In case you hadn’t heard…. “Mini” is in. Don’t panic, I am not talking about a hemline! It is mini foods. I promise everywhere you go this year you will find mini desserts, mini sandwiches and mini meals. It’s kind of like “Super Size Me” in reverse.
I started to suspect this trend when I ordered a yogurt parfait off the dollar menu at McDonald’s. It seemed much smaller but the calorie count was nice at 150. Then I verified that I was not losing my mind, they are in fact making a smaller parfait to keep the costs and calorie counts low.
Years ago I remember my mom having the same reaction when my brother and I would buy candy at Lamb’s grocery store. She would give us each a dime and we would pick out a full-size candy bar. My mom would say, “Is it just me or were those candy bars bigger last time?”
It was true, they had started making the candy bars smaller but charged the same amount hoping people wouldn’t notice. We didn’t care; we just loved candy!
On the surface, mini food seems like a great idea…. smaller portions, less fat and calories consumed…or will we just feel we can now eat twice as much?
For example, if we go out to eat and order a normal size hamburger, we eat a hamburger, right? But if “mini” is now an option, will we be tempted to have a “mini” burger, a “mini” taco and a “mini” side of mac and cheese? It’s all small right?
Will we all become victims of thinking “mini” means more?
Don’t even get me started on “mini” desserts. I know where I stand on this. If I can have three mini desserts for the same amount of calories as one regular dessert, I sir, am going for it! Imagine the flavor options—a tiny cherry cheesecake, a baby-size hot fudge sundae and the world’s smallest key lime pie? Sign me up!
Actually I have been eating “mini” desserts for years. I let my family order what they like with the understanding that Mom gets a taste of everything! Usually by bite three they block my spoon but I feel I get the best of everything this way.
I am anxious to see how this “mini” trend plays out. Will we all be 10 pounds lighter next year or have the marketing people won again and we now get less for more? Sad to say, but my money is on the executives.
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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