I'll Take Trendy Fruits for $500, Alex
photo by Breno Peck, reprinted under a Creative Commons License
My name is Cheryl, and I drink pomegranate juice.
According to a new report by the Center for Culinary Development, this means I’m trendy. Which is unfortunate. I’d rather be cutting edge, avant-garde, subversive even. But right there in black and white, the report chronicles pomegranates’ speedy four year ascent from fringe to ubiquity. Time to look elsewhere for culinary cachet.
What’s next? It could be the Amazonian palm berry açaí (see photo, above), with its highfalutin accents and inscrutable pronunciation. In fact, the blueberry-voguing fruits already grace 3 separate varieties of Snapple, a sure sign of mainstream infiltration. Mark my words: they’ll soon show up in Diet Coke Plus (“New! With açaí !”) and as the featured ingredient on Top Chef. The TC contestants will go açaí-happy at Whole Foods, loading the fruit into their Toyota Highlanders and whizzing up smoothies in their KitchenAid blenders. In the Top Chef GE Monogram Kitchen. On Bravo. Owned by NBC Universal.
You get my point. Something about the product marketing of everything, even healthful superfruits, leaves me cold.
I guess I could reject it all, but, nah. Instead of fighting my inner trend-monger I'll embrace her. Snuggle her. I’ll make out with the goji berries and suck face with the CCD’s next picks, the guarana, cupuaçu, acerola, and camu camu. Just you wait.
Sorry, apples.
...
Recipe for Moderately Trendy BlueCherryGranate Smoothie
Serves 1
1/2 ripe banana, chunked
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen dark sweet cherries (NOT in syrup, please)
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup pomegranate-blueberry juice (or straight pom. juice)
2 teaspoons ground flaxseed
Toss ingredients in a blender and whirl.
I, too, am unwillingly trendy.
I wrote about how superfoods give us permission just yesterday in my blog. I think that is the hook that leads big companies to jump on the superfruit/superfood bandwagon. After all, if the coke has acai juice in it, it must be okay to drink three a day, right?
Posted by: Dana McCauley | May 07, 2008 at 02:18 PM
That's funny, Dana... we must be on the same wavelength. I actually read your earlier entry on fortified water for dogs and that really got me thinking. Will the madness ever end?
Posted by: Cheryl | May 07, 2008 at 03:28 PM
It's trendy with 5 year olds also...After tasting his 6 year old friends pomegranate drink, my 5 year old son sampled the juice at Costco and now it is a must have. The drink that he created -- equal portions pom. juice and apple juice, a bit of water and ice, and a twist of lemon -- and he is not happy when we are out of lemon!
Posted by: Elisa | May 07, 2008 at 09:55 PM
Your son obviously has a sophisticated palate! (He's not asking for an olive garnish, is he?) Personally, I'm just glad Costco isn't giving out Hi-C or Tang.
Posted by: Cheryl | May 08, 2008 at 05:47 PM
Hi Cheryl - love your blog! Here's the link to the hilarious "acai in a glamorous wine bottle" company that my cousin Celio works for out of Sao Paulo: www.monavie.com
My client has one of his friends bring it to him, always only one bottle at a time, and I haven't had the guts to try it on the sly. I'll let you know if I manage it.
Your post reminds me of that profile in the New Yorker recently titled "The Pomegranate Princess." If you missed it, I'll try to find it for you!
Posted by: Joyce | May 08, 2008 at 10:01 PM
Joyce, That bottle is so beautiful the acai had better be phenomenal or it'd be a real letdown. Sneak a sip and report back, please.
And thanks for mentioning the New Yorker article. I'd missed it but just read it online here: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/31/080331fa_fact_fortini
Those Pom folks have some serious cash.
Posted by: Cheryl | May 09, 2008 at 10:15 AM