If you have ever wondered why certain foods “appear” out of nowhere to suddenly show up on every menu, store shelf, magazine article and television program, this book will enlighten you. Whether it is acai berries, Greek yoghurt or pomegranate juice, Sax gets to the root of how celebrity chefs, clever marketers, food industry strategies or the rare combination of the right thing showing up at the right time can suddenly make a food into household name even while other foods slide into obscurity. Does anyone remember the muffin craze of the 1980s?
One of the current crazes is for cupcakes, and according to trend-seer Faith Popcorn, this is a symptom of the ‘down-aging” trend of baby boomers who seek to combine childhood memories with easy-luxury. They were featured on Sex in the City at a time when the show was at its peak and the craze took off. Bakeries which relied on children’s birthday parties for occasional sales suddenly found themselves pressured to sell cupcakes of every flavour, design and level of sophistication. Bloggers and television shows like Cupcake Wars introduced the “must-have” cupcake to the wider world and the trend is still alive. Those who didn’t live through similar fads like fondue in the1960s must wonder what their parents ever saw in it, but the author reveals what drives these gastro-fads by delving behind the hype.
Curious about chia seed? Baffled by bacon-onics? Sax explains all and devotes one chapter to the meteoric rise of so-called “Super-Foods” in this decade. All in all, this book is a very tasty, light read which will open your eyes to a more critical view of restaurant menus and grocery aisle products.
Review by Angela Meady, Head of Children’s Services, TBPL
Thunder Bay Public Library's Book Blog 
Because cupcakes are amazing!!!