The French dishes that the western world considers the epitome of fine food come from peasant food as well. Coq au vin, beef bourguignon, ratatouille -- all were enjoyed by French peasant families long before they were ever seen in a fine dining establishment. I think what's occuring in today's American food scene is a natural evolution, and made possible because we finally have a food history and culture that's deep enough to be worth exploring.

Part of this phenomenon also, I think, comes from nostalgia – and the same likely goes for the CDs you speak of. Dressing in jeans and chucks, as many of those guys probably did when they were growing up, gives you a subconscious sense of youth, of happiness and of place. And in a profession where it's their job to be able to think in different, novel and original ways – in many ways to think like a child – those feelings of yesterday can help you today in very real ways.