Bowl Food is in, Cronuts are out.

January and we are seeing lists of what’s hot, what’s not, what’s in, what’s out.  The Adelaide Advertiser, fount of style and charisma, filled me in on the following.

Well Sauvignon Blanc is out and Chablis is in.  Chablis is a French wine made of chardonnay grapes.  Does that mean we’re to be encouraged to stop buying local? Or is Chardonnay now going to be called Chablis?  So confusing.
Sliders are out.  Aren’t they just little hamburgers?
Freakshakes are out.  So mums keeping the kids quiet while they have a café outing can now save about $30 per child.  That’s a plus, not to mention the sugar rush and bad choice of colours.
Cronuts are out. Frankly haven’t seen one in ages so not missing it.  I think they were time consuming to produce, like the Polly Waffle.
Wooden boards and plates.  That’s a relief for diners (the sauce ran off the board, as did the cutlery) and a relief for waiters.  "You learn how to carry three plates and they introduce boards!" I hope slate goes the same way





















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Veggies are in, raw, fresh, cooked or pickled. Who would have thought? But cynicism aside, this will lead to delicious produce and to exploring native ingredients.  (Dads and uncles will complain.) This is called the New Vegetarian and has been brought on by our craze for healthy foods. Wow, the power of words.
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Finally, the revelation for me was Bowl Food.  Hadn't heard of it. It’s very HOT (although it’s usually cold) and very IN. I had to try it.
A bowl is filled with all sorts of diverse ingredients and I can’t put it more simply than that. 
On the plus side, it helps use up leftovers.  It needs only a fork to eat it so it can be eaten in front of the telly. It often contains lots of  crunchy raw stuff (which is delicious) and eliminates the need for conversation.  If offers lots of variety so even a few left over beans can build a bowl. Washing up is minimal.
I can't think of any down sides, especially in this heat and with the new stove not yet installed.  More on that later.

Top bowl - Faïence transfer-printed bowl,  pre-Glasnost USSR, widely sold in Scandinavia, particularly in Finland.  Wish I knew more about the provenance. - Beans, our baby carrots, cos lettuce, herbs,  bean sprouts, roasted pork  belly and isn't that a little bit of left over pineapple?  Washed down with some Dandelion Rosé.

Second bowl - petit bourgeois Dutch faïence, c.1890 Maastricht "Slamat" - a "bowl" to celebrate a present of a bunch of holy basil, along with bean sprouts, water cress, fried shallots, our green beans, coriander and a Vietnamese-style dressing.
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​Will I ever get back to cooking?

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