Worst food trends of 2010

We'll be happy to see these go.

Trends come and go so quickly--some of them not quickly enough. (A few we're not missing: Cabbage Patch Kids, Tickle Me Elmo, jelly shoes, and pegged jeans.)

Here's a recap of the food and dining trends of 2010 that the Hot Dish hopes will die a quick death by January:

5. Lousy school lunch programs have been a trend since before Reagan declared ketchup a vegetable. Kudos to those who are making efforts for improvement, because there is much about them that's still unacceptable. A recent discovery that one Minneapolis school considers a gas station beef stick to be a legit "meal" makes us want to cut class and go smoke a cigarette.

4. Bacon is great. The trend to 'just add bacon' to every single edible foodstuff imaginable--bacon soda anyone?--is not. At least bacon use hasn't gotten as gratuitous as cooking with breast milk or semen.

3. The rise in popularity of malt bevvies, caffeinated or otherwise, needs to stop. Nobody's drinking Four Loko, Joose, or Smirnoff Ice because it tastes good. And nobody cares how many 'bros' you Iced.

2. A restaurant's first job is serving food that's sanitary--and it's shocking how many eateries aren't meeting that basic standard. A recent report showed 68% of Mall of America food court vendors had critical health violations. Are we going to need to mandate posted inspection letter grades, like they do in New York?

1. That dessert looks delicious...but not good enough to wait an hour or two to get it. Reservation-abuse happens (should this sort of behavior get you banned for life from a restaurant?), so we understand the need to wait to seat parties until every member is present. But if you're not going to take reservations--Travail, Pizzeria Lola, etc.--please make sure your space is big enough to offer people a beverage and a place to wait or consider letting people call ahead and get their name on the list.

*Check out the Best Food Trends of 2010.