It guess it was inevitable. But some of the foods and activities I, as a ‘Classic Boomer’, have taken for granted all my adult life are facing imminent extinction… Will the rise of the Millennials mean saying goodbye to cereal, mayo, and ‘American cheese’?
Clickbait slideshow author Jon Gardocki specializes in researching slideshows and listicles of all on all aspects of youth culture. ‘Youth’ being anyone younger than the Boomers. One of his more recent contributions to modern knowledge and wisdom is a compendium of Boomer ‘essentials’ Millennials and younger generations literally ‘aren’t buying’…
I beg to comment…
From the dozens of items and practices he’s listed, I’ve chosen a select few adhering to the ‘food’ theme. And I have dared to offer my own opinions (and rationales for saying so) on them…
Cereal
Gardocki: “Gone are the days when one would wake up to a bowl of crackling Captain Crunch and cold milk. Today’s generation is willing to give up all of these bowls of sugar for an assortment of fiber-rich and nutritious breakfast items. As research has shown that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, millennials are taking note.”
Maggie: Agreed. And it’s about time we weaned the kids (and ourselves) off sugary, nutrition-bereft breakfast cereals. Even oldsters like me have been leaving classic ‘cereals’ by the wayside in favour of netter options such as whole grains And with the recent ‘decriminalization of eggs, eve we have the option of going high protein via a better route.
Mayo
Gardocki: “Millennials aren’t fond of traditional mayo for long-loved potato salads, french fries, and so much more. Instead, they seek out more exotic and flavor sauce alternatives. Mayo itself is rather boring.”
Maggie: Disagree, categorically. Mayo itself is NOT boring. Because there is no such thing as ‘mayo by itself’. It’s always on or in something, often blended with other flavours and textures. But I do concur that younger folks (as well as some more adventurous older sports) have started pushing aside the big white jar in favour of sour cream yogurt and other options.
‘American’ Cheese
Gardocki: “Traditional American cheese is starting to fade as well. Millennials are reaching for more artisan and authentic options. The days of an American Cheese grilled cheese are over. The days of gouda, carmelized onions, and figs are here.”
Maggie: Agreed. And it can’t disappear altogether soon enough! I’m not a snob. But, as I keep re-minding my readers when the stuff comes up in the news, it is NOT real cheese. It’s a processed, augmented and recycled product.
The originating brand, Kraft, continues to promote it as the most convenient form of ‘cheese’, espe-cially the ‘Singles Slice’ format. And has recently been pushing its Velveeta brand bulk form as the ultimate meltable, sauceable ‘cheese’ product. ‘American’ cheese is simply too deeply embedded in American cuisine and, indeed, the US collective psyche, to ever ‘disappear’.
Canned Food
Gardocki: “Big Tuna has […] experienced a 40 percent decline when it comes to their canned product lines. Millennials just don’t own a can opener. Millennials prefer fresh foods over processed ones, anyway. The convenience once brought by cans is no longer seen as a novelty.”
Maggie: Agreed. Canned foods have ‘lost currency’ with the younger set. But not with many oldsters who literally learned to cook from cans – and the ‘serving suggestion’ recipes on their labels. As for convenience, frozen foods have largely surpassed canned ones for preserving colour, flavour, texture and nutritional value. In some cases, they’re also cheaper.
Mass-Brand Beer
Gardocki: “[B]eer is not going away. While the craft-brew scene is flowing strong, Millennials as a whole are beginning to sober up. The days of college and young adult life are largely behind them, and so, too, are their drinking habits.”
Maggie: Agreed, conditionally. But overall, brand-bound older folks and budget-conscious younger ones are destined to keep mass suds brands such as Coors, Budweizer, Corona and Heineken going strong for the foreseeable future. Boutique and regionally-iconic brews are enjoying a hay day.
Premium whisky, tequila and other distilled spirits have developed colt followings among the Millen-nials (at least, those who can afford them). Moderately-priced wine, meanwhile, is sliding into former beer territory, interbreeding increasingly with ‘coolers’, and appearing more and more frequently on its own in cans…
Chain Restaurants
Gardocki: “Years ago, people were excited to eat McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and so many others. Having said that, millennials are starting to stray from fast food. Instead, these younger eaters are spending more on hip, social, and more expensive restaurants… or straight up, cooking from home.”
Maggie: Agreed. On the whole. But they aren’t going without a fight. Witness the much-hyped ‘Rest-aurant of the Future’ business model the fast Food folks are spending billions to develop in hope of flash-evolving their industry to fir better into the coming climate-change-induced global reality.
And I don’t agree the kids are, ‘spending more on hip, social, and more expensive restaurants’. Some of them have the money to eat that way. But study after study shows the younger set are embracing convenience like never before, and going with different chains such as Panera Bread, that are seen as healthier alternatives.
Supermarkets
Gardocki: Grocery stores, in due time, will vanish. How, you may ask? Millennials are patronizing on-line shops as it lessens the hassle of going out and waiting in line. Plus, the advent of grocery store delivery and curbside pick up are only the beginning of this trend.”
Maggie: I disagree. It may seem – perhaps because of all the hype they’re generating – that online and delivery food shopping options are literally sucking masses of shoppers out of the bricks-and-mortar supermarkets. No so, say the latest consumer surveys. We Boomers are not the only ones who still prefer the traditional ‘hands-on’ grocery shopping experience.
My take
I agree – to some extent – with Gardocki, on his assertions that certain Boomer-beloved foods and shopping models are ‘fading’ into history. But I definitely disagree about others.
As with most real-world phenomena, there’s nothing black-and-white about the changes that are happening in the dining and retail food spheres. Consequently, I have to ‘disagree’ overall with the very notion that anyone can claim any food or shopping ‘style’ is doomed.
Nevertheless… It does pay to keep abreast of the trends…
~Maggie J.