restaurant concepts. It takes “fusion cuisine” to another level.
Consider the five tastes your tongue can identify: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami. Can you imagine a dish that hits all five of those points, using elevated globalization food trends? Students today are far more food savvy and knowledgeable about food and food trends. So, how do we stay ahead with the trends? Easy. Look at what the restaurants are doing. There will always be more prevalent culturally chosen dishes that stay at the top of menus and order guides. If you look back at the past few decades, the terminology and dishes have evolved to be more specific; as diners do not want to simply go for “Chinese” they seek a broader range of Asian cuisine such as dumplings, pho, pad thai, dim sum or the experience of a Japanese Steakhouse. Latin items like chimichangas, jerk chicken, chicken tinga, nachos, elote, street tacos, sopas and pozole continue to top the charts of “what’s popular.” There is an uptick in Mediterranean cuisine also. Hummus, falafel, tabbouleh, and rice bowls are trending nationally in quick style restaurants like CAVA and Zoe’s Kitchen. Another popular and flavorful cuisine is Indian food which is known for its flavorful curry spice. Curry is extremely regional as the blends can vary from region to region based upon availability of spices, cost of spices, cultural preferences, and generational recipes. Many associate curries with being spicy whereas curry is a British term for “sauce.” Not all Indian curry is spicy, more so just flavorful. Indian food is heavily seasoned, using a wide variety of cooking methods and applications. New quick service restaurants like “Curry Up” and “Curry Spice” are popping up across strip malls in America. Is there one in your town?
Food is a beautifully loud language that every human understands. “
Food is a beautifully loud language that every human understands. Food is fuel for your body. Food shared with friends and family is an experience. Your favorite dish prepared by your grandmother is food made with love. Food has such diverse meaning across the globe, with each culture having their own set of rules around dietary consumption, religious preferences and rituals. The United States is incredibly fortunate with an abundance of opportunity to capture food globalization and recreate it at home. The expansive cultural diversity, open trade policy, education around cultural norms and dietary restriction studies allow for the dialogue to shift from “What can we offer” to “What is popular.” So, what is popular? FLAVOR. Diners seek flavor in the way of fresh ingredients and quality spices. Flavor is more than just salt and pepper!
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