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December 28, 2013
Were there any new trends in 2013?
Yes, but they were not good. Kale, for example.Suddenly this year restaurants started putting kale into everything, despite the fact that it is an unappetizing form of plant life that until recently was used primarily for insulation. Even goats will not eat it. Goats, when presented with kale, are like, “No, thanks, we’ll just chew on used seat cushions.” Dave Barry’s Review of 2013, the Year of the Zombies - The Washington Post
Posted by gerardvanderleun at December 28, 2013 11:30 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
Though kale has definitely been over-hyped in 2013, you can make some delicious mush out of kale.
Posted by: John Venlet at December 28, 2013 11:32 AM
Kale.. We Dutchies like to boil it and mix it with mashed potato and a specific kind of sausage, a 'rookworst'. The resulting stew is called 'boerenkool'. Very popular in the wintertime.. because fresh Kale really tastes better if it has seen a little frost.
The idea to eat it as salad does not appeal to me by the way.
Posted by: SereW at December 28, 2013 12:09 PM
I have had tried kale that was dried and seasoned, it was very good, mostly because of the seasoning. However it is expensive as all hell and only the wealthy who complain about the rich will buy it so they can impress their social group.
Posted by: Potsie at December 28, 2013 1:15 PM
Funny you'd say that Potsie, over here it's a cheap food, available to all.
Sort of reminds me of Heineken, come to think of it. Regarded as plain common and cheap lager over here, but expensive overseas :-)
Posted by: SereW at December 28, 2013 3:58 PM
"...cheap and available" is the key to poke salad popularity as well. It grows wild
throughout the South and was a regular dish among rural, off-the-grid, folks who
boiled the leaves from young plants with fatback. I don't recommend it but hey,
it might be next year's fad item on hipster menus.
Posted by: Saturday Anon at December 28, 2013 7:06 PM
SereW
It might be cheap, but the dehydrated seasoned organic kale they sell in specialty nutrition stores is expensive.
I just read recipes on making your own, and it is US $1.99 a head.
Posted by: Potsie at December 28, 2013 7:24 PM
You cook kale. Kale is wonderful in Chicken soup.
Posted by: ahem at December 28, 2013 7:57 PM
I put shredded kale on my bean soup 10 minutes before serving, just enough time to soften and wilt the leaves, I also add shredded parmesan cheese just before potting for the table. Kale raw in a salad doesnt sound tasty, but cooked it adds that special edge that lightens up the soup, and offsets the bacon flavor.
Posted by: Milo Mindbender at December 29, 2013 7:32 AM
I put shredded kale on my bean soup 10 minutes before serving, just enough time to soften and wilt the leaves, I also add shredded parmesan cheese just before potting for the table. Kale raw in a salad doesnt sound tasty, but cooked it adds that special edge that lightens up the soup, and offsets the bacon flavor.
Posted by: Milo Mindbender at December 29, 2013 7:33 AM
Double post please correct, sorry for the inconvenience.
Posted by: Milo Mindbender at December 29, 2013 7:34 AM
Kale, rutabaga, parsnips, turnip, "greens", why in the world would anyone eat that crap when there is beef, pork, sausages, pasta, bread, fruit, candy, pastries, seafood. Most of the aforementioned "veggies" are edible only if cooked and seasoned with something that actually tastes good. Sorry vegans.
Posted by: tripletap at December 30, 2013 10:49 AM