Some strange food trends take the Internet by storm, but leave you wondering exactly
how or why you're supposed to eat them.
It's not just the Instagram age that has seen all these weird fads popping up — for decades,
the collective consciousness has been captivated by the next new thing and when it comes to
food, some of it is just downright bizarre.
Congealed salads
There are a few words that should probably never be used to describe food, and "congealed"
is one of them.
But back in the 1930s congealed salads were all the rage.
You could put almost anything in a mold with some Jell-O. Whether or not you actually should
do it is another story, but it was the Great Depression and people were looking for just
a little bit of hope and sunshine wherever they could find it.
If you thought congealed salads ended when the Depression did, you're sadly mistaken.
Congealed salads graced the inside of cookbooks in the 1960s and '70s as well.
"To give your salads a holiday look, start with Jell-O"
Even weirder, they seem to be making a comeback today, with everything from spaghetti-oh aspics
with vienna sausages in the center to jello molds filled with everything but the kitchen
sink floating around on Instagram.
Be wary of anything called a "surprise loaf" at the next event you attend, but honestly
that could describe any of these dishes.
"Ewwww"
Glitter coffee
Glitter, even edible glitter, isn't new, but it wasn't until 2017 that news broke that
coffee shops had started using edible glitter to jazz up their cappuccinos.
Now Instagrammers are even adding edible glitter to their coffee at home.
Why?
Because it's all about the presentation.
Information on whether or not the glitter gets stuck in your insides as relentlessly
as it gets stuck everywhere else isn't included in the menu description.
Freeze-dried astronaut food
For decades, it didn't get any cooler than being an astronaut.
We were obsessed with the idea that we could blast into space and float among the stars,
so it's not entirely surprising that once we figured out we didn't even have to leave
Earth to eat like an astronaut, we were totally down with that.
"You should try Space Food Sticks.
For good nutrition, and lasting energy.
In a chewy, tasty snackfood" According to Gizmodo, it was in the 1960s
that mass media was running with the idea that freeze-dried astronaut food was going
to be the way of the future.
It was space-saving, economical, and efficient.
Even better?
It was cool!
If you didn't have freeze-dried ice cream at least once during your childhood, you were
seriously missing out — and you need to get some.
This particular trend may not have taken off like the media predicted, but you can still
pick up some freeze-dried foods just for nostalgia's sake (or, you know, if you're a doomsday prepper).
"One of my favorites is… is freeze dried chicken. I love this.
I mean, this is the, the ultimate high-tech prepper food"
Rainbow and galaxy foods
Thanks to social media, we're developing all kinds of food trends that hinge on appearance
rather than just on taste.
Take a quick glance and you'll definitely find some rainbow food.
While there are some things that seem like they were made to be turned into rainbow-inspired
creations, others maybe not so much.
There's rainbow burgers, rainbow sushi, rainbow grilled cheese, rainbow bagels, rainbow pizza,
and even rainbow hot dogs.
If savory rainbow food isn't your thing, just look at the trend of galaxy-themed desserts.
They look amazing, and they include everything from cakes and cookies to candy apples and
lollipops, all decorated to look like something that was plucked right out of the night sky.
Between rainbows and your very own starry night, this all brings us to a very, very
important question: what will future generations think when they see your Instagram?
"No way!"
Cheese tea
Quick, think of two types of deliciousness that should absolutely never, under any circumstances,
be mixed together.
If you said "cheese" and "tea" you'd probably agree with a ton of people — but another
ton swear it's the best thing since sliced bread.
"Oh!
I actually like it.
I do.
You never thought this would taste like this" According to The Independent, this particular
trend started in Taiwan.
To be more precise, it's iced tea topped with whipped cheese.
Does that clarification make it any better?
We're not sure.
The trend started by using powdered cheese and moved on to incorporate whipped cream
cheese.
It started to spread outside of Asia by hitting the US and the UK first.
Considering how seriously the Brits take their tea, this is pretty much blasphemy.
Deep fried everything
There are a lot of incredibly important discoveries that have been made over the course of mankind's
existence, and the discovery that you can deep-fry pretty much anything set a massive
precedent for American food trends in the 21st century.
Are we proud of this?
We're not sure, but you have to admit the fact you can deep-fry soda is pretty impressive.
"Look what you did" Also on the list of surprisingly fryable foods
are pizza, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Oreos, cheesecake, apples, Moon Pies, cupcakes, jelly
beans, starfish, tarantulas, seahorses, and more bugs than you'd be comfortable thinking
about.
Also, deep-fried beer ravioli are a thing, too, and that's definitely important.
"Hey hey Billy can you deep fry your shoes?
Hey!
No problem!
Got nothing to lose!"
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