From pricey oysters to ubiquitous sandwiches
2023 Trends
The Highs (and Lows) in Food
We’ve been nothing if not hungry this year, and there have been some tasty moments worth savouring, and others we’d rather forget.
From pricey oysters to ubiquitous sandwiches
Words by Emily Naismith · Published on 12 Dec 2023
You love food, that’s why you’re here. You’ve probably eaten some delicious things this year that are seared in your brain like a thick-cut rib eye for years to come, just as you’ve had some egregious food and drink moments that made you sigh and feel a twinge of regret. Same. Here’s our round-up of the highs and lows in food this year.
There was no vanilla energy, or even pistachio energy, when it came to gelato this year. We had big Blue Powerade energy. Big Nutella and parmesan energy. Big kalamata olive energy! (And that’s just at Fluffy Torpedo). Kariton Sorbetes used fish sauce “salted” caramel and cheddar cheese in their flavours and Chicho in Perth busted out prickly pear and even Grug-shaped ice-creams made of lavender chocolate.
I think we can all agree it’s ironic that as kids a sandwich was the low point of lunchtime, while as “adults”, big deli sandwiches are the highpoint of our entire week. We line up round the block for ‘em, pre-order ‘em to avoid sandwich-heartbreak and fill our phones with more photos of ‘em than our pets. Perhaps 2023 wasn’t the year sandwiches were invented, but our excitement for what places such as Hector’s Deli, South Dowling and Joe’s Deli slap between two slices of bread made it feel like it was.
When the “girl dinner” trend rolled around and validated foraging in your own fridge for a snack-style meal of various unrelated items instead of cooking a meal like it’s the 16th century, we whipped out the jar of olives at breakneck speed. Turns out, eating olives out of the jar is a gateway drug to drinking olive brine, which is not only delicious but also a great post-exercise beverage if you need an excuse.
This year we raised the humble tinned fish to elite status. As a society we normalised spending as much money on a tin of hairy fish as we would on a fancy cocktail. While it’s true that anchovies were laid atop carbs at every bar worth its salt, sardines are beginning to be just as omnipresent. Could they dethrone the anchovy next year? Maybe? But it’s unlikely. Especially if anchovies start doubling up (such as white anchovies and the regular salted type) as they did at Ciao Mate! in Bangalow this year.
There is absolutely no dish that chilli oil cannot enhance. And 2023 was the year the masses discovered this, largely thanks to Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats (rightly) advocating for Lao Gan Ma on everything. If you too are obsessed, you can get 700-gram jars from some Asian grocers, or if you’re branching out, this year also saw lockdown project Umami Papi go nationwide in Coles supermarkets, and mouth-numbing Sichuan import Fly by Jing land in Woolies.
We don’t blame Barbie herself for it entirely, but this year was dripping with nostalgia, especially when it came to food. Andy Bowdy made a caramel and banana jam “Yogo”; we gorged ourselves on Humble Bakery 's adorable finger buns; and Japanese cafe Papirica did a McDonald’s-inspired pop-up featuring teriyaki burgers and Japanese cheesecake. Next year better be the year someone elevates Dunkaroos.
Quick poll: did anyone buy that cursed Aeroplane Jelly-flavoured milk non-ironically? There’s always room for novelty collabs but let’s be clear, if it doesn’t taste good in any way, shape or form, maybe reconsider whether it needs to exist. Because god knows, it’s impossible to read “cinnamon doughnut Twisties” and not partake (then obviously instantly regret every life choice that led up to that moment).
The environment is absolutely screwed, so when we try to do the right thing and order oat milk coffees instead of dairy to reduce our environmental impact and are charged a whole extra dollar for the pleasure, it feels a little backwards. Do we need a coffee carbon tax? A financial incentive to make greener milk choices? Or should we just get used to the idea that coffees are $7 now?
We love that Australians seem to be adding spices to their meals by the quarter-cup, but the result is there’s been occasions where you can’t get your mitts on some standard spices across any and all supermarket brands. Powdered garlic can be near impossible to find. Dill? Don’t even bother. Starting a petition to launch spice subscription services.
Sorry but it’s not okay for your only non-alcoholic drink options to be post-mix Sprite and table water in 2023. Just because we’re not drinking alcohol doesn’t mean our taste buds or thirst response cease to exist.
How much can you pay for a single oyster? The limit seemingly does not exist. Some could say if you’re complaining about the price of oysters during a nationwide cost-of-living crisis you may need to re-evaluate your priorities. But to that we say, take our last $7 and let us neck a single serve of Coffin Bay’s finest in peace.
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