2013: Random food thoughts

Hope the holidays were good to you and yours. As we head into 2014, let's look back at some of the things that happened over the past year that I didn't get a chance to talk about:

• Despite it being the hottest pastry mash-up of the year, I never got the chance to try the cronut, or croughnut, if you prefer the Canadian spelling. I heard that Boko Bakery and Atelier Restaurant were making a version of croissant/donut hybrid, but I don't know if that's still the case.
• When did Sriracha become the end-all/be-all in hot sauces? I know that people are panicking about not getting shipments because of stricter health guideline enforcement in California, but this sudden outpouring of love in the form of clothing and documentaries is a bit much.
• Check out this new instant sushi Asian candy:
  
• Vegans got angry at Starbucks for not having a vegan option for its pumpkin spice latte - all because the latte mix contains condensed milk. The petition is still available for signing, and with over 4000 signatures still needed, can use all the support it can get.
• Even without reading Ottawa Magazine's best restaurants issue, I knew I haven't eaten at any of them  - having a two-year son can do that. I still haven't even had a chance to check out places like Union Local 613, Stone Soup Foodworks, or the supper club at Mellos. I'm sure my wife will agree it's time to arrange a date-night.
• Beer connoisseurs who spend more time looking for the next new craft beer instead of drinking the great beers already available to them, need to re-examine their priorities. It's not necessary to become Captain Ahab in order to find a satisfying malted adult beverage. Stop turning it into the new wine and let beer just be beer.
• We've been eating salad the wrong way for all our lives. Using chopsticks is the way to go - get your lettuce, your tomato, and your crouton without all that stabbing at the plate.
• Gwyneth Paltrow writing a cookbook shouldn't make anyone upset.
• I've only eaten breakfast there once, and had a pint or two in the pub in the back a handful of times, but now that it's gone, the Mayflower on Elgin will be missed.
• Other bloggers have said it better, but it still needs to be repeated - brunch is bullshit. Sure, meeting up with the gang for a meal sounds great when you're still high from leaving the club, but is crawling out of your warm bed on Saturday/Sunday morning when you're hung over, to wait in the cold, in a long line, just to eat eggs with orange-flavoured champagne really worth the effort?
• Pepsi-Flavored Cheetos (Frito Lay Cheetos x Pepsi Shuwa Shuwa Cola Corn Snack) exist...as does hash oil-infused Nutella. I'm sure the Cheetos would go over big with the 4:20 crowd, and that the weed Nutella would give "magic brownies" that much more of an extra punch.
• The word "foodie" is dead. It means nothing and everything at the same time. A foodie is someone really likes food - you know who else likes food a lot? EVERYBODY. My New Year's resolution is to stop using this term to identify myself and this blog. While knowing about food and appreciating it is important, at the end of the day, it's just cooking and eating.