There has been a consistent increase in quirky food trends in the past few years, but some of these new ideas aren’t as great as they appear. While new flavors and hybrid combinations can be awesome, they can just as easily be disastrous. The food trends featured on this list are ones that should be retired, immediately. From unusual ways to serve food to hybrid pastries to eclectic burgers, these disastrous food trends will have you asking, “What were they thinking?!” Some of these food trends are no doubt exceptionally creative, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to be food ideas we use or eat in our everyday lives. These food trends definitely get an A-plus for originality and creativity, but that doesn’t mean they’re the best trends ever invented. Please stop endorsing any of the food trends on this list so we can get on to inventing better and brighter things.
Live Frog Sashimi
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via youtube.com
This is one food trend that is just downright cruel and cringe worthy. Live frog sashimi is – as you probably guessed – where live frogs are used in the preparation of sashimi. This food practice sees the frog stabbed alive, its skin stripped off, and then its inedible insides removed. The frog is then served as part of fresh sashimi on an iced platter. Although the frog is served both dead and raw, sometimes the meal begins by eating the still-beating heart.
Though eating frogs is not an unheard of practice, the way the frogs are killed seems unfairly cruel. There are many other humane ways the frogs could be killed to be used in the sashimi that isn’t as torturous. We can’t imagine eating a meal where we witnessed the animal killed right in front of us. We hope the inhumane aspects of this food trend end immediately.
Edible Dirt
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via betterpieces.com
A lot of kids experiment with eating dirt when they’re younger, but that’s not a snack we’d be willing to try as adults. And that’s why we’re confused about this dirty delicacy – pardon the pun. This food trend has been around for a while, but only seems to be gaining more popularity. Edible dirt is when food ingredients are made to look like dirt. This photo shows a dessert variation of this trend. Oreo cookies were grounded to look like dirt. Sprinkled on top of a scoop of ice cream and finished with some yummy gummy worms, this dessert has been capturing the attention of adults and kids alike.
While we appreciate the youthfulness in this food trend, it’s still hard to stomach eating something that looks so much like dirt. This might be a cute idea for a child’s themed birthday party or a Survivor game night, but this trend isn’t one we hope catches anymore serious attention. Save the dirt for the worms.
Burger King Wine
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via firstwefeast.com
There’s not a lot of ways you can mess alcohol up. But Burger King found a way to do exactly this. To celebrate their 40th anniversary back in 2015, the fast food company released a limited edition bottle of wine, aptly called “Whopper Wine”. The wine was supposedly aged in flame-grilled barrels, which are used to enhance the flavor of Burger King’s famous burgers.
We’re glad this wine was only released in Spain because something seems off about a fast food chain releasing wine. Burger King may know how to make some tasty fries and burgers, but wine seems a little bit out of their comfort zone. While we haven’t personally tasted the alcoholic beverage, we have a feeling Whopper Wine wouldn’t become a favorite for Wednesday Wine Nights. We’d much prefer a limited edition burger or a new milkshake flavor in lieu of a questionable alcoholic beverage the next time Burger King wants to celebrate an anniversary.
The “Mufgel”
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via halboor.com
Right off the bat, this food trend comes off as pretty unappealing. So we’re not sure how it has gained so much popularity in such a short amount of time. The “mufgel” is a muffin-bagel hybrid that was invented by Scot Rossillo, a Brooklyn-based bagel genius and also the grandfather of the “cragel”. Rossillo is best known for owning The Bagel Store, the infamous bakery that brought the world the rainbow bagel and the “pookie”, the half piecrust, half cookie invention.
We’re not sure if this pastry type delicacy is a breakfast lover’s dream come true or worst nightmare. It’s true that the concept seems awesome, but the finished product looks like a heart attack inducing devil food. Truthfully, the mufgel does seem pretty unhealthy, but it’s not like any pastries are known for being particularly good for you. At the end of the day, we don’t see this becoming our new breakfast option in the mornings any time soon.
Pizza Burgers
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via dailymail.co.uk
It’s no secret that North Americans love their pizza. We try to infuse this beloved Italian dish into many different plates, from the ingenious creations of pizza bagels to the likes of pizza pockets. But nothing could prepare us for this latest pizza-inspired creation. The pizza burger is a 1,360 calorie cheeseburger that’s wrapped up in a pepperoni pizza and cooked like it was a calzone. It was created by Boston’s Restaurant and Sports Bar and has been made available at the chain’s 40 locations in the United States.
The people behind the pizza burger have said they had no intention of trying to make it a healthy option and haven’t defended the alarming calorie count. This dish definitely sounds good in theory, but the fact we may not be able to fit into our pants after devouring it makes us cautious. This greasy dish may be good for the first few bites, but we predict many upset stomachs in the future of anyone who dares consume this monstrosity.
Rainbow Food
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via mamamia.com
This is definitely the most Instagrammable food trend out there, but that doesn’t mean we’re completely sold on it. Rainbow food was popularized when a Brooklyn bakery began selling rainbow colored bagels. The Internet went into a frenzy and photos of the colorful treats began appearing on all social media platforms. Before long, recipes and YouTube DIY tutorials began popping up showing the world how to make their own rainbow creations. Now you can find instructions to make almost anything rainbow colored.
We’re unsure about this trend because it seems so unhealthy and unnatural to be eating rainbow colored food. We don’t want to think about many dyes and chemicals are mixed in these foods- and the harm that could potentially do to our bodies. These foods are adorable for Instagramming, but that might be their only purpose. Rainbow foods are definitely better decorations than meal options.
Black Water
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via thisiswhyimbroke.com
Water is known for being a clear liquid substance, so we’re not sure what would compel anyone to ever drink black water. The concept seems pretty strange to us, but black water drinks have been trending and popping up on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter.
Black water is a sugar free, zero calorie beverage that claims to be more beneficial than regular bottled water. It’s said to be infused with mineral rich hydration that helps maintain a healthy metabolism, revitalizes the body, and hydrates skin. It’s also full of electrolytes and said to be effective at balancing body pH. While these benefits all sound great, we’re skeptical as to how effective this water actually is. Bottled waters always advertise certain “advantages” they have over the competitors. The black water coloring seems more like a gimmick to attract consumers rather than indication of mineral rich water. This water definitely makes for a cute Instagram photo, but that may be just about it.
Savory Ice Cream
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via dailymail.co.uk
It’s not unusual for strange and exotic ice cream flavors to exist. But savory flavors are having a major moment currently. And we’re not sure what to make of it. Offbeat flavors, such as sriracha popcorn, avocado, and cheeseburger pizza, have been gaining popularity. We love trying new flavors and exploring our options, but we definitely think we’d have to pass on lobster-flavored ice cream.
We’re curious to know if savory ice cream connoisseurs taste these flavors because they genuinely liked them or because they were dared. We don’t know why anyone would think these outrageous flavors would be a good or popular idea. But obviously there must be some people who enjoy these weird ice creams because this is one food trend that’s only predicted to grow in the coming years. We don’t know about you, but we don’t think we’ll be trading in our classic strawberry ice cream for these daring flavors anytime soon.
Donut Burgers
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via theburgerguide.com
America is known for coming up with some crazy fast food creations, but this one takes the cake. We should have seen the day that frosted donuts would be merged with the savory flavor of a hamburger eventually. Also known as the Luther burger, this specialty burger replaces the traditional bun for a glazed donut. You can get it in the classic hamburger or cheeseburger varieties. According to the rumor mill, this burger was named after late recording artist Luther Vandross, who either invented it or enjoyed eating it.
This could be an appetizing choice if we’ve had one too many drinks and it’s 2am. Otherwise we don’t know when we’d be craving this ingenious creation. If this burger keeps growing in popularity, we’ll probably see a warning this type of food is known to cause diabetes or high cholesterol, because this meal is the definition of unhealthy. After eating this we bet we’d seriously be craving some carrot sticks and water.
Peeps Milk
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via peewee.com
We’re all for chocolate and strawberry milk. But this might be taking it too far. Peeps are famous marshmallow-type sweet treats that are most popular during Easter. Prairie Farms came out with Peeps Milk, flavored-milk beverages that come in varieties such as marshmallow, chocolate marshmallow, and Easter egg nog. The milk came to the delight of children and to the horror of parents everywhere.
This sounds like you’d be drinking straight sugar. As tasty as this drink sounds, it doesn’t’ sound like the healthy breakfast option you want to gravitate towards in the morning. Perhaps Peeps should stick to manufacturing candy instead of milk. If the beverage has to be banned in most households because it’s so unhealthy, then maybe it’s not the best product to keep on the market. While we don’t deny trying this milk for the sake of curiosity, we’re going to stick to our regular skim milk in the mornings.
Cronuts
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via frankenfood.wikia.com
Everyone has a soft spot for donuts, no matter how much they may deny it and that’s why we’re always open to new donut-inspired creations. So, it’s no surprise the “cronut” has caught our attention, much like it has done to the rest of the world. This food trend is a cross between a croissant and a donut. While it maintains the flaky, buttery texture of a croissant, cronuts have the famous deep-friend goodness of traditional donuts. Given this mouthwatering description, the cronut may be the next best thing since the cupcake.
The cronut first began being sold by Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo, with all of the cronuts selling out every single day. Eventually a black market developed surrounding the unique pastry and began selling them for upwards of $100 each. As yummy as a cronut may be, that’s a ridiculous price to pay for a pastry. And that’s why we can’t get behind such an ingenious food trend. We’ll stick to traditional donuts if it means not having to break the bank.
The Mac Attack
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via frankenfood.wiki.com
You can never have enough cheese, right? Okay, maybe that’s actually wrong. Take the Mac Attack for example. This creative burger was invented at Rockit Burger Bar in Chicago. In place of a traditional bun, this burger uses a fried macaroni and cheese bun to hold in the other ingredients, which includes a gourmet beef patty, tomatoes, green onions, lettuce, and siracha ketchup. The burger gained the attention of foodies and bloggers online. While the burger was only offered at the bar for a limited time, other restaurants have added similar creations to their menus. There are also an unlimited number of recipes and tutorials teaching viewers how to make their very own macaroni-and-cheese-burger hybrid at home.
This burger seems creative, but rather strange. We’re not sure how appetizing a macaroni and cheese bun would be against the other ingredients. It might be quite delicious, but its richness would ensure you’d feel full in a matter of bites. This burger might be a fun option for a one-time adventure, but we don’t think this will be taking the place of a traditional hamburger anytime soon.
Fat Infused Water
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via 2dayfm.com
Here’s another strange food trend example that tries to turn traditional bottled water into something it shouldn’t be. Fat Infused Water is a strange concept, to say the least. FATwater is an actual beverage available in select American stores. It was created by David Asprey who is also known for creating Bulletproof Coffee, a popular coffee and butter combination. The drink is only 20 calories and is said to be infused with drops of coconut oil that helps your body to rehydrate quickly. It’s offered in a variety of flavors, including berry, orange, and lemon.
It’s hard to know if this is actually a worthwhile trend or the latest health craze that will come and go like they all do. Water infused with fat sounds rather unnatural and, to be honest, pretty unnecessary. We’re not sure why we’d need more help with hydration if we’re already drinking bottled water. Maybe fat infused water isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Mason Jar Food
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via fitvio.com
The hipster craze that has swept North America was fun for a while, but now it’s just getting annoying. Mason jar food was one trend that grew out of this interesting subculture. Suddenly it became trendy for hipster-inspired restaurants to serve food in mason jars and DIY decorating ideas and crafts with mason jars took over the Internet. The mason jar craze took over the concept of modern food serving and it’s unfortunately still going strong.
We have to admit we thought this trend was quirky and cute when it first came out. It seems rather novel to eat food from an untraditional serving option. However, when we started seeing this trend used in restaurants, it became too much. We have to remember that mason jars are not plates or Tupperware, but they are actually jars. They’re heavy, inconvenient, and their purpose is not meant to be for the serving of food. We hope this is one trend that dies quickly because we don’t know how much more we can take.
Bacon Donuts
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via notable.ca
Donuts and meat seems like a really weird concept from the get-go, so we’re not sure where the inspiration behind bacon donuts came from. This delicacy is literally a deep-fried donut topped with bacon bits and glazed in a sugary coating. The savory treat isn’t touted for its high levels of trans fats, but enthusiasts don’t seem to mind the unhealthy aspects of this new donut type. Despite its unhealthy downfalls, the bacon donut has been popping up in bakeries everywhere and its popularity doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Perhaps this could be appetizing food trend to some, but a bacon donut seems like an exceptionally acquired taste. We don’t think that would be our first choice when we’re stopping for a quick coffee and donut combination. Most of all, mixing donuts with meat just seems like an unlikely pairing that was better left undone. Meat and pastries isn’t a very appetizing mix, so we hope donut flavors stick to a more traditional route in the future.
We don’t know about you, but we’re very confused as to what the inventors of any of these food trends were thinking when they came up with these ideas. Trends like pizza burgers and rainbow bagels are just not meant to last, so we hope their popularity dissolves as quickly as possible. If you’ve been known to endorse any of these trends, we encourage you to withdraw your support. These are trends that need to be stopped so that we can move on to inventing even better things. Imagine all the other food creations we can invent besides these unfortunate trends. Maybe we’ll develop a pizza made completely of ice cream or cookies that use surprising ingredients. But we’re never going to discover these amazing food trends if we’re stuck on the old. Here’s to going out with the old (food trends) and bringing in the new (food trends).
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