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Banquet in a bowl [Times photo: Patty Yablonski]
By JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer
Americans love to bowl. No, not the kind of bowling where you trade Nikes for clown shoes and pray you throw the ball into the gutter only every few frames. We have fallen for the kind of bowling where you curl up on the couch after a pressure-cooker day with a round, comforting container of noodles, rice or pasta in one hand, the remote in the other. Maybe a napkin, for sure a fork or spoon, but no knife, no straight-back chair, no confrontational seating arrangement. Where we once loved comfort food, we now need convenience food in a comforting dish. The dinner plate's days may be numbered. The ascendancy of the bowl has been coming for a while and is evident in grocery store freezer cases. Uncle Ben's rice bowl entrees and breakfast bowls, both savory and sweet, Gorton's fish bowls and Michelina's pasta bowls are just the beginning, food industry observers say. If you run to Taco Bell's border, you can buy a Southwest Steak Bowl or Zesty Chicken Border Bowl. Big City Tavern in Ybor and other clever restaurants serve Asian noodles and Italian pastas in white bowls almost big enough for mixing a cake. The bowl has even gone organic, with Seeds of Change and Amy's Organics marketing meals in bowls made of recycled material. Most frozen bowl entrees cost about $3. "We're at the start of this trend. . . . By this time next year, every major brand will have products in a bowl," says Phil Lempert, a food trends expert who bills himself as the Supermarket Guru. He's the author of Being the Shopper: Understanding the Buyer's Choice (Wiley, 2002; $27.95). "We're going to see more brands that are frozen or shelf-stable. Different pastas, side dishes, vegetables. There is an enormous amount of product that can be cooked in a bowl." Several factors are driving our bowl affair, not just the cozy vessel, although that has been around much longer than the flat, formal dinner plate. First, Lempert says, eating out of a bowl is fun. It signifies a playfulness that eating an entree and two sides from a 10-inch plate doesn't. Plenty of people in the noncooking generations already like cereal in a bowl for dinner. Another reason we are bowled over is our love of Asian food, says Harry Balzar, consumer marketing analyst for the NPD Group in Rosemont, Ill. "Many Americans think the one unifying force of all Asian cuisine is the bowl" Balzar says. "And even if it isn't, Americans think it is." Asian cuisine, from Thai to Japanese to Indian to Vietnamese, is riding a popularity wave in the United States that has yet to crest. The trend is partially fueled by immigrants whose quest for foods of their homelands spawned markets and restaurants. Vietnamese restaurants serve two of their most popular dishes, pho beef soup and bun noodle salads, in bowls. Also, the convenience of one-pot meals such as Vietnamese noodle dishes and Japanese stir-fries entices people who are on permanent fast-forward. Have any doubt about how much we love Asian food? Count the number of sushi joints that have popped up in the Tampa Bay area in the last year. Now, if only sushi came in a bowl. Balzar says to keep an eye open for a fast-casual food chain out of Colorado called Noodles & Company, which offers dishes from around the world, all in bowls, of course. You can order Hungarian Stroganoff, Wisconsin macaroni and cheese, Indonesian peanut sate or Italian pasta with pesto. The growing Asian population might also affect the availability of organic products. Lempert says a recent A.C. Nielsen survey found that the Asian population in the United States has a higher interest in organics than all other groups. "What that says to me is there will certainly be more bowls, for Asians and everyone, that are organic," Lempert says. Preparing authentic Asian dishes at home is time-consuming and, to some, intimidating, Balzar says, because of the unfamiliarity with ingredients, including spices and produce, and cooking techniques and equipment. Frozen entrees satisfy the need for exotic tastes that fascinate us without a cooking class. The most obvious trend behind the trend -- and perhaps the real reason we love bowls -- is the longstanding quest by Americans, especially those younger than 40, to find "the easiest way to get out of cooking," Balzar says. "If we put all the ingredients in one dish, we think we're saving time," Balzar says. For sure, heating or cooking one item takes less physical and mental effort than making a main dish, two sides and a salad. Save that work for Thanksgiving, we say. According to Balzar, 31 percent of all dinners eaten across the United States tonight will be made from scratch. The other 69 percent will come from restaurants and frozen foods. How many of those dinners will be eaten from bowls is unknown, but the number is growing. Lempert, the Supermarket Guru, traces the bowl trend to the Budget Gourmet line of frozen entrees. Budget Gourmet made a splash in the 1980s with a cardboard box that was packaging and cooking container. The meals were cheap, and the entire package went into the microwave after poking a few holes in the top. Budget Gourmet's time came and went but not, perhaps, before box begat bowl. Another early version of convenience eating in the round was the foam cup of noodles, to which Birkenstockers, dieters and penny pinchers simply added water. As Americans get busier, we demand food we can prepare faster. Or not prepare at all. The frozen bowl fits that profile by being easy to store and simple to heat in the office microwave. It's also easy on the eyes. It just looks cooler than that the traditional flat, microwave meal container. "People are waking up earlier, going to sleep later," Lempert says. "Anything (the food industry) can do to make a routine task easier, they win." For the third of the population making dinner tonight, Bowl Food: Comfort Food for People on the Move, published last month by Laurel Glen of San Diego, offers a few hundred recipes that span the global kitchen. Most are easy, and some can be ready in the time it takes the pasta or rice to cook. A color photograph with every recipe is inspirational. The common denominator of Bowl Food is the receptacle that invites us to cup its warmth in our hands. How long we'll have a thing for the feel of the bowl and the taste of its contents is anyone's guess. Right now we think it's nifty. "Americans love to try new until we realize it really doesn't save us any time," Balzar says. "The movement toward the one-dish meal is part of the answer, but the bowl may not be the end stop." Anybody for a four-course meal pill? Asparagus and Pistachio Risotto
Heat the stock and wine in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and keep at a low simmer. Heat the oil in another saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until soft. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute or until the rice is translucent. Add 1/2 cup hot stock, stirring constantly over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly for 20 to 25 minutes or until all the stock is absorbed and the rice is tender and creamy. Add the asparagus pieces during the final 5 minutes of cooking. Remove from the heat. Allow to rest for 2 minutes, stir in the cream and parmesan, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle with pistachios. Serves 4 to 6. Times testing notes: Despite its fussy reputation, risotto is easy to make. This recipe is good for a first-time maker. It's deliciously creamy and nearly foolproof. Have some extra vegetable stock on hand in case you need more if the rice soaks up more than expected. Source: Bowl Food: Comfort Food for People on the Move (Laurel Glen, 2002; $16.95). Macaroni and Cheese with Pancetta
Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente. Drain, cover and keep warm. Meanwhile, place the pancetta in a large saucepan and cook over high heat, stirring for 4 minutes or until well-browned and slightly crisp. Drain on paper towels. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the cream and simmer. Add the cheeses, garlic, mustard and paprika, and stir for 5 minutes or until the cheeses have melted and the sauce has thickened. Season. Add the macaroni and pancetta, and stir for 1 minute or until heated through. Stir in the chives, garnish with the extra chives, and serve. Serves 4. Note: Pancetta, which can be substituted with bacon, can be purchased at grocery store delis or Italian markets. Gruyere is a flavorful Swiss cheese that melts nicely and is often used in fondues. Other Swiss cheeses may be substituted; make sure they are grated well so they melt when heated. Source: Bowl Food: Comfort Food for People on the Move (Laurel Glen, 2002; $16.95). Crab and Spinach Soba Noodle Salad
Combine the rice vinegar, mirin, soy sauce and ginger in a small bowl. Set aside. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Blanch the spinach for 15 to 20 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon (set aside the water in the saucepan.) Place the spinach in a bowl of ice-cold water for 30 seconds. Drain, squeeze out the moisture, then coarsely chop. Combine with the crab meat and 2 tablespoons of the rice vinegar mixture. Bring the saucepan of water back to a boil and cook the noodles for 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain, then rinse under cold water. Toss with the sesame oil, scallions and remaining dressing. Divide noodles among individual bowls, top with the spinach and crab meat, and sprinkle with nori. Serves 4. Note: Nori are sheets of seaweed used to wrap sushi. Buy them at Asian markets or larger supermarkets. If you can't find nori, leave it out. Source: Bowl Food: Comfort Food for People on the Move (Laurel Glen, 2002; $16.95).
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
