Dude food vs superfood: we're cultural omnivores
- Written by The Conversation Contributor
Australia appears to be simultaneously embracing very contradictory food trends. We lick our fingers after an all-American feast of gourmet burgers, freakshakes, doughnuts and ribs, but repent for our sins with a kale smoothie and a cauliflower-base pizza.
Early in 2016, In-N-Out’s Sydney popup store prompted six-hour lines and sarcastic editorials. A month later, another burger chain from the United States, Carl’s Jr, opened on the New South Wales Central Coast. Gourmet doughnut chain Doughnut Time opened to long lines in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley last year and has since opened more stores in Queensland, as well as in New South Wales and Victoria. And Canberra café Pâtissez is largely credited with the emergence of the freakshake in Australia.
Meanwhile outlets that focus on organics, raw and health food are becoming more popular. In my hometown Brisbane, places like Primal Pantry and Coco Bliss are popular in the inner-city and fringe areas, but the reach of these foods extends to the outer suburbs and beyond.
Every major city and town in Australia – and a growing number of regional centres – can boast its own health-conscious, superfood-serving eateries. So how then do we reconcile the fact that there are currently two very different versions of what is “good” and “popular” fare? I argue that our fondness of both indulgent and healthy fare is based upon the same values: we’re cultural omnivores.
Network Ten’s cooking program, Good Chef Bad Chef sets these polar-opposite values alongside one another as chef Adrian Richardson and chef/nutritionist Zoe Bingley-Pullen cook together and playfully bicker about whether taste and indulgence, or nutritionally-rich and fresh dishes are better.
Although worlds apart, it appears that both of these trends are borne out of the same disdain for fast and processed foods that has become more pervasive in recent years.
The failure of fast food
McDonald’s in the United States had seen a downturn in profits as the fast-casual dining trend becomes ascendant.
Fast-casual dining refers to a style of eatery that is positioned between fast food and casual dining where customers receive a better product than a fast food offering, but with fast food’s pared-back service style and lower price point.
In the United States, restaurants in this category include Chipotle and Shake Shack. Australian equivalents include burger chain Grill’d and Guzman y Gomez taquería outlets.
In Australia, the Golden Arches appears to have better responded to the increased desire for gourmet offerings with its M Selections menu, and more recently its Create Your Taste custom burgers.
It was reported in Brisbane last year that a growing penchant for “trendy, mid-range venues” and a “glut” of these in the city was contributing to the closure of fine-dining restaurants.
Authors: The Conversation Contributor
Read more http://theconversation.com/dude-food-vs-superfood-were-cultural-omnivores-53978