Boomers Try Millennial Food Trends - YouTube

- BLAGH! That's-- oh my god. (laughs) Whoa, that's awful!

- And people are paying for this, right? Ugh.

They charge you an arm and a leg? (chuckles)

I'll have to tell you millennials...

(whispers) There's better things than this.

♪ (ragtime intro) ♪

- (FBE) What do you know about what millennials are eating these days?

- What are the millennials eating? Okay. I hear that the millennials

are eating avocado toast. - The most popular thing

is that avocado on toast thing for like $12.

- Unfortunately, a lot of fast food. - Well, I know they're at

In-N-Out a lot. - I don't know. I really don't.

Chips maybe? - I'll bet they're eating Twizzlers.

- I think they're more conscious about what they're eating.

Some of them even want to be vegan.

Whatever that is. - They're very healthy eaters,

and they like to eat locally-generated produce and food.

- (FBE) Well, today, you're gonna be tasting seven different food trends

that many consider to have been made popular by millennials.

- Oh, okay. Fun. Good. I love to eat!

- Okay, good. That sounds fun. - (FBE) Here is your first item.

- Okay. You have a napkin? - It looks like a burger,

and it... smells kinda like a burger.

Is this one of those plant-based burgers?

- I think this is a plant-based burger.

- The ones I've had in the past have been incredibly dry.

But I understand this new generation

of meatless burgers are actually better, so let's see.

The texture is like meat. - Oh!

It's like a burger-burger. - It's not bad. I like it.

- I don't know if that's an Impossible Burger or not

or a soy burger or a ground nut burger.

- Okay. You're gonna tell me that it looks like a burger,

smells like a burger, but it's not like a real burger,

like beef. - (FBE) So, this is called

the Impossible Burger. The one thing that makes

the Impossible Burger impossible is that it is 100% meatless.

In the beginning of 2019, the Impossible Burger reportedly

enjoyed a 529% increase in sales. - Hmm. I believe that.

People are trying to move away from meat,

realizing that our generation completely screwed them over

in the environment. And now, they're trying

to do something about it by going meatless.

- You can choose to do it for health or for the benefit of the planet.

Millennials, in general, I think just are more conscious

of taking care of all those things. - People have become so aware

of how environmentally unconscious beef is.

Eating plant-based is better for the body and the environment.

And I think that's why this is having such a surge of popularity.

- (FBE) So, do you approve of this millennial food trend?

- I would approve this, yes. - Millennials are smart people.

I think it's gold. - Oh, it's a drink.

It's not a meal, is it? - (chuckles)

You want me to drink that? - It's very dark.

- It almost looks like coffee. - This could be black tea.

- No smell.

- It has no flavor.

It's like water. - It's like some sort of water

with coloring. - And people are paying

for this, right? Ugh. They charge you an arm

and a leg? (chuckles) - It tastes like really weak

cold coffee. (laughs) It's just what it tastes like.

So, what is it for real? - (FBE) This next item

is charcoal water. - Oh, okay. I haven't heard of it.

I've heard of charcoal face masks, which, you know, is supposed

to suck all the debris out of your face.

So, maybe it's some kind of a cleansing thing.

I hope I don't have to go to the bathroom immediately.

- That's good for you. That's detoxifying.

Good for them. - (FBE) It reportedly relieves

gas and nausea, whitens your teeth, detoxifies your body,

relieving digestive issues, and lowers your cholesterol.

- I've never heard of it, but I would like to benefit

from that. - I have bags of charcoal

around the house to absorb odors. So, are you absorbing odors for me?

Well, perhaps. - My generation, as the hippies,

were maybe the first generation in a long time to relate

nutrition and food in the '60s. So, this is just taking it

a step further. - (FBE) So, what do you think?

Do you approve of this millennial food trend?

- Yeah! I guess as long as they've-- you know, 'cause sometimes,

you think, like, "Oh, here's a healthy thing for you,"

and then after people do it for five, ten years--

like, 'cause cigarettes used to be like, "Oh,

they're good for you." So, as long as somebody's doing--

like, if they've done research and they know it really is good.

- There's other ways to purify, you know, like drinking lots

of water, which is probably cheaper than this too.

- (FBE) Next up...

- Right! Cement on a cracker. - Wheat Thins and some sort of

a pâté type of thing? - It looks like tuna,

but I don't think it is tuna. - Is it vegan cream cheese?

- It's not the most appealing looking thing, I have to say.

- Oh, I know. Maybe it's... spreadable tofu?

- Hmm. Nice little hors d'oeuvres. - It does have a cream cheese texture.

- Kind of a gritty texture. It's almost like that toothpaste

that has grit in it. (chuckles) - Something you'd see at Costco.

And boy, does it taste good. I'm gonna be picking this up.

- Well, I can't tell what that was, but I don't want another one.

A bit of onion with a sawdust backing.

- Whatever it is, it's really good, so it's healthy I'm assuming.

So, what is it? - (FBE) So, this millennial staple

is cashew cream cheese. - This is cashews?! Oh, no wonder!

- (FBE) Plant-based nutrition has become more common

amongst millennials with more than 50% reportedly incorporating

plant-based foods such as cashew cheese

or the Impossible Burger, for example, into their diets.

- I really like that. Yeah, I would buy that.

- I'll have to tell you millennials, (whispers) there's better things

than this. Just have cashew nuts.

Don't grind them up and make this crap.

- We're trying to cut back on the use of cattle and cows

because of climate change. They're doing their part

and doing it deliciously. - It's not like the old days.

We were not even familiar with all these different kind

of plant-based proteins. I mean, they've educated us

to think that you have to eat meat. But I'm so happy to learn

about these new plant-based proteins, so I'm with the millennials on that.

- You guys are really educating me today.

I'm serious about my alternative foods.

And I'm lactose intolerant, so this is awesome.

- (FBE) Well, next up, it's time to cleanse your palate a little bit.

- Oh, a wellness shot! I've never had it.

Ginger, lemon, and cayenne. I've been wanting to try this!

- All these things are really good for the body.

- Those are three things that I incorporate in my diet all the time,

but I didn't know it came in a little drink.

- Eww, it smells very ginger-y. - If it doesn't have a minimum

alcohol by volume rate of 44%, then it's not a shot. (chuckles)

- Nice. Okay. Ready to go.

Ay-yi-yi! WOO-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO! Well, that kicked my ass.

- BLAGH! That's-- oh my god. (laughs) Whoa, that's awful!

- [Bleep]! [Bleep]!

Ahhh! Where's the ice bucket? - Woo! I was not expecting that.

- So, it looks kind of medicinal. Oh my god. (chuckles)

I just had a teeny little sip of that. - (FBE) Wellness shots have

a variety of purposes that help with certain areas of health

and wellness such as immune system boosts,

liver cleansing, energy, and more. - I thought it was designed to see

how many swear words you know in five minutes.

- It makes sense, because, you know, from the Asian background,

we have a lot of herbs and things like that,

you know, especially like ginseng, that taste like... oh, god.

But this one here, it's hard to drink the whole thing

at one time. I think that's the only thing

that I'm against it. - I had a doctor at the Mayo Clinic

tell me just about vitamin supplements.

He's like, "All you're gonna end up with

is really expensive urine," because you spend all that money

on it and then you just pee it all out.

- You can do this at home, kiddies. Listen to grandma. (laughs)

- I see the value in it. It's just not a direction

I would lean. - (FBE) All right, next up...

- (laughs) Now what? We got a green, uh...

donut now. It could be spinach.

- So green! (laughs) Oh, is it avocado donut?

- This looks like split pea soup on a donut.

It is not the best color green. - That is a disgusting color.

It looks like a donut with something my dog laid down

on top of it. - Looks like the Grinch, you know...

(laughs) I'm not gonna gross you out, but he did something on that donut.

- I'm hoping that's green tea on the top of it.

It tastes good too. - Not avocado. Is it matcha tea?

- (FBE) You got it. Millennials, among others, enjoy consuming

matcha in many different ways. You can put it in ice cream,

smoothies, lattes. But today, we have it in donut form.

- I'm so happy. - I'll drink my green tea,

thank you very much. - I love matcha.

I mean, I keep bags of it, drinking tea all the time.

- I got matcha green tea that I got in Japan.

So, yeah, I know all about the matcha.

- Yeah, I don't have a problem with it,

because, I mean, you know, green tea is really very good for you.

But on a donut? Eh-eh. - I won't say it's my favorite flavor,

but I wouldn't avoid it. This is elder approved.

- Oh, gosh. Another pretty glass. Okay, well this looks like

a... very pretty color. - It's a little like a fruit punch.

- Some weird berry I'm not familiar with.

And it looks like there's some cloudy stuff at the bottom too.

Eww, scary.

- Is this cider vinegar? - It's fermented.

It's something ferme-- is it kombucha?

- This looks like kombucha? - You're good.

- My kids like kombucha.

- Oh my god! That's horrible. - It ain't sex on the beach.

- It's got some punch too, like carbonated.

And I bet it's healthy. You're gonna tell me.

- (FBE) Kombucha is a fermented tea drink

made with tea, sugar, a colony of bacteria, and yeast.

This is another drink known for its health benefits,

such as its high probiotic count,

which is good for the digestive system.

- Well, that's where I know the smell from,

because it's the yeast. It's the fermented yeast,

you know, having been a baker. It's not a pretty smell.

- The concept of probiotics, everybody knows that that does help

in digestion. It kind of reminds me of prepping for a colonoscopy.

- This is something cheaper than buying vitamins.

Like today, you know, I was filling up that box thing,

you know, Monday to Sunday. Each compartment is like six vitamins

in there, you know? And maybe some of this

will be replacing it. - (FBE) We have one last item

that is frequently known as a staple for millennials.

- Yea-- oh. Is it avocado toast?

Oh, that's my favorite thing! I love avocado toast!

- This has caused quite a little ruckus.

- There's a lot of vegetable. - It's got tomatoes and onions

and it looks like cucumbers. - Oh, you can't go wrong with veggies

and avocado and feta.

- Mmm. - Mmm. That is really good.

- (FBE) Last, but certainly not least, the avocado toast.

This open sandwich concept has soared in popularity

in recent years, and so has the popularity of avocados in general

among young people. Many articles even list avocados

as a millennial staple. - It's a super food, avocados,

just like kale and broccoli. - I have people in my family

who always talk about avocados. And for that,

I've started eating more. - Interesting, 'cause my generation,

I know for the people that I know, we eat a lot of avocados.

But maybe also because I came from the islands.

And in the Caribbean, you know, we eat a lot of avocados.

- It's something quick and easy. And you don't need two pieces

of bread, or you don't need to make it into guacamole

and have chips. And it's just easy, fast, and good for you.

- So, I wholeheartedly approve. But you can make them at home

a lot cheaper, guys. - (FBE) We're gonna have to say

goodbye to the avocado toast. But you--

- No! No! I'm gonna finish it! - (FBE) So, now that we've gone

through seven of the hippest millennial foods, we have to ask,

are you feeling any younger?

- No. Give me a taco and give me a regular burger

with cheese on it. - Yes! I wanna get hip

with the millennials. I'm already on my way.

- Yes, I do. But I-- you know, if you eat healthily,

I think you will feel younger. And I like that some of these

are really health-oriented. - (FBE) Some articles state

that food trends have become a more popular concept

since the advent of social media, where people share food trends

in larger numbers. But even before that,

food trends would appear in different mediums

such as magazines, newspapers, or commercials.

So, we're curious to know, what were some foods

that were trending when you were young?

- When I was young, there was no fast food.

You had a cafe maybe. In the pubs in England,

you would have a sandwich. You could get cheese

and meat sandwiches. - Like, a soft white bread

with mayonnaise and a slice of bologna and a slice

of that fake cheese. I mean, can you believe

that anyone would wanna eat that? - Twinkies and Cap'n Crunch.

We were all watching Saturday morning cartoons.

And so, when you're growing up, you see what's being advertised to you

and that was like-- those were our influencers, I guess,

'cause we didn't have Instagram. - I grew up on a garden.

I grew up eating organically. So, we ate what was on the small farm.

People ate at home, they cooked at home,

and they got food that they grew.

- We had ginger beer back home, and we had different--

it's a plant-based drink. Didn't have the yeast in it,

but the last one reminded me of it. It's called Mauby,

and it's a drink from a plant. - Ours was the first modern generation

to eat flowers, pansies and things. (laughs) And it was--

everybody's looking at you-- and the hippies did a lot

of that stuff. - (FBE) All right. So finally,

what was your favorite millennial food trend

that you tried today? - I like the burger, obviously.

I think that is something that definitely is a list--

you know, not necessarily my bucket list,

but, you know, it's a checklist that I would try.

- I liked everything!

It was just the donut. I would just stay away from that.

- My favorite, by far, is the avocado toast. Very delicious.

And it was made very nicely. Whoever made it, kudos to them.

- Thanks for watching this episode of Elders React.

- Subscribe and hit the bell, so you don't miss an episode.

- Bye! - Hey, it's Sierra,

producer here at FBE. Thanks so much for watching

this trendy episode of Elders React. To check out our other episodes

across all generations, just hit up those links

down in the description. Stay well, guys.

(weakly) Cheers.