Hummus me you won't make me eat that?

The last two decades have had two foods that hostesses serve and people rave about. I've brought them, bought them, served them, eaten them, and have always been left wondering why they are so popular.
The nineties were about guacamole and this decade is all about hummus.

The similarity is a strange, rather flavorless ingredient that is pounded into oblivion, mixed with herbs, oil, and spices, and served to you with chips. Last year, I attended a good friend's birthday dinner at a vegetarian restaurant. One of the major offerings was a triple medley of hummus. Huh. I tried it and wasn't moved. Everyone "oohed" and "aah ed" and I started feeling like a college student who had received a placebo joint. I wasn't feeling it. It wasn't heinous. It just tasted like garlicky Elmer's. Seems to me that when you gotta start bastardizing the taste of something so much, maybe we're all trying too hard. Another food that falls into this category is tofu. Ever notice no one ever grills up naked tofu? It's basted, fried, or marinated. I realize I'm a little late to the party on hummus, but I think a better use for that trio would have been joint compound, mortar, and wood filler.