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Street food adoption papers approved

September 13, 2010 by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

I find it fascinating that some experiences stay with you forever while 1,000 others fade to nothing - as if never born. Have you ever had an experience that, however small, is one you will never forget?

One of my favorites happened when my son was still a baby. He and I were at the zoo and were taking a break in the playground area when I noticed two girls, clearly sisters, and their mom playing near us. The girls were one ethnicity and their mom another.

So I wondered if the girls’ dad was their same ethnicity or, if perhaps, they were adopted. Ironically, as I am pondering this, the younger sister (about 6 yrs old) came over to see my baby. She touched his hand, asked his name, and then asked “is he yours or did you get him from somewhere?” Ah ha – adopted I concluded. Her mom came over and, after a lovely chat, revealed they were indeed sisters adopted from Korea.

Food and flavor trends may also be adopted, but they need a champion to be brought forward into the spotlight (unlike children - who shine on their own). Until they are adopted, they can be linked to other trends and have a solid backing for their existence, but without a champion, they may remain an orphan. An orphan can have the greatest resume ever but may fade into nothing, like a memory, if it is never allowed to have its own voice.

But sometimes, a trend’s birth is so strong it has multiple parents - as if joint custody is the only way to proclaim rights to the trend. This phenomenon is not common, but is the case with the Street Food trend.

The Street Food trend actually has three parents, which not only strengthens its grasp as a trend and raises its voice, but also lengthens its lifecycle. Its parents include:

1. The War in Iraq / Afghanistan

2. The Economic Crisis

3. Travel Trends

As it happens, the three parents have no common ground and therefore no quarrel with each other. The Economy and War parents start off divergent but then join together with a shared path to adopt Street Food.

The War parents want Street Food because it is one of the main forces behind clanning (a Faith Popcorn term) which means “gathering.” It is that drive to want to be around like minded people, common interests, etc. Knowing, seeing, and shaking hands with the chef preparing your food is part of clanning. Dark Travel is another offspring to the War. Travel influences flavors. As travelers return from adventures abroad they turn and seek to replicate their food experiences here in the states. Dark Travel is post war and apocalyptic travel. Think Korean war, Vietnam War, our current war – this is a force behind Korean and Vietnamese food and Middle Eastern food becoming the current and upcoming rock stars in foods and flavors.

Next - the Economic Crisis. This is the main force behind trading down (in restaurants and menus), the downturn in the restaurant traffic, and the increase in coupon use and bargain hunting. When the two parents join forces they share in the rise of local, sustainable, the need by consumers to experience the feeling of safety, familiarity, healing and grounding.

Travel trends stands on its own, but if it has a cousin it would surely be the War. What Travel brings that the others do not is the sense of adventure, the exotic, the closeness to the food and the chef, the oneness with the food that no one else can offer and the experience travel can bring that right now is not affordable. In short, Street Food makes one feel “hip, cool, and in the know.” And this is a rare gift for a trend to offer - embrace it.

The forecast for this trend is as follows:

• Restaurant catering

• Restaurant to move laterally and launch mobile trucks

• Airport kiosks

• Store within a store

• Trucks to be franchised