Rant: No More "Guilty Pleasures"

Over the weekend, during a conversation about favorite foods, I was asked by a friend about my guilty pleasures. As I pondered the question, I recalled my prior thoughts on this matter. I don't have any "guilty pleasures," but only because I don't feel guilty about anything I eat. And no one should feel guilt either. 

According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, a guilty pleasure is defined as "something pleasurable that induces a usually minor feeling of guilt." Guilt is defined as "feeling bad because you have done something bad or wrong." You shouldn't feel guilty, even a little bit, for enjoying any type of food, especially if it brings you pleasure. 

If something tastes good, if it brings you comfort and pleasure, then you should feel good about eating those foods. Just because other people might not agree with you, that should not be a sufficient reason for you to feel guilty. Just because the dishes might not be the healthiest, that too is not a sufficient reason to feel guilty. Just because the dishes might be inexpensive, that is also not a reason to feel guilty. Don't let the opinions of others indicate which foods are acceptable and which should cause guilt.

Guilty pleasure foods seem to most often revolve around simpler dishes, comfort foods that may be inexpensive, and may even be foods that others often disdain. From McDonald's french fries to pop tarts, a hot fudge sundae to a street-cart sausage & onions, Kraft macaroni & cheese to hot dogs. Why should you feel guilty if you enjoy those foods so much?

You should never feel guilty for enjoying a specific dish if it brings you pleasure. We should freely share those foods which give us pleasure, without any taint of guilt or shame. In this case, guilt is a negative emotion which needs to be eliminated. The next time someone asks you which foods are your guilty pleasures, tell them you don't feel guilty about anything you eat.

The Origins of American Goulash

Is American Goulash the same as American Chop Suey? What are the origins of American Goulash?

While researching my article, The Origins of American Chop Suey, and after it was published, there were those, especially in the Midwest, who stated that the dish of American Chop Suey was known to them as American Goulash, or simply goulash. The three main basics of this dish include ground beef, macaroni and tomato sauce, with some variation of other ingredients. 

Obviously, American Goulash owes its ancestry to Hungarian Goulash, known in Hungary as gulyás, but the two dishes are very different in a number of ways, especially the modern version of American Goulash. The Hungarian version is more of a soup or stew, consisting of meat and vegetables with a variety of seasonings, including paprika. The modern versions of American Goulash are more like a casserole, and often do not include paprika.  

Most sources claim that the earliest printed recipe for American Goulash was from 1914, but my own research has uncovered recipes from as early as 1909. In addition, the early recipes for this dish are very different from the modern version, slowly evolving over time to its present form. It's also interesting to note that this dish was known all across the country, and wasn't limited to just the midwest. It might currently be thought of as more of a regional dish, but it certainly didn't begin that way. 

The first printed recipe I found for American Goulash was from California in 1909. The Morning Union (CA), January 16, 1909, printed the recipe above, and as can be seen, it called for a sirloin steak, cubed, rather than the usual ground beef. The recipe also called for carrots, rice, tomatoes, celery and optionally an onion. No paprika was included. This certainly is not like the modern version of goulash. 

I'll also note that the first recipes for American Chop Suey, which differed significantly from Chinese Chop Suey, were from 1908. One of those recipes called for ground beef, spaghetti, and a can of tomatoes, a clear ancestor to the modern versions. 

However, later in 1909, a different American Goulash recipe appeared. First appearing in the San Antonio Light (TX), June 13, 1909, the recipe also appeared in the Boston Herald (MA), July 2, 1909, Star-Gazette (NY), August 2, 1909, Evening Chronicle (NC), August 7, 1909, Cincinnati Post (OH), August 17, 1909, and the Jersey Journal (NJ), August 5, 1909. This recipe called for "beef cakes" (basically ground beef) and spaghetti, but no tomatoes or paprika. Again, this recipe doesn't reflect the modern versions of goulash. We also see that American Goulash was known throughout the country, from Texas to Massachusetts, New York to North Carolina, Ohio to New Jersey.

In 1910, the first recipe for American Chop Suey appeared which used ground beef, tomatoes and macaroni appeared. When would the first recipes of American Goulash ask for macaroni?

In Mexican Cooking: The Flavor of the 20th Century (1911), there was a recipe for American Goulash, called for cubed beef, chili powder, bacon, onions and garlic, but no pasta or tomatoes. 

The Denver Post (CO), June 19, 1913, offered another American Goulash recipe, although it called for mutton rather than beef. It also called for rice and tomatoes, as well as carrots, and optionally onions. Again, this is not a similar dish to the modern version.

As I mentioned previously, most sources claim the first printed recipe for American Goulash was in 1914, from The Woman's Educational Club Cook Book (1914) by the Women's Educational Club of Ohio. And as I've shown, this claim isn't true as there are other recipe extending back to 1909. This cookbook had two recipes, one for Goulash and one for American Goulash. The two recipes are fairly similar, although I'll note neither recipe called for pasta. The American Goulash recipe also called for paprika, as well as tabasco.

By 1914, recipes for American Chop Suey were published in Illinois, Nebraska, Indiana, New Jersey and California which all called for the use of ground beef, macaroni, and tomatoes. American Goulash recipes still hadn't called for the use of these three ingredients, so it's also clear that American Chop Suey was the ancestor to modern versions of American Goulash. 

The Omaha Daily News (NE), May 23, 1916, printed this recipe, which called for veal rather than beef, and didn't include tomatoes, rice, or pasta. 

The Boston Journal (MA), June 27, 1917, had a recipe which also didn't include tomatoes, rice, or pasta, but it did call for paprika. 

Another recipe was presented in the Rutland Daily Herald (VT), August 1, 1917, as well as the Middletown Times-Press (NY), August 1, 1917. This recipe called for both chopped pork and beef, as well as rice and spaghetti, plus strained, stemmed tomatoes (or tomato soup). 

A number of newspapers would print restaurant ads, which offered American Goulash dishes. The San Antonio Light (TX), October 6, 1917, had an ad offering American Goulash with "Paprica" for 25 cents. The Portage Daily Register (WI), November 28, 1917, noted a restaurant's Thanksgiving  menu with American Goulash as one of the dishes. The Times (LA), August 17, 1918, had a cafeteria ad with American Goulash as a lunch entree. The St. Louis Stars & Times (MO), October 17, 1918, printed a supermarket ad offering American Goulash with vegetables for 25 cents. 

The Billings Gazette (MT), November 13, 1918, noted a luncheon special of American Goulash with macaroni. This was the first reference I found mentioning macaroni in connection with American Goulash. The Billings Gazette (MN), October 23, 1920, had another restaurant ad, offering American Goulash with Spatzen. 

The Fresno Morning Republican (CA), February 25, 1920, printed a restaurant ad, with menu items including American Goulash tagliarini. The Detroit Free Press (MI), April 2, 1912, presented a restaurant ad with American Goulash for 35 cents. The Oroville Daily Register (CA), July 30, 1921, had a restaurant ad with American Goulash Canape, while their August 5, 1921 issue had a similar ad but with American Goulash with Stars and the September 14, 1921 issue had American Goulash with Home Made Noodles. 

The Kansas City Star (MO), August 25, 1921, had a brief article, with a recipe, on Hungarian goulash. This makes an interesting comparison to the American Goulash variations I've already presented.  

The Portland Evening Express (ME), February 3, 1923, presented recipes for American Goulash and American Chop Suey, which make for an excellent comparison. As you see, the Goulash recipe didn't include the use of pasta, while the Chop Suey recipe called for spaghetti or macaroni. The Goulash recipe also called for kidney beans, although that was the first use of that ingredient I'd seen in these recipes. The American Chop Suey recipe is basically like the modern version, but the Goulash recipe still hasn't reached that point in its evolution.  

The Buffalo News (NY), March 14, 1923, and the Long Beach Telegram (CA), April 20, 1923, offered another recipe, which also included the use of kidney beans. It didn't call for the use of spaghetti or macaroni, but stated you could add rice to vary the flavor. 

The San Antonio Light (TX), March 23, 1923, and Oregonian (OR), July 8, 1923, printed a different American Goulash recipe. Once again, the recipe does not call for rice, spaghetti or macaroni, or even tomatoes. 

The Evening Star (D.C.), October 22, 1924, presented another recipe for American Goulash, similar to some prior ones, which included the use of kidney beans, tomatoes, cayenne and pepper, but not the use of spaghetti or macaroni. 

A similar recipe was then presented in the Richmond Times Dispatch (VA), March 5, 1926. Still no spaghetti or macaroni.

Pasta! The Coos Bay Times (OR), June 21, 1928, published this recipe and it included the use of spaghetti and tomato soup. This is the most similar recipe to the modern version, except for the use of spaghetti rather than macaroni.  

But the use of spaghetti was far from the norm at this point. The Daily News (PA), November 21, 1928, offered this recipe, which also called for potatoes and tomato soup but no pasta. 

Again, kidney beans were called for in this recipe in La Belle Star (MO), February 1, 1929. And there was no spaghetti or macaroni.

A similar recipe was in the Brooklyn Times Union (NY), February 5, 1929, and again, no spaghetti or macaroni was used.

Another similar recipe in the Boston Globe (MA), February 8, 1930. We also see from the last few recipes that American Goulash was known in Massachusetts, New York, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Oregon. It certainly wasn't a regional dish. 

The Record (NJ), March 10, 1932, offered a slightly different recipe, which called for spaghetti. It also called for carrots, onions, and the use of Worcestershire sauce. 

Macaroni! The Democrat & Chronicle (NY), April 6, 1936, presented the first American Goulash recipe that used macaroni. This was 26 years after the first recipe for American Chop Suey used macaroni. However, this Goulash recipe didn't use tomatoes, making a creamy sauce with butter, flour and milk. This recipe was reprinted in the Abilene Daily Reporter (TX), April 17, 1936, The La Belle Star (MO), May 15, 1936, The Commercial Appeal (TN), May 29, 1936, The Missourian (MO), June 18, 1936, and The Morning Call (PA), October 16, 1936. 

The Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph (PA), November 15, 1938, also published a recipe calling for macaroni, but also using tomatoes. This is essentially the modern version, that which is also known as American Chop Suey. 

During the 1940s, recipes for American Goulash continued the use of ground beef, tomatoes, and macaroni, although still with some variation. Some recipes still called for kidney beans, while others offered the option of rice instead of macaroni. Recipes also continued to be published all across the U.S,, including as far as Hawaii. There was no indication in any of these recipes that American Goulash was a regional dish. For unknown reasons, over time, the term "American Goulash" became much more commonly used in the Midwest, although its origins extended all across the country. 

American Chop Suey, the version with ground beef, tomato sauce and macaroni, clearly predated, by over 25 years, that of American Goulash. Goulash also appears to have followed a similar path to American Chop Suey, from first, no use of rice or pasta, to second, the use of rice, and finally, the use of pasta. However, it took Goulash much longer to make that evolution than it did American Chop Suey.

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. For this edition, I highlight some New Year's Eve options.  I hope everyone dines out safely, tips well and are nice to their servers.
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1) This year, the Seafood Nutrition Partnership is celebrating their 10 year anniversary! The Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) is a non-profit organization "building awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of seafood. SNP is addressing the country’s public health crisis through education programs that inspire Americans to incorporate more seafood and omega-3s into their diets for improved health as per leading health organizations."

They will be celebrating this anniversary all year long, including a virtual celebration on their anniversary date of February 13. More details will be forthcoming on this virtual celebration, and I'll let you know once I learn more. This is an important organization, helping to spread passion, and correct information, about seafood consumption. Their website has plenty of great information about the science of seafood consumption, recipes, resources and much more. As I've long said, people need to eat more seafood, especially to enhance your health, and SNP has been at the forefront at educating and persuading people to eat more delicious seafood.

2) For January, Kane’s Donuts has a new selection of monthly specials, including Sugar Raised, Marble Cruller, Chocolate Frosted, Gluten Free Funfetti, and a Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Donut. The flavors will be available beginning January 1-31, at all three Kane’s locations.

The Sugar Raised Donut is a simple donut, light and fluffy yeast dough rolled in granulated sugar. The Marble Cruller Donut is a cake-style donut twisted with decadent chocolate and old-fashioned dough, then drenched in Kane’s signature honey glaze, getting the best of both flavors. The Chocolate Frosted Donut is a rich chocolate cake donut frosted with their homemade creamy fudge frosting. The Gluten Free Funfetti Donut is an old-fashioned cake donut loaded with sprinkles in the dough and smothered with Kane’s honey glaze, then topped with rainbow sprinkles. The final flavor is a Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Donut. A cake-style vegan donut rolled in cinnamon and sugar that is sweet with every bite.

2022: Favorite Food-Related Items

What were some of my favorite food-related items of the past year?

Let me finish my lists of my best recommendations and favorites of 2022, addressing my Favorite Food-Related Items of the past year. This is certainly not a complete list but it's more a sampling of memorable food items I've experienced and/or posted about over the past year. This is also a purely subjective list, based on my own preferences, and makes no claims about being the "best" of anything. But all of the items here have earned my strong recommendations and I hope you will enjoy them as well. For more food-related items, you can just search my blog posts for the past year.

Favorite Culinary School: NECAT is a local culinary school which trains people from challenging backgrounds, from ex-convicts to recovering addicts, from the homeless to the chronically unemployed. NECAT fills an important need for culinary help while helping numerous people achieve a better life. It is such a worthy school, helping to transform lives, and it really touches my heart. It helps individuals while also helping the community, and I continue, year after year, to try to raise awareness of NECAT so that its good work can continue and even expand. It is one of my favorite causes and is well worthy of your continued support.

Favorite Food Experience: Doris Wang, the former owner of the China King restaurant in Chinatown (which had to close due to the pandemic), had a pop-up celebration for Lunar New Year, offering her famous Peking Duck. It was an amazing and delicious experience, with lots of tasty food, starting with scallion pancakes and shumai. Then, we enjoyed her Signature Peking Duck Three Ways, and that crispy duck skin was so damn good! Hopefully, in 2023, Doris will open a new restaurant, making her Peking Duck available once again.

Favorite Food Event: In 2022, the Seafood Expo North America returned after a hiatus due to the pandemic. It was much smaller than usual, as expected, but still had much to offer. It's a fascinating event, offering so much information about the world seafood industry. And the seafood samples are tasty and fun. The event will return in March, and I expect it will be larger than last year, although probably not up to pre-pandemic levels yet. Food writers should attend this event as it is fodder for many fascinating articles. 

Favorite New Bakery: Last February, Lulu's Bakery & Pantry opened in Salem, and it's become one of my favorite bakeries, offering a wide variety of sweet and savory treats, including a number with a West Virginia connection. The owners, Nikki & Jim, have excellent culinary resumes, and evidence the passion I seek. Pepperoni rolls, corn bread, biscuits, chocolates, cupcakes, muffins, sandwiches, and so much more. Their large Whoopie Pies are some of the best I've ever eaten, with almost a chewy brownie-like cookie filled with a sweet, creamy filling. Any time I visit the Salem area, I try to stop here to pick up something to take home. Highly recommended!

Favorite Hot Sauce: I was thoroughly impressed with Dr. Dane's Vietnamese Lemongrass Chili Sauce, which is also available in a vegan version. I found the sauce to be spicy hot, with a complex blend of flavors, a pleasant lemongrass element, and lots of umami. It's a versatile sauce, that I've used on everything from burgers to seafood, and which could be added to many different dishes. It's not just a "hot" sauce, but a flavorful sauce that happens to possess spicy heat as well. 

Favorite Seasonal Donut: The Fried Dough donut, from Kane's Donuts, was a "fluffy, airy, yeast donut and doused with salted sweet-cream butter and heavily dusted with classic fried-dough cinnamon and sugar mix." The taste of this donut certainly reminded me of fried dough, and it was definitely light, buttery and airy, and not overly sweet. Very tasty and I look forward to its return this summer. 

Most Anticipated New Restaurant: From the Xenia Hospitality Group, which is behind Krasi, Greco and Hecate, will be opening a new restaurant this year, Bar Vlaha, in Brookline. "Bar Vlaha is dedicated to the largest group of nomads in Greece who are called the Vlachs. They are shepherds who wandered and laid the foundation and roots of Greek cooking...The food will reflect homemade cooking. Fresh pies, spreads, baked breads with a heavy concentration on grilling or spit-roasted meats as well as a technique or braising done by the nomadic Greeks called ‘gastra." With my deep love for their other restaurants, I expect Bar Vlaha to be equally as compelling. 

Food History Articles: Since the start of the pandemic, it's been tough for many food writers and some have simply written sporadically, especially those who concentrated on restaurant reviews. For myself, I've continued to devote many hours to researching and writing numerous historical food articles, combing through thousands of newspapers and books. I've especially delved into the origins of numerous foods, trying to seek out their true origins, and not just accepting the unsubstantiated claims of others. Here are the historical articles I completed this past year. 

Charles Shue: Chinese Merchant, Restaurant Owner & Justice of the Peace

The Early Boston/China Trade: Ginseng & Tea

The Earliest Chinese Cookbooks in the U.S.

The Origins of Chinese Lobster Sauce

An Early History of Egg Fu Young

The Origins of ABC: Almond Boneless Chicken

An Early History of Christmas in Chinatown

A History of the Club Sandwich (two parts)

The Mosaic Sandwich: The First Double Decker?

The Origins & Early History of Chess Pie

Favorite Joke Article: For April Fool's Day, I wrote The Italian Origin of Hawaiian Pizza, a faux-historical article claiming that pineapple on pizza actually originated in Italy. Of course that isn't true, but I did have a couple people who thought it might have been. This isn't the first time I've written such an April Fool's article and it won't be the last. Be advised. 

Favorite Old Tradition (Which Needs a Revival): Last year, while researching some items, I stumbled upon a fascinating old Thanksgiving tradition, having donuts on your Thanksgiving table! This tradition extends back at least to the 1930s, and lasted for over 100 years, until the 1940s. It apparently started in New England, but expanded across the entire country, even to Hawaii. It's time to revive this tradition, and I started this past Thanksgiving by having apple cider donuts on my table. Hopefully in 2023, more people will embrace this old tradition. Who wouldn't love donuts on Thanksgiving? 

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Nova Scotia Trip: This past year, I traveled to Nova Scotia for a vacation, and there were some culinary highlights, including:

Dockside Donuts: Donut Poutine: This was my second time visiting this small food truck which serves hot, mini-donuts, made to order, where you choose your own toppings. They impressed me previously so I was sure to return on this visit. This time, they also offered Donut Poutine, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Banana version. The hot donuts were topped by banana and butterscotch sauces, whipped cream, banana slices and nuts. It was as delicious as I imagined, and highly recommended. 

Steamers Lobster Company & Lobster Poutine: I love Poutine, and loved this variation, Lobster Poutine, which consisted of crisp french fries, topped by a light gravy (likely chicken), cheese curds, and a plentiful amount of lobster meat. A decadent and delicious treat, the fries generally held up well to the gravy, maintaining much of their crispness, and the sweet lobster meat was a fine addition. This would have been an excellent poutine without the lobster, but the addition of the lobster elevated the dish and pleased my palate.

Grand Banker: The Lunenburger: Their famed Lunenburger includes 6 ounces of fresh, local ground beef, smoked mozzarella, smoked bacon, baby spinach (which I had them omit for me), garlic aioli, Nova Scotia lobster (all knuckle and claw meat), and a tarragon butter sauce. It was also topped by a toothpick holding a bacon wrapped scallop. It all worked well together, creating a more decadent sandwich, which was only slightly messy from the butter sauce. Salty, smoky, sweet, beefy and cheesy. The burger on its own would have been excellent, but the addition of the lobster elevated it to a different level.

Waffle Love With Perogies: This small breakfast spot offers waffles and perogies. The Classic Waffle was served with two scrambled eggs, real maple syrup, fresh fruit, and 3 bacon perogies. The waffle wasn't the typical Belgian waffle, and was softer rather than crisper. I enjoyed its fluffy texture and taste, especially covered with some butter. The fruit was fresh and sweet, and the eggs were cooked just right. The perogies were excellent, and quite large, with a creamy and flavorful filling of potatoes, cheese and bacon. The exterior was crisp, with a nice texture, contributing to the quality of these items.

Favorite Vermont Diner: I made a quick day trip to Chester, Vermont this past November, and was quite pleased by the Savory Pancake at the Country Girl Diner. The pancake was huge, covering the entire plate, and is stuffed with ham and Vermont cheddar. What a delightful crispy exterior, and each bite was delicious, with tender ham, the fine flavor of cheddar, in the interesting vehicle of a crisp pancake. Why haven't more breakfast spots made such savory pancakes, rather than all of the sweet concoctions you usually find?

Favorite Pie: While in Vermont, I also stopped at the Southern Pie Cafe and bought their Coconut Chess Pie (and they also have Chocolate and Lemon Chess Pies). This was a superb pie, very moist with lots of tasty coconut and a crisp topping. I've enjoyed some of the baked goods from here before, but this was the first time I had this pie, and it won't be the last. Chess pie is similar to custard pie, and Southern Pie Cafe certainly knows how to bake an amazing one. 

Favorite Culinary Trip: This past Spring, I spent two weeks in Croatia, traveling across the country, enjoying its food, wine, spirits, culture, history, and more. I can't rave enough about my experiences and you can read about my travels on this compilation page, which has links to the 38 articles I've currently written, with a number of articles still to come. Fiš paprikaš (pictured above) to Kulen, Mali Ston Oysters to Truffle Risotto, and so much more delicious food. 

What were some of your favorite food-related items this year?

Rant: Forget Useless Predictions

It's now 2023 and you'll hear plenty of predictions for this New Year, but not from me.

As I've said before, predictions for the New Year are basically useless. At the end of the year, nearly all of those predictions will have failed to come to fruition and even those that did are probably due more to luck than any actual ability to predict the future. You would have just as much success by reading tea leaves or the entrails of goats. I know that if I devised my own predictions, they too would probably fail. 

We all hope that 2023 will usher in positive changes to the local food & drink industry. Instead of offering any predictions, I'm going to provide a list of ten of my desires, those trends, issues and items which I would love to see step forward and take precedence in 2023, though I'm not predicting they will actually come to fruition. Some of these items I've been wanting for many years to happen and they still haven't become a trend. I think we would all benefit if any of these desires were fulfilled.

We possess the ability to make these desires come true. They pose valuable opportunities for entrepreneurs and others to step up and make their mark. They are matters we can demand and promote, matters we can hound restaurant owners, legislators and others to pursue. We can make our future become a reality.

1) More French Toast Sandwiches
The Monte Cristo sandwich, ham, turkey and cheese on French Toast, is popular but why haven't there been more sandwiches on French Toast? This past year, at the Iron Town Diner in Saugus, I've had several other sandwiches on French Toast, including a cheeseburger, chicken cutlet and pastrami & cheese. They were all delicious, and enhanced by the eggy French Toast. Those sandwiches weren't on their regular menu, so I simply requested them and the restaurant nicely complied. More restaurants should add these French Toast sandwiches to their menu, and I suspect they would be very popular. 

2) More Savory Pancakes

This fall, I enjoyed a savory pancake, with ham and cheese, at a Vermont diner, and it was very tasty. So why don't more places offer savory pancakes rather than the sweet concoctions that are so common? Rather than have a pancake covered in powdered sugar and whipped cream, I'd much rather have one stuffed with small cubes of ham and melted cheese. Such a savory pancake could come in many different forms and its unique nature might interest many restaurant patrons. 

3) More Bread Pudding  
Bread pudding is relatively easy to make and can be inexpensive as it can be made with day old bread. Plus, it is a diverse dish that can be made in a wide variety of flavors, with different sauces, and accompaniments. I've had some superb bread puddings at local restaurants, and would like to see more restaurants offering it on their dessert menus. However, I also think there is a great opportunity for an enterprising baker to open a Bread Pudding Bakery. They exist in other parts of the country so why not in the Boston area? Skip opening another damn cupcake bakery, think outside the box, and opt for a bread pudding bakery instead. I've been pushing for this for numerous years and it still hasn't caught on. Why not?

4) Less Powdered Sugar
Stop using so much powdered sugar, covering pancakes and French toast, adding even more sweetness to sweet desserts. It doesn't make those dishes look more appealing to have a plain white powder on them. In fact, it acts to hide the natural look of the desserts, concealing their true nature. And adding it to sweet desserts is unnecessary as they are already sweet enough. It's overkill. Yet chef after chef still uses it and that needs to stop, especially its use on pancakes and French toast. Find other ways to make your food look better. Find a better way to make your desserts sweeter if that is what you really want to do..   

5) More Breakfast Pizza
A breakfast pizza, such as with potatoes, bacon, cheese and a fried egg, can be absolutely delicious. It isn't a difficult dish to create yet you won't find it available on many menus. Think of all the pizza joints you know and then consider which ones make a breakfast pizza. You might know one or two, at best. So why isn't it more popular and available? It is puzzling to me and it seems such a no-brainer. People love pizza so why wouldn't they also love a breakfast pizza? This too seems to be a missed opportunity for many so I hope more restaurants decide to add these to their menu.

6) More Duck Wings

Chicken wings get all the attention and you can find them in many different restaurants, often as an appetizer. There are even restaurants that specialize in chicken wings. Part of the reason for their ubiquity is likely that they are usually inexpensive. However, duck wings can be so much tastier than chicken wings, yet it is very difficult to find restaurants which offer them. Let's see more restaurant start offering duck wings on their menu, showing their taste and versatility. 

7) More Filipino Restaurants & Dishes 

This is another matter I've been ranting about for several years. There is a dearth of Filipino cuisine both locally as well throughout the U.S., though a few regions seem to be opening several new Filipino restaurants. With only a few Filipino restaurants in the Boston area, there is a huge opportunity here for more Filipino spots. Or if even not an entire restaurant, maybe we could see more Filipino inspired dishes on other menus. This is also applicable to a number of other cuisines of which Boston doesn't have enough representation, like Peruvian, Croatian and Georgian.

8) More Sake At Non-Asian Restaurants
In the Boston area, Sake is largely confined to Asian restaurants and there is no reason why that should be the case. Sake pairs well with all sorts of cuisines, from Italian to French, Barbecue to Burgers. I've previously written about The Science of Sake & Food Pairings, explaining reasons why it pairs so well with varied cuisines. For Sake to become more popular and mainstream, we need more restaurants to carry and promote Sake. Tasting Counter is one of the courageous outliers, a non-Asian restaurant with multiple Sakes on their menu. Sake is not just for Sushi!

9) More Love For Niche Wines
So many excellent wines get largely ignored by the general public, and even by a significant number of wine lovers. I want to see more people willing to expand their palates and explore these niche wines, from Sherry to Georgian wines, from Crémant d'Alsace to Croatian wines, from Port to Greek wines. Why do you restrict your drinking when you could be sampling all of the world's wine bounty? We need more restaurants adding these niche wines to their lists, and then promoting them to their customers. We need more wine bloggers to write about these wines, persuading their readers to check out these niche wines. You'll find so many interesting and delicious wines if you break out of your usual drinking patterns and try something new.

10) More Food Pairings With Bubbly

Sparkling wine actually pairs well with numerous food dishes yet most people drink it only as a celebratory wine or as an aperitif. More people should try pairing sparkling wine with a variety of dishes, to learn how well it can pair with their dinner. We also need restaurants and wine sommeliers to start making recommendations for sparkling wine for various menu items. Whenever I've sought a wine pairing recommendation from a sommelier, only rarely have they suggested a Sparkling wine. Sparkling wine even pairs well with simple foods, like potato chips! Why not set up a Sparkling Wine tasting with various flavored potato chips. 

What food & drink trends would you like to see in 2023?