Zócalo Public Square

Food fads are, in a sense, inevitable: Once we developed the economic means to select from a variety of foods, some tastes became more popular than others. But what determines which foods become trendy when? How do marketers, farmers, scientists, doctors, and even governments create food crazes? At L.A.'s Grand Central Market, journalist David Sax, author of The Tastemakers: Why We’re Crazy For Cupcakes But Fed Up With Fondue, explained why certain dishes take hold of our collective passion, why others lack staying power, and what impact trends like putting bacon on everything and the rise of the food truck have on our economy and our culture.