The food trends taking over 2020
April 24, 2020
While people have been in quarantine, the internet has come up with a few interesting trends. For example, “until tomorrow” posts and push up challenges. Not to mention the hundreds of quarantine memes. Many call out the fact that we are all bored eating and “procrastibaking.” One of the most popular food trends was whipped coffee. Many people have also started to make their own bread and fandom inspired food.
Whipped coffee goes by a few different names such as “Dalgona Coffee,” “Indian Cappuccino,” “400x coffee,” or “phenti (beaten) coffee.” Its history is very disputed. The trend started after KoreanYoutubers and Korean TV posted a video of Jung Il Woo (an actor) trying the coffee in a cafe in Macau, a city along the southern coast of China. According to Vice,it can be found in India, Pakistan, Greece and Libya, but they all use the same ingredients which is instant coffee, sugar and water. Whipped coffee is not a new thing; America just decided it was trendy and cool, but the rest of the world has been doing it for years.
So how do you make whipped coffee?Whipped coffee is made of two tablespoons for each ingredient; instant coffee, water, and sugar. Hand whipping it in my opinion works the best. Whip the coffee mixture until it has stiff peaks. Put it over ice and milk of your choice. I’ve added chocolate syrup to mine and that was very good. I then blended it and it tasted just like a mocha chip frappuccino from Starbucks. Sophomore Julia Bird reports that she added coconut flavoring to her whipped coffee. I would also have to agree with Julia when she said that “people of Tik Tok are exaggerating how good it is.” But if you’re bored, play around with this trend.
Many other people around are “procrastibaking.” The recipe of choice for many is sourdough bread. Sourdough bread requires a “starter.” The starter takes about 5 days to make. It’s often described as a low maintenance pet because you have to “feed” it daily. It is also called the “wild yeast” because you don’t have to use yeast. You just ferment flour in water for 5 days and it begins to bubble up and look (and smell) wild. This is a fantastic way to kill time if you have nothing to do. Chloe Thompson, a sophomore tried baking for the first time. I asked her about her baking experience. “Well turns out that baking is a lot more fun than essays and packets so who knows, I might open a bakery,” Chloe jokes. I agree with her and much rather bake cookies than try to sit and write an essay (sorry Mrs. Gross).
It makes sense that we have begun baking more. Often in the face of stress we tend to eat more. We also are a lot more bored and baking is a happy compromise. Your brain will take the fight or flight response when you’re stressed, and your body thinks you need fuel to battle whatever is making you stressed. Unfortunately, you can’t go fist to fist with ol’ ‘Rona, especially since you have to keep a 6 foot distance.
However, there are plenty of ways to manage stress. For example, just being aware of it is very powerful. Tune in to your feelings and relieve your stress. Meditating or exercise is a great way to relieve stress, which is easier said than done especially after making your third batch of cookies in the past week. But making the conscious effort to eat healthy and continue moving is really good for you. If you have plenty of time on your hands try making healthy alternatives for your favorite treats.