Let Us Eat Dirt

The foodies over at Gourmet have a few predictions for the New Year. "Easy, comforting recipes" and "necessary luxuries" like chocolate and wine will be hot to counteract the cooldown on dining out. Other predictions? Ice cream made of goat's and sheep's milk, and a boom in the "neutraceutical market" with an overload of probiotics added to foods. Continued buzz for the scotch-swilling Mad Men is predicted to bring simple drinks back…to the home, that is. More prevalent calorie counts on menus, universal hunger pangs for Korean and Indian food (two cuisines, they note, whose ingredients are relatively inexpensive) and an increase in vacation exoduses to Iceland and Cuba (President Obama, they say, will patch relations with Cuba). And lastly, the magazine (half-jokingly) foresees food going extremely local, with chefs bringing meals back to their roots—by sprinkling dirt around the plates of homegrown and sustainable fare.