Trends of 2009

YOU DON’T HAVE BE REALLY have to be paying that much attention to notice that there were cycles of excitement, and millions of words, dedicated to food in 2009, a year when a major recession forced people to find simpler happinesses in the most accessible and physiologically edifying of activities: eating.

And although the food got simpler in many ways, those who tasked themselves with sharing their thoughts on food complicated many (in my opinion, unnecessary) arguments about where and when to get the get, enjoy, eat the right what and for how much. And, never have I seen some much ink (and screen pixels?) dedicated to not just to the who who is cooking the food, but to the who who is telling you what you should eat that food!

The upside of all of that fevered debate is that it kind of forced the pedestrian foodie to go out on his or her own and discover the quality of many meals themselves, free of this influence of other people’s opinions. Of course, once they’ve returned from their meal, they will have little problem offering their opinion to you and I!

Which is why I try to keep my PHUDE-nyc posts more about observation and overall personal experience than opinion, although, when you love food, how can you possibly avoid the latter. In 2009, everyone ate everywhere and everyone had an opinion about what and where they ate. That was one of the biggest trends of 2009

Here are a few others that I noticed over the last 12 months (or more accurately, the last 8 months, when I started taking myself more seriously as a foodie and decided to start this photo/food blog!):

You can click on the images to go directly to their corresponding full post.

BURGERS

This section was at first going to encompass allcomfort food—hot dogs, pizza, macaroni & cheese, and fried chicken all had their shining moments in the sun this year. But the real hype over the last 12 months ended where it started: with burgers.

There was more hoopla, fanaticism, debate, backlash, double backlash, food blog articles/post devoted to the impossibly more ubiquitous hamburger by far than any other food dish this past year. It even retook the industry’s interest back from 2008’s mini-burger/slider popularity, as well as almost making a household name of meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda who not only provides the prime meats used in citywide favorite Shake Shack’s burgers—as well as new reigning champion, Minetta Tavern’s $26 Black label Burger—but, by the last quarter of this year, made their ground patties available to the public via Fresh Direct.

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SANDWICHES

A welcome consequence to the burger/comfort food trend was the discovery and rediscovery of the sandwich, whether it was the soothing, nostalgia of old-school deli style hero’s, or the bursting-with-flavors exotica of of the soon-to-be ubiquitous banh mí sandwiches. Both types of sandwiches could easily fill up a trucker, and could be enjoyed for under 10 bucks. Almost best of all, they both also reminded us happy eaters that picked vegetables on a sandwich only elevate to a higher, ethereal taste plane.

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PORK IN BUNS

Pork buns have appeared on Chinese takeout menus for as long as I can remember. Turns out, they aren’t just that oversized doughy ball filled with cloyingly sweet, almost flourescently red ground meat. As usually pedestrian Asian and Latina cuisines got their moment to show their truer cultures through their foods,

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CILANTRO

Formerly regarded as a garnish substitute for parsley, cilantro was more prominently featured in dishes both at restaurants and at home, where its bright, herbal notes accented all types of proteins in a variety of dishes.

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THE LOWER EAST SIDE

Where were these great, demographically variegated restaurants and cuisines in this neighborhood when I went to NYU in the mid-to-late 80s?! .

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STREET TRUCKS

This section was at first going to encompass allcomfort food—hot dogs, pizza, macaroni & cheese, and pizza all had their moments in the sun this year. But the real hype ended where it started: with burgers.

There was more hoopla, fanaticism, debate, backlash, double backlash, food blog articles/post devoted to the impossibly more ubiquitous hamburger by far than any other food dish this past year. It even retook the industry’s interest back from 2008’s mini-burger/slider popularity, as well as almost making a household name of meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda who not only provides the prime meats used in citywide favorite Shake Shack’s burgers—as well as new reigning champion, Minetta Tavern’s $26 Black label Burger—but, by the last quarter of this year, made their ground patties available to the public via Fresh Direct.

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FOOD BLOGS

This section was at first going to encompass allcomfort food—hot dogs, pizza, macaroni & cheese, and pizza all had their moments in the sun this year. But the real hype ended where it started: with burgers.

There was more hoopla, fanaticism, debate, backlash, double backlash, food blog articles/post devoted to the impossibly more ubiquitous hamburger by far than any other food dish this past year. It even retook the industry’s interest back from 2008’s mini-burger/slider popularity, as well as almost making a household name of meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda who not only provides the prime meats used in citywide favorite Shake Shack’s burgers—as well as new reigning champion, Minetta Tavern’s $26 Black label Burger—but, by the last quarter of this year, made their ground patties available to the public via Fresh Direct.

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“BEST” LISTS

This section was at first going to encompass allcomfort food—hot dogs, pizza, macaroni & cheese, and pizza all had their moments in the sun this year. But the real hype ended where it started: with burgers.

There was more hoopla, fanaticism, debate, backlash, double backlash, food blog articles/post devoted to the impossibly more ubiquitous hamburger by far than any other food dish this past year. It even retook the industry’s interest back from 2008’s mini-burger/slider popularity, as well as almost making a household name of meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda who not only provides the prime meats used in citywide favorite Shake Shack’s burgers—as well as new reigning champion, Minetta Tavern’s $26 Black label Burger—but, by the last quarter of this year, made their ground patties available to the public via Fresh Direct.

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STILL, PORK/BACON

This section was at first going to encompass allcomfort food—hot dogs, pizza, macaroni & cheese, and pizza all had their moments in the sun this year. But the real hype ended where it started: with burgers.

There was more hoopla, fanaticism, debate, backlash, double backlash, food blog articles/post devoted to the impossibly more ubiquitous hamburger by far than any other food dish this past year. It even retook the industry’s interest back from 2008’s mini-burger/slider popularity, as well as almost making a household name of meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda who not only provides the prime meats used in citywide favorite Shake Shack’s burgers—as well as new reigning champion, Minetta Tavern’s $26 Black label Burger—but, by the last quarter of this year, made their ground patties available to the public via Fresh Direct.

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Bun Apple Tea!
.kac.

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