It happened gradually, a steady shrinking of normal-sized foods into 'cute' bite-size versions. The muffin pan has never gotten more use than in the last few years, as everything from lasagna to pot pies and pizzas has gotten miniaturized. What's the deal? Well, some scientists say humans are hard-wired to respond to anything that triggers our impulse to nurture and care, and that's what cute food does.
The Salt recently posed this question, and reminded us that a few years ago Natalie Angie from The New York Times called this 'the cute factor.'
She said that humans are hardcoded to respond positively to any features or signs that reminds us of needy infants, from "the young of virtually every mammalian species, fuzzy-headed birds like Japanese cranes, woolly bear caterpillars, a bobbing balloon, a big round rock stacked on a smaller rock, a colon, a hyphen and a close parethesis typed in succession."
Add mini food to that list, and you've got yourself an answer. Another interesting aspect, as The Salt notes, is that it's no surprise we're miniaturizing rich, carb-and-fat heavy foods like lasagna and pies: "It allows an indulgence without the guilt."
How do you feel about mini foods? Are you on this trend's bandwagon?
Read More: Lasagna Cupcakes, Anyone? Science Says We Can't Get Enough Mini Stuff | The Salt
Related: Recipe: Apple Cinnamon Mini Monkey Breads with Lemon Glaze
(Image: Liz Vidyarthi)
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So, what is the picture of at the top of the article?
As someone who lives by myself, I like making mini-foods because I can store/freeze the extra portions much more easily. It also does force portion control pretty well. I am more likely to be moderate in choosing what amount to take out of the freezer to thaw than I am when eating dinner. Just one or two mini quiche/lasagna/pot pies and lots of salad rather than more of the heavy stuff and less of the salad.
I appreciate being served mini foods at parties and gatherings because a) they are often easier to handle standing up, and b) one or two mini versions of something might be the perfect serving size, whereas a "regular" portion would be way too much.
I'm not down. I've got a lumberjack appetite in a ballerina body and it makes me feel gluttonous eating 5 mini-somethings instead of the equivalently sized regular portion I want.
I have been known to make lil' frittatas in a muffin tin, but they freeze/thaw better that way. And then I still eat 3.
"It happened gradually, a steady shrinking of normal-sized foods into 'cute' bite-size versions."
Actually, I believe the reverse is true....normal sized portions became *super-sized* & effectively erased man's memory of what *normal* looks like. Furthermore, muffin tins are not bite-sized.
That said, mini muffin tins make great hors d'oeuvres for parties. And yes, they are cute & perhaps do appeal to some innate nature but they are appetizers or snacks and not intended for meals [although who among us is not guilty of making a meal of hors' d'oeuvres? lol)
@ kat_h: I too can eat three muffin tin frittatas but it doesn't make feel gluttonous. Never checked but I suspect 3 might be a bit more than a recommended portion. But if that's the only course, it counts as less in my book. 'Course it may also be that I've lived long enough not to give a rat's patootey what anyone else thinks about my eating habits. And I refuse to give 'them' the power to define my feelings. Enjoy your 3 muffin fritattas!
Ehhhh I'd say it's more because sample-sized things are fun. You get a taste and then get to move on to trying something else.