The other day, I stumbled upon a rather upsetting list on some random blog site, in which the author was ranting against six food trends that should disappear. Naturally, she then proceeded to rattle off the six most prevalent trends that have descended upon our taste buds in the past two years. You can probably guess the culprits based on that sliver of information: Food trucks, bacon, cupcakes, truffle oil, the farm to table movement (!), and sliders. At first, I shrugged off her tirade as nothing more than a preposterous string of gastronomic silliness. However, after a while, what I had initially blown off as absurd eventually got me to thinking: Is there a groundswell of backlash brewing over certain food trends because they are popular?

Although I don’t think it is right now, I get the feeling that more likeminded rogue opinions may be manifesting in the next year or two. After all, every trend seems to come packaged with the latent yet inevitable group of people who deem it uncool once it reaches a certain critical mass. And as much as I loathe admitting it, we certainly seem to be headed in this direction with a couple of things on the aforementioned list. Specifically, I’m afraid there may be dark days ahead for mobile dining.

Don’t get me wrong; food trucks are awesome. I lament the blatant lack of them in Orange County at least once a week. They are the main reason I look forward to making a return visit to Portland, Oregon in the near future. However, in the back of my mind, I can’t help but shake the feeling that amongst gaggle of devoted Angelenos that fervently follow the Koji Truck around the area like the wheelbound kitchen was a messiah, there are a growing number of folks who commit to this practice because of the cool factor it’s been yoked with as opposed to the food being sold. If my perceived pattern continues, I can absolutely envision a “rock band fan” mentality happening. What I mean is, much like a lot of real Metallica fans stopped caring about the band after they released the Black Album to mass appeal, true fans of food trucks may grow weary of sharing their special meals on wheels outfits with a crush of souls who may not get what the mobile units were about before they became a trendy hangout spot.

My fear out of this prediction, if it does indeed come true, is that it may ultimately damage the reputation of the great food being produced inside the metal confines of these most moveable feasts. After the poseurs get removed like so much chaff when the trend cools, how long will it take for the regular devotees to realize it’s safe to come back? And how many good places will perish in the interim? These questions expand beyond the realms of the food trucks, too. I shudder to think that I could conceivably make such a futuristic deduction about the farm-to-table movement, which would be truly devastating.

Whatever happens, one thing is for sure: I’ll never have to worry about forecasting doom and gloom about bacon. That stuff’s immortal.

What do you think? Do you see the food truck trend eventually being derailed because of how popular it’s become? How about any of the other food trends?