I’ve been holding myself back on this post for a while now.  It’s likely that there are a lot of people who won’t agree with what I’m about to say, and may in fact disagree violently with my opinion on this topic.  Unfortunately I find that I can no longer restrain myself in this case.  This is something that has gone unchecked for far too long and it needs to be reigned in before the epidemic spreads even further than it has already.

To all you restaurant chefs, television executives, magazine and newspaper food writers and others in a position to make a difference, please,

Enough it with the trendy foods already!

First it was California Cuisine, then it was the kiwi.  Following that was the mango and of course the demise of curly-leaf parsley in many of America’s kitchens. Now it’s foams, gels, sous-vide and an emphasis on pairing new and unusual spice combinations with classic ingredients. (Just how many different chocolate sauces does one really need?)

I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with these foods, nor is there anything wrong with wanting to try new methods or combinations. This is the nature of food. Risks must be taken, new methods tried and new flavor combinations explored.  It keeps the palate fresh and opens the mind to new possibilities. But it should not. EVER. Be used as an excuse to relegate perfectly good foods or ingredients to the “passe” file of the public consciousness.

I ask you, what exactly is wrong with a salad made with iceberg lettuce? Is there something wrong with the last 10 years worth of crop? Why is it that chefs worldwide simply removed this from their menus? I doubt it was because none of their clientele would have ordered it.  More likely it was the result of one or two overly pompous and self righteous chefs that felt that they knew better than their customers did what should be served to them.

The same fate has befallen many dishes that used to be featured on nearly every restaurant menu in the country.  Lemon Pepper Chicken, once a mainstay on menus from the lowest family chain to the most celebrated gourmet establishment, has simply fallen off the radar.  It’s not served anywhere.  I have seen chefs on television complain that “nobody serves this anymore, and no one should.”

Is there a reason for this attitude?  What is it about this dish has earned the scorn of the professional chef? Perhaps it’s the million bad knock-offs and cheap seasoning blends available on the market today.  Perhaps it’s because now that a million home cooks can make a truly decent version,t here is no more reason for a chef to attempt to make it well?  Nobody can explain why this dish has gone the way of the dodo, but I tell you one thing, I wouldn’t mind having a little of it right now.

The fruit of the moment trend has to stop as well. For the past two years the world has been assailed with mango.  Mango salsa, mango chutney, mango sauces and mango desserts.  The world has sung its praises for so long tht it, too is becoming passe.  soon I feel that it will disappear from restaurant menus just as surely as kiwi did in the 80’s or apple based desserts did in the late 70’s.  Why? Because these trend-powered monsters have overloaded us with them for so long that nobody wants to look at them any more!  Had we just cooked them with some restraint, they could have been a permanent mainstay of the American diet, but they will not be.  They have already been replaced by the fig and the pear.  Which one of those fruits will win the battle as the next fruit of the moment is yet to be seen, but it’s coming.

While we’re at it, quit downplaying curly leaf parsley!  There is absolutely nothing wrong with this herb.  It’s been a staple in kitchens for as long as anyone can remember, but suddenly not only cooks, but food stylists are calling this perfectly good herb “tired”, “old hat” or “blase”. While it is true that flat leaf parsley has a more pronounced flavor, it can be difficult to find in some places and where it’s difficult to find, it will also be a lot more expensive than its curly leafed counterpart.  Why in the world would you pay twice as much for an herb when using just a bit more of the cheaper variety will get you the same amount of flavor? To be honest, I use curly leaf more often myself because it has a longer shelf life, which stretches my money even further.

let me wrap this up by saying this:

Stop letting someone in a trendy restaurant determine the future of American cuisine.  They don’t know any better than your grandmother what is or is not good.  Some things don’t need to be changed or updated and good recipes and great food should not be forgotten just because they are “common”. It’s time that we as foodies (and food snobs) put our voices to work and let the powers that be know that what we really want is food that is  prepared well, from good ingredients, with passion.

But don’t put a salmon mousse on my plate.  I’ll stick with the actual fish, please.

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