ever bother visiting.
WHAT WHERE THEY THINKING
Friday, June 19, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Corporate Overlords
Pizza Hut is renaming itself The Hut. They’re actually okay with people associating this with their greasy pies:
Dollar ReDe$ign Project
Thursday, May 21, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Design
It seems so obvious to us that the ‘only’ realistic way for a swift economic recovery is through a thorough, in-depth, rebranding scheme – starting with the redesign of the iconic US Dollar – it’s the ‘only’ pragmatic way to add some realistic stimulation into our lives! Therefore, you must take part and we really want to see what YOU would do.
I disagree with those who believe that American currency should adopt the rainbow colors popular with our international counterparts; if it ain’t a greenback, it’s not American. The above image by acquaintance Michael Tyznik smartly introduces some color while keeping our money familiar.
I’d like to see some submissions that ditched the one dollar bill for the coin, and also unload that asinine “In God We Trust” motto (not a long-standing American tradition, but rather a relic of the McCarthyistic fifties).
What does your fridge look like with the lights ON?
Monday, May 18, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Consume tres misc
GOOD magazine has a photoshoot of nearly two dozen open refrigerators, along with household and career stats of the respective owners. Go ahead and guess which fridge belongs to a San Antonio bartender.
Slaves to CostCo?
Monday, May 18, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Corporate Overlords
CostCo is being hit with a $50m “false imprisonment” suit. Employees are alleging that being kept — unpaid — for fifteen minutes after closing while managers reviewed jewelry and cash register inventories.
The term “false imprisonment” sounds a bit extreme, and fifteen minutes doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but honestly, a corporation the size of CostCo really ought to know better. You pay your employees for the time you expect them to hang around.
first they came for their cigarettes, then they came for our twinkies
Thursday, May 7, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Consume Science!
It’s no secret that the food industry is in fear of an offensive against junk foods that is directly in the vein of the tobacco backlash of the nineties. Dr. David Kessler’s The End of Overeating, a seven year study which studies people’s psychosomatic eating impulses (which wind up sounding a great deal like addictions) — is the sort of reading that may fuel this movement. In this interview, Kessler discusses his study and the possible future war.
LM: ...how realistic is it to think that companies will change their tactics if it’s not financially lucrative? Do you think there will be some sort of government regulation?DK: Government has a role to play, but if you look at the great public health successes, they come from changes in how we perceive the product.
The success on tobacco wasn’t done by regulation or legislation—it was done by changing how people perceived the product. From, “That’s something I want, that’s glamorous, that’s sexy,” to, “This is a deadly, disgusting product.”
7Up anti-oxishutup and make a decent soda
Tuesday, May 5, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Reviews Consume
BevNet has a review of the new (deep breath) Cherry 7Up Antioxidant.
Out of the gate, based on perception alone, Cherry 7Up Antioxidant smacks of another failed 7Up extension… 7Up Plus. Do we really have to relive the horrid tastes that were 7Up Plus Mixed Berry, 7Up Plus Island Fruit, and 7Up Plus Cherry? Those drinks played the same game, attempting to differentiate by including “real fruit juice, calcium and vitamin C”. Guess what? It didn’t work. 7Up Plus has pretty much disappeared from the marketplace. Yet we’re now messing with Cherry 7Up by adding Vitamin E and saying “hey, this is great!”
It’s sad to watch 7Up flailing about for all these years. I think basically everyone forgot that it was ever one of the Big American Classic Soda-Pops. Unlike the Bevnet reviewer, however, I think the answer to their problems does rely on reformulation. There’s basically no difference between 7Up and Sprite anymore; the only way I can see them carving out a new niche in the marketplace is by going “7Upscale.”
Here’s a daffy idea. Hire the geniuses at Jones Soda to build a truly gourmet 7Up. Market it as the “return of an American classic, reformulated for the 21st century.” Cane sugar, goes without saying. And be up-front about everything; “Soda isn’t good for you. Drink it sparingly. And when you do give yourself a special treat, make it the absolute best: New 7Up.”
Seriously, you guys have got nothing to lose now.
27 Observations About KFC
Tuesday, May 5, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Consume
- OK, this guy’s cool. Two piece combo, pays cash, stands off to the side. Yes! That is how a playa orders at KFC! Do you see that, mouth-breathers? Do you see how simple it can be?
- That’s great. This guy just saved me like a minute. I’m going to give him a little nod. Let him know I saw what he did there and appreciate it.
- OK, that seemed to freak him out. I shouldn’t have done that.
Pepsi Throwback review
Thursday, April 30, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Reviews Consume
The first reviews of Pepsi Throwback — Pepsi Cola reformulated with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup — are hitting the web. BevReview did a taste test of traditional Pepsi, Throwback, “Kosher” Pepsi (also cane sugar, only available during Passover) and some “hecho en mexico.” I’ll cut to the chase:
When stacked up against HFCS Pepsi, frankly you just want to spit out that stuff and run away. You won’t really believe that you put up with such swill for so long.
There’s also a review of Mountain Dew Throwback. Apparently the HFCS holds up a little better.
top gun of deliverance
Wednesday, April 29, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Mind Control
Swine Flu Couture
Tuesday, April 28, 2009, by Eric J // file under: tres misc
If I had to pick a favorite moment from the 2003 SARS outbreak (and believe me, I had a lot of favorite moments), it’d have to be the advent of haute couture SARS masks in Hong Kong. I figured it would be a couple months before this became retro chic again, but all that coke, man, the fashion industry moves with blinding speed. Pictured: Louis Vuitton keeping it both sanitary and tasteless.
Pakistani sex toy factory
Monday, April 27, 2009, by Eric J // file under: tres misc
Recently, when a curious employee inquired about the purpose of the sleep sack, a sleeping bag-like product used in certain kinds of bondage, she was told it was a body bag for the American military in Iraq.
I need to add a “you cannot make this shit up” category.
Remembrance of Tacos Past
Friday, April 24, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Think
One last taco link for the week: A Salon “foodie” shared some fond memories of the pioneer faux-multicultural fast food franchise, Taco Bell.
“At the time, Mexican restaurants were considered dirty,” said the culinary historian Andrew F. Smith, in an e-mail interview. Raised in L.A. in the ‘60s, he recalled that “in racist Southern California, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, then popularly known as greasers, were also considered dirty. Few suburban Anglo kids ate Mexican food until Taco Bell arrived. It sanitized ‘Mexican’ food (and in many ways, it also cleaned up the image of Mexican-Americans).”
last day at Home Depot
Friday, April 24, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Corporate Overlords Play
Taco Fail
Monday, April 20, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Mind Control Consume
A friend at the Denver Egotist appears to be pretty worked up over the new advertising campaign for Chipotle.
I gather that he was already rather emotionally invested in Chipotle. Based on the little of Denver suburban sprawl I’ve seen, I’d be grateful or any sign of good food in a sea of Taco Bells and Jack in the Boxes too. However, I don’t live in Denver, so I stick to a five dollar rule of thumb; since six bucks will get something borderline gourmet — with a beer — at any Portland happy hour, or an absolute pile of lovingly homemade tacos at an Austin taco cart, fast food doesn’t get more than five bucks from me.
This rule mostly keeps me out of Chipotle, where the baseline plate of three tacos is ~$6.60. That’s why I welcome the new, lower-priced items on the menu; I can have a simple lunch and not feel like I’m overspending on goddamned fast food. But the Egotist is correct in his opinion that their approach is brand-destroying.
An analogy: when Apple unveiled their budget-friendly $499 Mac Mini, they didn’t advertise it as the “value” Mac (which it certainly was), nor did they say that for the first time anyone could afford a Mac (certainly the most ground-breaking thing about it). They said, “here’s an easy route for you to switch from a PC to a Mac, just bring the gross beige keyboard and display you already own,” and perfectly maintained their brand.
The economy is the ghost that scared Chipotle into this campaign. Except that the problem feels more corporeal than a ghost… perhaps it’s a werewolf. Either way, it’s a legitimate fear and I don’t begrudge Chipotle for feeling a need to address it. An “eat lighter with our burritos that weigh less than a pound” campaign would have backfired by inferring that their normal menu was unhealthy (and to be fair: ingredient-wise, not as bad as most fast food; portion-wise: crazy outtacontrol). So I’m not sure what other options are out there. But also I’m not a marketer. shrug
Taco Win
Monday, April 20, 2009, by Eric J // file under: Consume
Speaking of tacos: a couple years back I remarked on my amazement at Slice, a blog dedicated to New York pizza. Since then I’ve experienced the glory that is actual New York pizza, and the Internet has only gotten weirder and niche-ier, so I’m no longer incredulous and now expect this highly focused treatment of all culinary dishes.
Such as friend-of-a-friend’s blog Taco Journalism, which as of this moment has reviewed over fifty different tacos in Austin, TX.
Also, “taco” is a really fun word to say. Taco.