10 Things We Can (Begrudgingly) Thank Hipsters for Popularizing

Hipsters
Shutterstock
Shutterstock

We talk a lot of trash about hipsters these days. Hell, so do hipsters, many of whom scoff that the lifestyle is so widespread that the word doesn’t even mean anything anymore. But let’s be very honest here: we have a lot to be thankful for where these doofuses (doofi?) are concerned. Especially in the world of food and drink. So, at the risk of over-inflating hipster egos even further than they already are, we thank hipsters for the following. We'd add a lot more, but making long lists is so passé.

beer
Flickr/Gemma Amor

Cheap beer in good restaurants

For real. Sometimes, you just want something fizzy and yellow. And whether you’re doing it to be ironic or to be cheap (or both), it’s because of the insurgence of hipsterdom in the food & drink world that I can now get a tallboy and a shot for $5 in any city.
 

Expanding my food vocabulary

Now that most menus read like goddamned first drafts of Faust, my Scrabble scores have gone through the roof.
 

Better versions of crappy food

Artisan corn dogs? You bet your ass I’m grateful. Now pass the house-made ketchup.
 

Making me look manlier at the bar

Ten years ago, I’d probably look like your average Joe. Standing next to a stick figure in an ascot and skinny jeans, I look like Ron Swanson, a medium-rare steak, and a bag of ninja stars crossed genes.
 

Getting bacon the love it deserves

No snark here. At least not from me. Those hipper than me may scoff and say “oh, the bacon trend is sooooo over.” And they’re right. It’s now achieved cultural transcendence. And the world is a better, crispier, fatter place.

Hipsters
Flickr/Susan Smith

Shorter restaurant lines

“But wait,” you say, hastily repairing a rip in your hand-rolled cigarette while you wait in the cold for the hot new brunch spot, “we’ve been out here for hours, just waiting.” Yep. And because of that, I can finally get into the hot new brunch spot that opened up two weeks ago down the street without waiting. It'll be easy to find. I'll follow the trail of stubbed-out rollies.

Better donuts and ice cream

Also beneficiaries of bacon.

Food carts

Cheapness and great food are not mutually exclusive. Thank you for being cheap, but also complaining about the quality of your hot dogs. It worked.

Freaking out over ethnic street food

A ramen shop on every corner (where there used to be a record store)! Let's keep this going.

Keeping the Mason jar industry in business

*This appreciation is brought to you by the Mason Family Foundation.

Andy Kryza is a senior editor on Thrillist's Food & Drink team. He lives in Portland, OR, so he's got a lot of experience with these sorts of things. Send him a handcrafted, eco-friendly Tweet: @apkryza.