By: Jordan Blake
Date: May 6, 2023
Since childhood, I’ve had a passion for cooking that has only deepened over time. In college, my go-to channel was the Food Network, and now, my culinary curiosity extends to the myriad cooking tutorials available on platforms like Facebook and YouTube. I adore extravagant cake recipes and creative ways to elevate simple pasta dishes. However, I’ve reached my limit with bizarre food trends. Potato salad cake? Absolutely not. Cheeseburger aspic? Count me out. Mustard and ketchup cake? Why ruin a classic dessert with those condiments? Enough is enough!
While I believe in culinary creativity—after all, eating the same meals daily is a surefire recipe for boredom—these extreme concoctions raise questions. Are people genuinely consuming these unusual combinations, or is this just a competition to create the most outlandish food pairing? I haven’t yet encountered anyone willing to admit they’ve tried these oddities, although I did hear one person attempted that condiment cake.
Who Is the Audience for These Strange Recipes?
In today’s digital landscape, sensational content is king, and these bizarre food combinations definitely garner attention. For instance, who actually eats a peanut butter and pickle sandwich? Not only does it sound unappetizing, but it also looks quite unappealing. Yet, this was featured as a recipe in The New York Times. Yes, you read that right—THE NEW YORK TIMES! They did opt for bread and butter pickles to add a hint of sweetness, but really? If you must try this, at least use sandwich-sliced pickles meant for traditional sandwiches, which would at least be more visually pleasing. But honestly, why tarnish peanut butter with pickles?
And then there’s the whole concept of riced cauliflower as pizza crust. Can someone help me comprehend this? The same goes for zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash masquerading as pasta. Let vegetables be vegetables without torturing them in the name of avoiding carbs.
The Unacceptable Cake
And let’s talk about cake. Cake is already a perfect dessert—delicious, versatile, and often easy to make. So why on earth would anyone want a cake flavored with ketchup and mustard? And not even good mustard, but yellow mustard. That’s just unacceptable. Ketchup and mustard belong on hot dogs, not in a cake! Thankfully, the cake’s red hue comes from food coloring and not actual ketchup. For the love of all that is good, let’s keep cake sacred; it has been a source of joy for centuries.
A Cultural Angle
Perhaps there’s a cultural angle to these bizarre food trends that we, as Americans, might overlook. After all, we can’t assume we’re the center of the culinary universe. After seeing that potato salad cake featured on Kalen Reacts, my curiosity piqued. I discovered it originated from a German site, claiming the potato salad is prepared in a more traditional German style. The addition of apple is a bit odd, but perhaps it’s an attempt at a sweet-savory balance. However, the hot dogs used as the “crust” are just plain gross.
Moreover, the recipe doesn’t specify whether to cook the hot dogs. While one can assume they should be cooked, this is a recipe featuring potato salad cake using uncooked hot dogs as a crust. What are the rules anymore? Can we please stop putting random foods into cake molds for the sake of aesthetics? Spaghetti-Os in a jello mold do not create an appetizing dish; they resemble a vomit-shaped bundt cake. Hard pass!
Conclusion
I understand that trying weird food combos can seem like a fun experiment, but let’s take a breather from this madness. If you’re keen on trying something unconventional like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, go ahead. But keep it to your kitchen and spare the internet from the visual assault. Instead, let’s stick to more palatable options like acai bowls and salads in mason jars.
In summary, while culinary creativity is essential, the surge in bizarre food trends raises eyebrows. Many of these combinations seem designed solely for shock value rather than genuine enjoyment. It’s perfectly acceptable to experiment, but some traditions—like cake—should remain untainted.
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