What do (food) bloggers want for 2006?

Inspired by this Zagats Survey article about what cooking pros want to see more or less of, in 2006, I would like to close out the old year and kickstart the new, by starting this meme or sorts for food or any other bloggers. The questions:

• What food-related trends would you like to see (see more of) in 2006?
• What food-related trends would you like to see disappear in 2006?
• And finally, what food-related things would you like to do/accomplish in 2006?

Here are my answers:

Food-related trends I'd like to see more of

• Despite some trepidations and encountering some truly horrible versions, I'd like to see sushi continue to take over the world. Conversely I'd like to see better quality Japanese-type rice (medium-grain) produced for less cost than the viciously expensive Koshihikari and Akitakomachi that is exported from Japan. (Note for U.S. people - the best quality Japanese-style rice that's produced there is Tamaki-mai - look for it at Japanese/Asian foodstores!)
• Somewhat related, but - the increasing awareness that Japanese food is generally healthy, full of fibre, and just plain good for you! The only problems it has are that some things tend to be overly salty, quite a lot of savory dishes use sugar, and - perhaps most of all - many of the ingredients are, especially outside of Japan, very expensive.
• More and more food blogs! This year saw a veritable explosion of new food blogs, and some of them are mighty tasty.

Food-related trends I'd like to see less of

• I don't know, but to me it seems the low-carb thing has just gone too far. I'm no expert at weight loss, but isn't it all about moderation and burning more calories than you take in, rather than playing tricks with your body chemistry? And I can't stand the concept that bread, rice, potatoes and pasta are "evil".
• Mediocre, generic, cookie-cutter chain restaurants that all serve pseudo-food. Examples: Pseudo-Italian (Olive Garden), pseudo-Caribbean (Bahama Breeze), pseudo-pan-Asian (Noodle Shop here in Zürich). It's the Disney-fying of food. Authenticity please! (of course all of these places are very popular... brr)
• Waiters rattling off a long list of today's specials to you and then standing there looming over you, tapping impatient pencil on pad, while you try to remember what the heck it was he/she said. Please, get an inkjet printer and a copy machine or something and print out your daily specials. Even a hand-written list would do. I also hate that blackboard thing because they usually stick it way up where you can't see it, and the handwriting is too awful to decipher at a distance.

Food-related things I want to do

• Have at least 5 really good sushi and sashimi meals.
• Go at least once to le Buerehiesel in Strasbourg, my favorite French restaurant in the world.
• Save my pennies to try, at least once, Masa in NYC.
• Try to master the art of making peanut brittle that doesn't all crystallize on contact with the metal sheet when I pour it out.
• To to Milano (daytrip from here) and graze the fabulous gourmet food stores.
• Make sure to have enough Vacherin Mont d'Or (season is almost over already..).
• Go to Provence in the summer and rent a self-catering cottage (I did do this this year, but I want to repeat) and don't forget to write about it!
• Avoid having month-long gaps between posts on this blog...

As far as tagging goes...there are so many people I would like to tag that I don't know where to start. So please feel free to take this and run with it as you wish, pass it along, etc. and link back here if you like. Have fun, and see you back here next year!