with some real insight. I would love to comment on it and all my experiences as a consciencencious and as objective observer I tired to be. he Korean people gave me allot. Of course, not to be proud to be an American or anything- I know the trend is to bash- but, we liberated half of them from the tyranny and turmoil that is Communism. Guess what? they appreciate it.Especially the older generation.
How does one live in Seoul for 6 years and not come back married to a Korean woman? Sounds a little ALTERnative to me.Special.
Thanks Kainoa. You actually got it pretty much dead on. As usual.
The cold, ugly truth is that I wrote that the week I had strep throat by way of necessity. I was pretty drugged up and sick. I compounded things by touting the Korean food new Thai in ads for the article. And the Momofuku thing — hmmm. I think that maybe a more accurate way to have couched that was that Korean influences (vinegars, kimchee, bbq’ed meats) is something on the forefront.
Overall, not a shining moment. It was a lazy, lazy article.
Here’s the thing. Criticism is warranted sometimes and keeps me real. Thing is, I totally admit to the fact that I’m still learning. I spend every single day reading, eating, talking and absorbing information voraciously. But yes, I’m a lay person and not a chef. I’ve only been focused on food writing for about 5 years. And it still is only a portion of my day job.
I’m far from perfect and I admit that I’m not to everyone’s taste. I try to be honest and real. That’s why I welcome your comments. Many of you are a million times more knowledgeable on these subjects.
We’re in this together. Happy New Year.
Calling Heather “one of the most unprofessional food journalists” and “the laughing stock of the food world” is beyond hyperbole. What “food world” do you live in?
I suspect she took a few bullet-points from a food trend analyst’s yearly email of predictions for the coming year and ran with it. If that’s the case, at worst it may be lazy, but really? There’s nothing wrong with that, and she has clearly elicited a response.
I think Heather is more than capable of dealing with legitimate criticism, and commend her on her responses… with two and a half exceptions.
First. I don’t think anyone (worth responding to) had their “knickers in a twist.” They just disagreed, and made some good points actually.
Second, I don’t think there was any real “bashing.”
(Outside of the previously mentioned hyperbole…)
Folks chose to disagree with one of FIFTEEN items Heather listed, and while that item apparently rang some bells, it wasn’t put forth as a truth.
The half? The Momofuku reference was irrelevant and inaccurate, but only caused more discussion (see: comments).
Heather may not be the most knowledgeable food writer (though she is by no means the least knowledgeable), and I think she would be the first to admit that. Knowledge aside, she is most certainly professional. And well-read. More than 1,000 unique hits (average) a day to the main Bite Club site, and that doesn’t include visits from pressdemo.com’s links to specific stories which make for an exponentially higher total hit count…
Personally, I would have disagreed with the suggestion that street food/food trucks, and high-end sausage are going to take off in the coming year. They took off. Two years ago.
I’m sensing a few former English teachers found this post, and this is why they’re upset. Korean food is great. But in the past ten years Korea has been importing western English teachers and has been turning a blind eye to them when their contracts are broken and they get cheated out of their money. Combine it with a consistently xenophobic attitude in management and in the media, and you have loads of young people who return to their home countries passionately hating the country–not for its politics like people have done with the U.S., but for its culture.
Karma.
I’ve seen this on a few sites, and I get it on my own every now and then. Whenever you say something good about Korea, you’re going to get a gang of justifiably embittered people who passionately hate the country and culture because of their bad experiences there.
Whoa – are y’all Korean or just havin’ a bad day #perhaps induced by too much acid in your digestive systems#…..and OMG, the person who posted and said they were an English teacher – hevvens to betsy – I do hope you’re just a really poor typist because I haven’t seen such poor spelling since I last graded a term paper written by a Korean college student…..Glad to see someone else w/ first hand cultural experience weigh in on Korean temperament, though – my experience is that the average Korean makes the most difficult “rude” person (in mainstream US terms)look like a puddy tat. “Figures”? Why are you are so flagrantly hostile towards Heather? No – wait – please don’t reply…at least Heather has the courage to sign her own name to every thing she writes… And, finally – oh, wait! this is a food blog -
I personally enjoy Korean food. I had no idea there was a Korean restaurant in Sonoma County. Sounds like it may not win any michelin stars in the near future but I’m glad to know about it nevertheless. Usually I wait til I get to SF and have had meals that make me want to come right back and meals that, if I thought they accurately represented Korean food, would cure me forever. I think it’s fun to try new restaurants – regardless…Trend? Why not!! Let’s see if some stalwart Korean chef dares brave the So Co market and becomes the Next Best Thing here ’bouts. Hey – Guy Fieri made a Big Go of it, so why not? (Nothing against Guy – I think he’s a hoot – but he too is “not for everybody”…)
Went to a fun Korean resturant in SF last year. The food is all served raw and you could grill it yourself on the habachi in the middle of table (they also served fully prepared dishes as well). It was a lot of fun and very tasty.
I lived in Seoul Korea for almost two years and taught English there after of College. I married my wife there.I am surrounded by the food and culture every day.
Simply put,and I say this to every =one about my experiences in Korea has the most beautiful women in the world (I’ve traveled extensiveley) and the greatest food.
Being in the second most polloted city in the world, and never really having a grasp of the language, there had to be a bright spot in it all. I believe what keeps the Korean people from committing Hari-Karie is that they can look forward their next meal. The place is extremely difficult to live in.
Bear Korean restaurant is not a good representative of true Korean food. One needs to go to a place with volume of customers so the food is relitively fresh. Korean food must be fresh. Korean are also a very separate breed from Americans. Don;t let the cute smile fool you, they are brutal. ESPECIALLY about THEIR food. They are going to let whomever prepared the food if there is something they don’t like about it. That is why you won;t see allot of be-back Koreans to Bear Korean.
To experience Korean food is to marry into a Korean family or go to Korea. The food is astonishing. Ox tail, Sam-gyup-sal, my favorite SAm-gay-tang, or even bo-shin-tang,dog soup. I’ve been to a restaurant there where you can even pick the dog you want to have in it, as well as live chickens too.
An amazing traditional place.
Awesome. My plan is working. Someday I’ll make it to laughing stock of the food universe.
Dream the dream, baby.
Have you seen how many Koreans live in LA? They’re taking over the Latinos – that’s why there are so many Korean restaurants opening. Even sushi restaurants are Korean owned/run. Same with San Jose, SF, NYC. Until they start opening in places like…..Santa Rosa, it’s NOT mainstream and it’s not going to replace or overtake Thai. Look how many Thai AND Vietnamese restaurants are in Sonoma County? Do you see as many Korean restaurants in Sonoma County….ever? No. Won’t ever happen.
Momofuku is NOT Korean food, nor is Momofuku Ko or Ssam. The chef, David Chang is Korean but it’s as much about Japanese as it is Korean. Korean, Japanese, asian fusion will be a big trend in 2010 but not in Sonoma county or Santa Rosa. Are you kidding me? There’s like 1 Korean restaurant in Sonoma County that I’m aware of and they serve traditional Korean. As popular a trend as Korean/Japanese fusion maybe a trend in 2010, the Ramen noodles are going to be an even bigger trend. But again, none in Sonoma County. We are soooo behind the food trends here. Everything is always about “wine country cuisine” it gets boring.
As usual Heather posts then gets involved with the comments in an extremely childish way.
Heather is one of the most unprofessional food journalists out there and is the laughing stock of the food world.
Well my mother is Korean and I grew up on the food. To me Korean food has soo much flavor unless it ofcourse it is too spicy.. I have tasted Tai and it is nowhere near as flavorful as Korean food.. I really don’t know what people are talking about when they say Tai food has all the flavor!! Very bland to me!!
Unfortunately, there isn’t a GREAT korean restaurant in sonoma county. I’d like to endorse Bear b/c I’ve met the owners who are so sweet and nice but I can’t.
The best is in LA. The next would be in san jose. After that? Oakland/SF. There used to be a place in SF called Brothers but then they sold it to a different owner and I kid you not, it went downhill. =\
What’s with all the bashing?
I find it really provincial of people to get their knickers in a twist over a trend article…
Korean cuisine is really hot right now. That’s not a mystery. Some of you have seen the fusion Korean thing coming for a while. Others are scratching their heads.
Let’s get on the same page. Is Korean truly going to replace Thai? Who knows? I doubt many folks saw Pad Thai replacing Egg Foo Yong, but it clearly did.
But probably not. More realistically, I forsee elements of Korean food starting to trickle down into the a more approachable version for the American consumer. I think it is very likely that we will see more Korean BBQ, along with a fascination with the little bowls of banchan (probably very Americanized), noodles and kimchi.
Korean food has never been as immediately approachable as Thai food, I’ll grant you. The strong fermented flavors and fascination with the gelatinous tend to turn of folks who haven’t grown up with it.
But really? We’re getting this worked up over a trend article? Blah. Take it for what its worth.
Bear Korean has been in Cotati for several years: http://www.koreandining.com/
All due respect, but what the F does Momofuku being an “international food zeitgeist” (not my words) have to do with Korean food as a growing trend?
Having been to a few of that group’s restaurants, I can say they have kimchi and a few Korean inspired dishes from time to time at Ssam Bar, and a few noodle dishes at the Noodle Bar, but those are as much Japanese as they are Korean, and in execution are more fusion than anything else.
And as for Kogi… That’s hardly an “international food zeitgeist.” It’s a taco-truck, and it’s been around for quite some time… Being in, around, or from LA does not a trend make.
LOL. As a Sebastopol native who’s lived is Seoul for six years, all I can do is laugh at the notion of Korean replacing Thai food. Korean food’s scope of diversity is very narrow, as is it’s appeal. Much of it is fermented food, which is terrible for your stomach. Korea leads the OECD in stomach cancer cases.
Thai food utilizes fresh ingredients, and wonderful fruits like the coconut, papaya, and mango. They’ve even got curry. In Thailand, the food is typically quite spicy, akin to Korean food.
Finally, there’s not much Korean food that’s going to appeal to US tastes. Bibimbap, bulgogi, kimbap, and the bbq gamut are about it. Thai food is here to satay.
Heather please, this is a family blog !!!!
The article never said, where the Good Korean BBQ restaurants
are around Sonoma. This way others can taste and compare for themselves.
AP,
No disrespect but you are clearly an idiot! Korean food has been the new thing in Los Angeles for the past 2 years with KBBQ joints and restaurants opening up everywhere in LA (lived there for the past 8 years). Also, they’ve been opening up everywhere in the Bay Area, primarily in SF and San Jose.
Will Korean ever surpass sushi? Probably not. Will Korean ever surpass Thai? I believe it has.
I will have to disagree with AP, no disrespect though. Korean food, when I travel to enjoy it, has always balanced the sweet, salty, fermented and spicey flavors to my exact preference. I love spicey food, and when I request this at a Korean restaurant, I leave thinking the humble waitress is laughing at my sweaty red face. I have repeatedly requested spicey foods at local Thai restaurants to no avail. Oh, and for the “regular” health conscious bite clubbers out there, kimchi will rock your world. I miss the Korean place on 4th (now Ethiopian). Shrimp heads in my fiery bowl of soup steaming next to a sizzling platter of chicken, appetizers of sweet black beans, kimchi, mung bean cake…c’mon! Korean food is on the righteous path, surpassing Thai food in the immediate future.
Riiiiiight. Cause Momofuku and Kogi Korean BBQ aren’t international food zeitgeists right now.
These are hardly Santa Rosa trends. I can only wish. These are national trends darlink.
Sorry, but Korean will never and could never be “the new Thai.” It may be a new trend in Santa Rosa, but it will fizzle long before it ever comes close to Thai cuisine’s worldwide popularity.
The simple fact is that the Thai people have created something that is truly universal in its appeal. Korean food has almost none of that same magic.
Korean food is a guy awkwardly playing a harmonica up against Thai food’s London Symphony Orchestra.