Innovation races along, requiring a fair amount of daily attention. New trends become entrenched in a trice and one must either accept the latest or be perceived as (heaven forbid) “out of it.” Sadly, some of these innovations don’t last even a trice (remember the Nehru jacket?…the Leisure Suit?) So here’s what I’ve encountered as “new” in 2015:

• Red meat is back in vogue. Who could have guessed that in 2015 we’d be entreated to resume fat consumption, even with a recommendation to spread all manner of congealed animal fats on our (gasp) veggies to add flavor? And, depending on what species of fat you slather on your green beans, you can get a variety of flavors; there’s pork fat (lard), beef fat (tallow), or chicken fat (schmaltz.) Hmm…so that’s where that word comes from.
• Speaking of words, I’ve noticed the fashion industry now seems taken with the word “bespoke.” When researched, the latest definition substitutes adequately for” custom-made.” Wouldn’t all the trendiest journalists be distraught to learn this archaic word started in the 1580s in English tailor shops, referring to the practice of purchasing the cloth before it was made into a garment. The cloth was said to “be spoken for”, and thus could not be taken by anyone else. Sort of a fashion world version of anti-plagiarism?
• I read that, as more states legalize marijuana use, we may see a number of cannabis edibles appearing on grocery store shelves. Of course there’s the dependable pot brownie. But wait – now there’s a plan to market macaroni and cheese or pesto topped (for color) with little green specs resembling parsley. Could be an interesting way to get one of those government- recommended “five fruits and vegetables” a day?

That’s the January update from this trend-spotter.  Has anybody else out there spotted a new trend?