Today, in the New York Times, I read a piece called “The Fickle Fashions of Food” by Jeff Gordinier. The piece focuses on food fads, when once upon a time, it was the height of sophistication to serve pasta salad as part of a buffet. (Full disclosure: I like pasta salad.) Next came Brie, served as an appetizer and considered oh so elegant. (Full disclosure: I like Brie.) For sophistication with chocolates? Godiva. (Do I really need to add that I like Godiva chocolates?) 

Well, fads come and fads go, and this is certainly the case with food. As primates, we humans are endlessly concerned with status and novelty, which are often twined together. Old-fashioned is hardly synonymous with hip, and while old-fashioned might be a compliment in some circles, it also has a dusty, poky sound.  

And let’s be honest—most hosts and hostess want to impress their guests with the quality of the food, and, yes, even the novelty. Plus, it’s just plain fun to discover new trends and perhaps add them to the family’s food repertoire. Once upon a time, Godiva chocolates and Brie were new to me, as were chorizo, prosciutto, and even tortellini.  

In fact long, long ago, pizza was new to me. I think I was ten or eleven before I tasted my first pizza. I remember thinking: Wow, that’s good! I won’t say pizza was exotic in central Maine in the 1960s, but it wasn’t exactly commonplace, either. My family didn’t eat it, and as far as I know, none of my friends did, either.  

How times have changed. Is there a ten-year-old child in central Maine who hasn’t eaten pizza? If there is, then that child is certainly in the minority. 

But novelty can also become ridiculous. The current trend of putting bacon in everything, from chocolates to cupcakes strikes me as just plain bizarre. And please keep in mind that I am someone who loves bacon, who could easily eat half a pound of thick, crisp strips and then idly wonder about eating a bit more. But bacon has its place, and in my opinion it’s not on cupcakes or in chocolate.  

So what’s a foodie to do? In the comment section of “The Fickle Fashions of Food,” a writer called “Paladin” wisely noted, “Some of what’s good in every decade is good in any other.” 

Paladin is right. And my way is to be open to it all—the old-fashioned and the new. Some things I will like; some things I won’t. Some food, such as Brie, will never go out of style in our household. Some food, such as clam dip, will even make a reappearance. Some trends I will reject. I will never put bacon on a cupcake. But bring it all on, and I will at least consider it. 

What I hope to never become is a food snob, which is what can happen with an undue concern with trends and novelty. Snobs drain the joy out of whatever is they are snobby about, be it food, fashion, or art. And food without joy is dismal indeed.