PREDICTIONS 11.29.08

The next popular trend will be something eventually dubbed “hyperregionalism.” This trend will start with the popularity of the “100-mile diet,” in which people mostly eat food that grows within 100 miles of where they live. Local cooks will become quite skilled at creating recipes from only locally grown food. Soon, rather than sowing their front yards with grass, people will begin to plant indigenous grasses and flowers -- it won’t be unusual to see houses surrounded with what seems to be untamed desert or swamp. Web pages will begin to spring up that examine the history and culture of specific states, cities, and, eventually, neighborhoods, and hobbyist will be able to detail the complete histories of their immediate environments. CD compilations will be released celebrating music created in specific neighborhoods, and people will develop a great interest in art that was created within a day’s drive of their homes.