Elijah: I had no idea that activated charcoal conflicted with medicine! It seemed like such a dumb hype trend with not enough research to me. Gosh I used to love Burger King when I was little because they let me order my cheeseburgers plain. I don't even remember why I stopped going in my teens and early adulthood, likely because I just became obsessed with other restaurants, and the fact that other places have caught on to the "your way" motto and let me order plain cheeseburgers now. I decided to give it a good old go a year ago and I got food poisoning! It was honestly the worst burger I'd had in a long time lol. Obviously, it was just that location (which closed just a few months after I went) got it certainly made me really sad.
Food Network (Round 8): brownie01, drpepper17, sweetpotatofries05
Jennifer: Finally someone that agrees on cake pops!! Maybe I just had a bad experience but I don't know. The original recipe called for cake crumbs mashed into a ball and to mee it's like WHY. It was also released during the time that trendy bloggers started wrapping everything in fondant. Your daughter being pissed that it wasn't a lollipop is a whole MOOD, that's hilarious and adorable. As for four loko, lol that does sound very art school. Four lokos are just cheap liquor you pick up at 7/11 to get absolutely wasted and have a terrible hangover.
There are no redeeming qualities about it. Though they had a swedish fish flavor for a while that was pretty tasty!
Food Network (Round 8): mango02, soju13, cornbread07
Jun: I agree that rainbow foods are still popular, but folks just aren't calling them unicorns as much anymore. I remember seeing unicorn ice creams and other desserts all over tumblr back in the day. As for cake pops, I only tried once and it was AWFUL, it was dry and had a fondant coat that was flavorless. Thank goodness missing the Charcoal trend, it was so pointless. Overestimating is an interesting thought, there is that fixed idea of infinite growth but tbh there is so much competition and it's all too expensive for lil ol' me anyway lol.
Food Network (Round 8: redlicorice01, cauliflower08, swedishmeatball01
Kayori: I agree unicorn was a really weird choice for rainbow. Maybe for businesses that didn't want to be directly tied to pride? I remember early unicorn stuff posted tended to lean more into pastel pinks, blues, purples, and sparkles, rather than a straight rainbow. But naturally things get watered down once corporations get a hold of it. I think with cake pops they mean more like it's just not as buzzy? Like I remember in high school every mom I knew would brag about having cake pops at their kid's birthday parties or whatever. It was new and exciting so everyone was either buying or making their own. Though they're still popular and at Starbucks the *hype* probably just calmed down a little. For fine dining, I agree they should specify more. I have heard of some major chains having financial trouble (before COVID) or at least seeing their growth curtail (many chains did take out massive loans for mass expansion in the 90s and early 00s, which is not a sustainable model). It goes along with so many outlets shitting on millennials (and now gen z) for "killing" restaurants but tbh there are a lot of factors that contribute to things like that. I still go regularly, but I definitely do so knowing that I could be saving other things instead, but eh.
Food Network (Round 8): brownie19, chocolatemousse06, balut08
Lex: I did find it odd that they were so negative about unicorn food but then turned around and gush about cake pops. I went into cake pops more in other responses and I think that it's just that it's not as buzzy anymore. Social media food is just weird, often it's just not very reasonable, or is more for looks than taste
and I feel like it's only gotten worse. Cough syrup donuts sounds... awful what the heck?
Food Network (Round 8): saffron01, edamame15, whitechocomacadamiacookie09
Ouji: Yeah I kinda skipped the charcoal trend, it seemed a bit too gimmicky to me. Though I did have charcoal tooth paste and it was exactly as grainy as it sounds. I mean it did scrape my teeth clean so there's that. I'm a hookah smoker and use natural coconut coals on the daily and the thought of eating it sounds like a terrible idea to me. As for four loko, it was definitely the crazy party dudes (AHEM ACE) that drank it I feel like back in the day. They are only like $4 a can too, very cheap and fast way to get drunk even with the current version.
Food Network (Round 8): kale02, aguafresca09, bluecheese06
I never would have thought they'd be a casualty or anything, I just figured that business and COVID made business terrible. Places close all the time, but sooner or later another one takes its place. It's almost kind of seasonal, in a way, or at least that's how I look at it - like a place might not be open THIS year but give it time and a little change in weather and there'll be a brand new, remodeled one popping up sooner rather than later, probably down the street in a mall or something.
