Before the jump (into 2006) we saw how food trends go from introduction to assimilation into the mainstream. Nicole showed us a few predictions of foods that will take off in 2006, and Sarah Gilbert gave us the ratings on last year's most popular trends.

But there are a few trends that either only started or hung on for dear life through the end of 2005. These are the bottom five food trends (trend, not people) I hope to see completely suffocate and fizzle out in 2006.

1. Low Carb. Why? How? How has this survived this long?!?!  I don't mind people eating low carb. My sister is a serious carnivore, but she was born that way. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, she says, doesn't feel like a meal if there is no meat. However, low carb dieting and foods that transform themselves into low carb are annoying. Low carb marketing is almost offensive. Pork tenderloins are okay for low carb! Eggs are low carb. Are you kidding me? Do they really believe we have really become that stupid? Eat some bread, dammit! (Ok, I feel better now.)

2. Food (no) Personalities. I don't love Rachael Ray. I think she has some good ideas and she seems like a nice person and all, but she's just too damn perky to have multiple shows on the food network, cookbooks, AND a new magazine. I hope her 30 minutes of fame are over. 

3. Space Age Food Born out of a Laboratory. It's kind of cool as a concept, and no doubt, I hope to try El Bulli some day. But super space age food is not so cool when everyone and their mothers soon decides that menus need to printed on edible paper and vacuum packing is tres chic. Is it culinary genius? Yes, that brilliant chef sure knows how to charge you up the yin yang for...a piece of popcorn.

4. Sandra Lee. Sandra sort of belongs with #2, Food (no) Personalities, but I decided to call her out because she has no personality AND I hope that this idea of the lazy gourmet gets tossed out with 2005's ugly, unfunctional wedge-heeled espadrilles. I am all for convenience, and keeping things simple and easy, but it's a different story when it's ugly, doesn't taste good, and you tell people you made it from scratch. That's lying. And another thing, what happened to keeping it simple with just simple things to begin with? Isn't fresh fruit simple? And convenient?

5.  Every chef on the planet opening a multi-million dollar restaurant in Vegas. Maybe it's that I don't love Vegas. Or maybe it's that even Thomas Keller has opened an outpost of Bouchon in Vegas. Thomas Keller! The one I thought I'd never see surrender.