Pardon us for not being up on what is hot with the health-food set (we're more the burger type) but we thought you might want to know that, according to Details at least, the grain du jour is...chia? Yes, chia. As in "ch-ch-ch-chia." As in those little seeds you used to wet and slap onto a ceramic pet (or president!) and then watch grow before your eyes. Yeah, that stuff.
Apparently beyond being fun for the whole family chia—salvia hispanica if you want to be technical—is at all the "cutting-edge gyms and juice shops." It is also on quite a few menus around town. While mostly it seems to turn up in drinks—related to the mint plant, chia seems to have lots of fiber, protein, antioxidants and omega-3s—they aren't the only place you can get your chia on. Vegan restaurant Caravan of Dreams, for instance, sells chia chips with its hummus and nachos, and it also sells a nori salad sandwich on slices of onion chia bread.
Now we're stuck pondering what other classic products might turn out to have health benefits. Perhaps the "Pet Rock workout" will be the next Krav Maga? Or maybe sea monkeys with their juices will be the next big chaser at cutting-edge nightspots? Why drink pickle juice when you can put back some living briny water! At least one person at Gothamist HQ says they would happily slurp a sea monkey "straight up." Guess which one!
