Trends

Eat The Seeds. You probably don’t know that pomegranate seeds are edible because only five percent of Americans have ever even tried a pomegranate, as reported by David Armstrong in Forbes (2/2/04). That’s pretty sad for a fruit that’s been around since 3000 B.C. The pomegranate’s stock is rising, however, because, according to Mintel’s Global New Product Database, some 59 new pomegranate products were introduced last year. One of the hottest is a pomegranate drink called Pom Wonderful, said to be “the fastest-growing drink in the premium refrigerated juice market.” Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver are also working pomegranates into their recipes, and an uptick in pomegranate seeds on salads and deserts has been noted at upscale restaurants.

read the full story and further links..
https://reveries.com/cool_news/2004/january/jan_23b.html

https://opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110004593

Over the past week, concerns about the arrival of the Seattle java giant filtered their way through the media. The usual French suspects talked about Simone and Jean-Paul and their smart set turning in their graves at the sight of the latest American cultural invasion. And just how do we know Starbucks won’t feed us American Frankenfood?

Yet the English-speaking denizens were even more exercised. “Is this the final fall of French civilization?” asked Theodore Dalrymple, a recent exile to France, only half in jest in the Times (of London). Jeffrey the New Yorker, a writer-in-Paris acquaintance of mine, pledged to throw a brick through the window. In case Jeffrey makes good on the threat, I’ll leave out his full name.

Is this coincidence or does it mark a changing of the guard?

From the Seatle Times:

The Economistmakes it official ?Starbucks is a global company. The London-based business magazine recently used the price of a Starbucks tall latte around the world to determine whether foreign currencies are over- or undervalued against the dollar.

For years, the Economist limited itself to burgernomics, using the price of aMcDonald’s Big Mac hamburger to measure whether exchange rates were appropriate. It used an economic theory called purchasing power parity ? over time, exc

https://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2001842095_dunphy23.html

Need to check out restaurant menus from New York?

Now Amazon.com can help you discover great local restaurants. You can even search for specific menu items.

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/913908/104-1443476-9524721?city=New_York

London: The Sunday Times has unearthed a new study by American climatologists which claims classic Mediterranean wines will be overtaken by British and Baltic varieties as a result of changes in the climate. Sussex and Kent are potential producers of champagne while Devon and Cornwall could make Claret-like wines. The cooler climes of Scotland, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia could create white wine. Alan Holmes, head sommelier at Petrus is even considering offering Nyetimber, a sparkler from West Sussex, on his menu.

From Restaurantmagazine.co.uk

Kiosk pilot tests and the potential uses for such self-service systems in the restaurant business were hot topics at the recent International Foodservice Technology Exposition, or FS/TEC, in Long Beach, Calif. At that show, which is co-produced by Nation’s Restaurant News and Robert Grimes of Accuvia, information systems executives for some of the nation’s largest quick-service companies, including McDonald’s andHardee’s, urged foodservice technology vendors to accelerate development schedules for some systems by borrowing ideas from other industries. [Read more…] about Nation's Restaurant News – Technology

Satisfied Singlehood. The New Year is barely on the calendar, and wouldn’t you know it, we already have our first new buzzword: Quirkyalone. The word is the invention of one Sasha Cagen, author of a new book whose full title is: Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising , reports Karen S. Peterson in USA Today. Sasha, who is 30 and not single but “quirkyalone,” says her goal is to “introduce the term … and hope people use it as a tool for conversation. Here’s how she defines the term: “A person who enjoys being single (but is not opposed to being in a relationship) and generally prefers to be alone rather than dating for the sake of being in a couple. With unique traits and an optimistic spirit; a sensibility that transcends relationship status.”
[Read more…] about Quirkyalone a new buzz word

But most striking of all is Energy Gel from Maxim, launched in the UK in July, which although it clearly targets drinks brands is in fact a gel, as the name would suggest. Packaged in a 100g flexible pouch, Maxim is being marketed as an alternative to the raft of energy drinks, though whether its proposition of boost without refreshment will prove a winner remains to be seen.

https://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/news/news-NG.asp?id=48938