30 Unnecessary Food Trends That Prove Not Everything Needs An Upgrade
There was a time when certain foods knew their role and did it well. No explanation. No remix. And now those same foods have been reimagined and somehow cost three times as much.
This Reddit thread taps into that very specific frustration of ordering something safe and realizing it’s been tampered with. You don’t notice at first. Then the plate arrives. Then the regret sets in.
And the replies just keep stacking up, each one worse than the last, until you start wondering if anything is allowed to stay simple.
Are we ever getting our simple food back, or is this just life now?
1.
Hummus. The real version is so good on its own but now we have all sorts of flavours that are sold at ungodly prices. Beet hummus?! Give me a break.
2.
Burgers, I don’t know who decided that grinding up a wagyu beef, squishing it into a burger and selling it for £60 was a ground breaking idea, it still isn’t better than a burger out of a good food truck, just leave it basic and delicious.
3.
Milkshakes. I just want drinkable ice cream. Stop putting so much stuff in/on it.
4.
Guacamole. Leave my guac alone. It doesn’t need any pomegranate seeds.
5.
The instagramization of food has made a lot of stuff be more for looks than taste.
6.
Cupcakes. They have gone from a nice excuse to eat cream cheese frosting into a full blown art scene.
7.
Hummus. Take this from a Lebanese chick. You do NOT need to pay $12 for a container of black bean avocado monstrosity. What the heck is chocolate hummus? Just buy chocolate spread, you weirdo.
8.
All caramel does not need to be salted! I don’t know if this really fits here but I’ve been waiting for someplace to complain about it. lol.
9.
I first discovered arancini (deep fried rice balls) at dumpy fast food-ish spots in train stations in Italy for like €2 for a giant one. You’d grab one as a snack for the train ride.
Imagine my surprise when they become trendy in the US for $20 for three tiny ones covered in tomato sauce. Not bad, but I’ll take the cheap big ones every time over what we have here.
10.
Grilled cheese. There’s a local place by me that sells different grilled cheese variations, but they don’t consistently have basic grilled cheese. They have every other iteration of it…and no tomato soup. What is that about!?
11.
Anything on a food truck. Food trucks are so bougie now. They used to stay affordable because their costs were lower. But now they’re so expensive.
12.
Tacos. A simple street taco for $1.50 with well-seasoned meat, cilantro, onions, and a squeeze of lime juice is utter perfection. Yet, there are half a billion places around the country packed to the gills every night making needlessly complicated tacos with ridiculous ingredients for $7–$11 a pop. The best tacos I’ve had all year were from a tiny shop attached to a gas station in Dallas, Texas.
13.
Poutine. The world does not need poutine with lobster or truffles.
14.
Sandwiches.
The only thing that annoys me is how they don’t fit in the human mouth anymore. I’m sure they’d be lovely if it was possible to consume all the ingredients as intended.
15.
Agree with the tacos. Also for me, brownies. Maybe it’s just me but I just like a simple plain fudgy brownie- crispy top and gooey in the centre. Not these brownies with layers of Oreo’s and peanut butter and Biscoff and so many other things.
16.
Coffee. I get curious and try various trendified coffee drinks occasionally, but simple black french press coffee is 100% more satisfying to me every single time.
Also, best tacos I’ve ever had were from a random college bar at a town I stayed in a couple years ago. They were doing a deal of like a dozen tacos for $10 so I ordered the chicken – simple corn tortillas and chicken cooked til tender with white onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. My bf and I crushed three orders.
17.
Donuts. I don’t need a lavender-frosted donut dusted with cocoa and Fruit Loops. Just give me a maple bar and leave me alone.
18.
Philly cheese steak. being greasy and low quality is the POINT. what’s this ciabatta bread and baby arugula nonsense? where’s my cheese whiz??
19.
This may be controversial, but french fries.
Your going to charge me and extra 5 bucks for “truffle” that I can’t even taste over the parmesan?
I certainly like to spice things up but I hate the insane charge for what is essentially just a little basic seasoning.
20.
Mac ‘n’ cheese. Restaurants go so overboard with the truffle oil, lobster, and other add-ins; it’s almost impossible to find just solid, normal mac.
21.
Street corn. I don’t need it to be “elevated.” Just give me a simple not canned elote/esquite please with everything.
22.
Chicken wings. Cheap wings used to be a trick to get you to go to a bar and spend money on overpriced drinks. Now ‘cheap’ drinks are a trick to get you to go to a bar and spend money on overpriced wings.
23.
Avocado toast! Just lemon, salt and pepper! I don’t need a teriyaki savoury muesli, tarragon fermented mushrooms, micro greens from the lost city of Atlantis and a mystery sauce (that is inexplicably ONLY ON THE PLATE).
24.
Bloody Marys. Completely ridiculous hipster nonsense with the preposterous toppings. An entire cheeseburger slider? Seriously?
25.
Pho. Fast, hot, and cheap pho is part of what makes it so satisfying. When it’s elevated to like $25 a bowl or something, it loses its allure a bit for me. Not that a $25 bowl can’t taste great or be innovative, but I want something that tastes reliable and won’t break my wallet.
26.
Deconstructed food that is more expensive than the constructed version.
Worst was a carrot cake. It was a badly/undercooked cake batter in a bowl with too sweet cream cheese frosting and some toasted nuts thrown on top. The texture was enough to make me gag.
27.
Avocado and bread. Aka Avocado toast. It was the poor people’s breakfast, then they started charging 15 dollar a pop.
28.
Pizza. I understand how it easily lends itself to experimentation, but I always return to a nice simple pie with good sauce and cheese and a few standard toppings.
29.
I’d have to say hot dogs. Like tacos, give me the cheap ones so I can have a few instead of a $10 one I cannot eat with my hands.
30.
Crêpes. I did a semester abroad in Paris, and crêpes were a food you could buy on every street corner for 2 euros. Now that I’m back in North America, it’s frustrating that I can only get fancy crêpes at nice restaurants for several times the price.