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The Time Capsule Food Theory: Why We’re Emotionally Eating Like It’s 2016

Naked cakes hit different this time around

time capsule food theory univ
Elena Rui/Netflix/MARCELOKRELLING/Getty Images

Roughly a decade ago, whimsy ruled everything we ate. Don’t believe me? We served everything in mason jars until it practically became a Portlandia sketch—and loved anything pickled to the point that it actually was a Portlandia sketch. We roséd all day and relished in serving anything in a rainbow ombré (to the point that we mythologized it to “unicorn” status). We fully embraced the racier-than-it-sounded naked cake.

Now, in 2025, all of our Pinterest board fever dreams are creeping back into our lives. Every week, a new pickle-themed snack emerges, from dill-flavored Goldfish and pistachios to an entire menu at Popeyes. Fancy Sprinkles has built an empire off of edible glitter, and Sonic Drive-In launched the Unicorn Dreams Slush, complete with swirly-horn straws. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has essentially relaunched The Tig 2.0, now a 360-degree lifestyle brand with a hit Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, where she serves up 2010s staples, such as mason jar margaritas, naked cakes and rainbow fruicuterie boards.

Sure, trends come and go, but what’s compelling such a cluster of mid-2010s hits to return?

After covering food trends for 15+ years, I have a theory: We’re seeking a comfort food time machine.

Research has shown that Gen Z is the most nostalgic generation, followed closely by millennials—with 15 percent preferring to think about the past than the present—and for those born between 1997 and 2012, their earliest food memories are, well, a decade-ish ago. “For Gen Z, these aren’t throwbacks—they’re fresh and new, experienced through today’s lens of social interaction and customization,” says Staci Johnson, Director of Brand Experience at Sonic. “We’re seeing a real craving for nostalgia and whimsy, especially from parents of tweens and teens who want to share joyful moments with their families.”

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“You can’t do the big American dream things, like buy a house. In some ways, these little things matter more. They’re special, and they can help you every day.”

Jeff Kreisler, J.P. Morgan Private Bank

The mid-2010s was peak performative food, so it makes sense that trends from that time have taken off more than those of the ‘90s or Y2K era, which have had huge moments in fashion and beauty. During that time, Instagram instructed us all that “the phone eats first,” as people commonly joked, whipping out their iPhones to snap pics of whatever they were eating to share with the world. And, as is the case with viral content, the more surprising, eye-catching or emotionally engaging the dish, the better it performed. Hence, the rise of twee mason jar meals and eye-catching unicorn foods, alongside flavors that had their own devoted fandoms (ranch, bacon, sriracha and pickle, to name a few).

rainbow fruit platters
Courtesy of Netflix/Liz Andrew/PureWow

We Crave a New-But-Not-Too-New Experience

The food itself was so fantastical that it served as escapism. Even at $25 for a Freakshake, they were an attainable luxury: You may not be able to head to Australia this summer, where the trend arguably originated, but you could hit up your nearest Sugar Factory to marvel at an entire dessert menu piled atop your milkshake.

What Jeff Kreisler, Head of Behavioral Science at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, said about the Lipstick Index—an economic theory that sales of affordable luxuries surge when people fear a recession is looming—feels just as apt to describe our renewed interest in fantastical food:  “It's what we do to get through the days,” said Kreisler in a 2024 article. “You can’t do the big American dream things, like buy a house. In some ways, these little things matter more. They’re special, and they can help you every day.”

While we aren’t in a recession right now, a soft job market and concerns over the impact of tariffs have provided a certain degree of economic uncertainty. As we live through the wait-and-see, it’s natural that we’d seek ways to soothe our rattled nerves—and that’s where comfort food and little luxuries come into play. Right at the center of those overlapping circles is the whimsical food of the twenty-teens: so over-the-top and offering such a break from the ordinary that they transported you. They’re an experience in and of themselves.

popeyes-pickle-menu: A photo of side-by-side images of the frozen and chilled Popeye's pickle lemonade.
delia curtis

We Seek Pickles (& Community) When We’re in a Pickle

Take pickles: The ingredient has only risen in popularity since Google started tracking trends in 2004, initially making me question my theory, until I talked to the Popeyes culinary team about why they launched a full-on pickle menu this spring. “Pickles have always had a loyal fanbase, but right now, pickles are having a major moment—from TikTok to grocery store shelves, and pop culture. So, we thought, why not go all in? We turned this craveable, cult-favorite ingredient into a fully immersive menu experience.”

There it is: fully immersive menu experience. This wasn’t about going along with what’s trending; it was taking something people know and love—and, dare I say, feel nostalgic toward—in order to turn lunch (or dinner, or second dinner) into a break from the ordinary. It’s no wonder, then, that the very unexpected Pickle Lemonade proved to be a breakout hit from the limited run.

And that’s the difference today—one Sonic’s Johnson calls a “cultural shift.” “TikTok has turned every new menu item into a potential shared experience, making it incredibly easy for people to document their reactions in real time,” she says. “Where Instagram used to be about perfectly styled plates, TikTok is about full-on taste tests, drink hacks and real reactions that drive massive FOMO.”

The shift also explains the return of fast food chains’ secret menus—fan creations that only those “in the know” (or avidly scrolling TikTok) might stumble upon. People want to be part of the experience, down to the creation of the treat itself.

We Prefer Customization Over Curation

Interestingly, it’s the experiential part of these trends’ reemergence that may have made the Duchess of Sussex’s DIYs on With Love, Meghan so divisive. People bemoaned that her creations were so perfect that they didn’t feel authentic or relatable. But maybe that’s simply because, as a 43-year-old millennial, she experienced these things the first time around, only as these trends peaked, she was paused—life in the royal spotlight meant she had to give up her lifestyle blog, The Tig, and her Instagram account. Now that she’s no longer a senior royal, she’s free to post what she wants.

“It may just be that she left the internet in 2016 and then came back and just doesn't care about being late to the game because that's the stuff that she loves,” explains Rachel Bowie, PureWow senior director of royals and special projects.  “She's an elder millennial, a rom-com Julia lover, a Julia Roberts lover, Nancy Meyers addict. I feel like that sort of scripted perfection is something that is joyful for her.”

In an era where people want to be part of the experience, that polished perfection put up a wall between some viewers and the show. We prefer customization over curation; foods and drinks that draw people in, but also reveal something about the person sharing it. What did Meghan’s choices reveal?

In a recent episode of The Jamie Kern Lima Show podcast, Kern Lima mentions how she struggled with making a charcuterie board, only for Meghan to offer a few simple changes that elevated the whole aesthetic. That curatorial eye comes naturally to the As Ever founder, Bowie asserts: “That is authentic to her.”

In that sense, the show is more of a true comfort food time capsule—it’s as close as you can get today to the Pinterest perfection of a decade ago.

So, whether you secretly delight in recreating Meghan’s naked cake or publicly revel in recording TikTok reviews of every pickle lemonade or unicorn drink you can get your hands on, we’re all seeking the same thing: a little fun amid trying times. (And, OK, the occasional, “can you believe this exists?!” post.)



candace davison bio

VP of editorial content

  • Oversees home, food and commerce articles
  • Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
  • Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business