Hot & Cool Trends from CultureWaves^®

This Thanksgiving, grocery shoppers are finding bargains to be grateful for, with many food marketers offering up cheaper eats as the holiday approaches.

With the swine flu pandemic and seasonal influenza season in full flower, many of us are extra cautious about touching certain surfaces in public places—such as door handles and stair railings.

In the category of special or unusual products, this one is pretty unusual. Monkey Picked Tea. Doesn’t sound that appetizing right off the bat, does it? Until you hear the legend.

A Dining in the Dark event was held recently in Milwaukee to raise funds for a local Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired Children. The event also gave diners a taste of what it’s like to be blind. They were blindfolded throughout the 4-course meal.

This undoubtedly falls in the category of retro products making a comeback. The brand of chips credited as the first potato chip ever invented, Moon Brand Original Saratoga Chips, is back on store shelves.

In recent years, game and other specialty meats have begun to work their way onto our plates. You may have tried bison meat. But are you ready to try kangaroo, medium rare?

Advertisers have told us for years that the kind of car we drive, or brand of wristwatch we wear, or toothpaste we use says a lot about who we are. Apparently, the kind of beer we drink can really paint a vivid portrait of our personality.

Don’t feel up to cooking a big Thanksgiving feast this year? But don’t feel like going out to dinner either? How about having Thanksgiving dinner—with all the trimmings—delivered right to your door?

Gelato is a major growth business worldwide. It’s one of those inexpensive indulgences people treat themselves to during tough economic times. Not coincidentally, enrollment at Gelato U in Bologna, Italy, is up 87 percent.

McDonald’s France recently announced plans to open a new McDonald’s Restaurant in the mall under the Louvre, the country’s most revered cultural symbol. The country’s epicures would surely rise up in a new French resistance movement. Only they didn’t.