Trendy Monday: It's List Season

It's that time again - end of year (and end of decade) lists are all over the place, as are lists suggesting trends for the next year/ decade. This isn't exactly a list, but it is a collection of some quotes I found interesting from this Chowhound discussion of next year's likely trends:

• RETURN TO LUXURY: Champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Because I'm sick to death of recession-friendly anything.
• PRICEY SEAFOOD: Many high quality fish cuts will go through the roof thanks to shortage, and also [more] responsible fishing techniques. I sadly anticipate paying £6-7 for a tuna steak from a store.
• WEIRD LOCAL SEAFOOD: Definitely agree on the use of lesser known seafood. I live by the Chesapeake Bay and right now people are pushing for more use of the native sting ray that swim in these waters - they're calling it Chesapeake Ray. I've had it and it's not that bad.
• SPENDY SAUSAGE: Sausages will increase dramatically in price and quality.
• KOREAN FLAVORS: Sriracha is so over. Gojuchang mayo will be THE condiment of the next decade.
• WEST-TO-EAST: Not absolutely positive, but it seems to me that everything hits the west coast first (except the idiotic cupcake frenzy). Asian stuff especially because, well, it's closer to Asia. But a trend hasn't completely crested until it hits NYC, where, if the Times is any indication, Korean is now the super-trendy thing to like. Of course its possible that the Times is, er, behind the times.
• FRIED CHICKEN: Frank Bruni, departing NY Times food critic, said in an interview with Charlie Rose that the current "up-and-coming" restaurant bandwagon is fried chicken.
• BENEFIT IN-HOME DINNER PARTIES: Pretty much what it sounds like - in-home dinner parties that are set-up to benefit a cause.

Fried chicken's been on the trend radar for a couple of years now, as have Korean flavors, and the seafood situation's been evolving, too. But that west-to-east observation was an interesting one. And I agree with the first comment - I am pretty over "recession-friendly" as a kitchen strategy.