I saw a very funny posting on the Huffington Post fairly recently about the kinds of foods that appeal to hipsters in the USA, which generally means both coasts. Of course there are plenty of hipsters in most college towns and places like Denver and Boise but the trends on both the East and West Coasts seem to travel eventually to the heartland and many of them make their way onto chain menus. Overall hipsters have a big influence on food trends and we can usually spot the next hot food trend from seeing what they are eating now. I will not go through the entire list of 22 items but they are all on the Huffington Taste webpage under the heading of this post.
Brussels Sprouts – #4 on the list. I hated them as a child but they are hot now everywhere served as starters or as sides with a main course.
Bacon – #6. Everyone loves fat I guess but I thought hipsters were more health conscious. The increased consumer demand has created nationwide shortages. I feel sorry for the pigs!
Kale – #8. A super food that pretty much was eaten by lower income people in the past. Now demand is huge and prices are rising quickly. Organic kale is out of the box popular and can be found in most supermarket chains. Kale smoothies, kale salads, …you get the idea!
Mason Jar – #9. This one is hilarious. Take a cocktail, serve it in a mason jar, and bingo you can charge more. The drink actually tastes better. Try it for yourself!
Kimchi – #10. I never expected this one to catch on. Americans love their kimchi in small doses as a flavor enhancer. There are very few hard core consumers who eat it straight like the Koreans. Could lead to a boom in mouthwash and mint gum sales!
Artisanal Anything – #13. Hipsters love foods prepared by craftsmen in small batches and not something processed by an evil multinational food processor.
There you have it. If you like these foods you must be a hipster at heart!