I Want My Baby Back RIbs... Or Do I?

This week, after watching an old Nightline special entitled, “Merchants of Cool,” which discussing the many ways companies are advertising to teenagers (who, they said, were the “ultimate consumers”), I got to thinking about one of my favorite things — food!

The premise of the special, which can be found on YouTube in six parts, was essentially the discussion of this type of cycle of “cool” and all its intricacies. Essentially, teens would think something is cool because they see other people (their peers as well as celebrities and personalities) doing it or using it, so they adopt it for themselves. However, as soon as said thing becomes too widely adopted, it becomes uncool because “everyone is doing,” making that thing no longer special or “cool.” The video demonstrated that it was a vicious and often swiftly occurring cycle, with companies paying hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars to find out what was “cool” before it officially became “cool” in order to maximize their profits.

I couldn’t help but think about how these “mass marketers of food” (i.e. chain restaurants) do the same thing to a certain extent. Take Chili’s, for example: several years ago, they had a catchy commercial about their, at that time, new baby back ribs. In the commercial, all the staff of the restaurant were happy and singing and dancing to the memorable tune. (I’d bet that most people who remember the song, could still sing it now.)

While ribs were nothing new for the culinary world, I recall a resurgence in the popularity of BBQ around this same time, and it’s likely Chili’s executives thought it wise to capitalize on the trend. I can’t say I blame them; it is that desire to ride the wave of popularity which often gives us so much of our pop culture.

How often do we see an ad for a restaurant on TV where they show all this wonderful looking food (which, perhaps ironically, looks nothing like what you’ll actually find at their establishment), and then immediately have a craving for that food? I know it’s happened to me countless times, but with one difference — when I see a commercial for a hamburger, for instance, I rarely want that hamburger. Instead, I think of all the wonderful places in and around Atlanta where one could get a better hamburger, and select one of those restaurants. 

With these teenagers, it seemed that their consumption of the culture, as much as they didn’t want it to be, was very planned and calculated by industry — the very thing they wanted to “rebel” against. They didn’t really stand a chance in the fight to be truly original; they were fed (and subsequently ate) the things which culture said they should.

Are we the same way when it comes to our diets? Do we tend be “subject to” the “mass marketers of food” like those teenagers were with the culture? Or do we truly have the power over what we eat. My experience would say that it depends on the person. Some people truly do eat whatever they prefer, shunning the “mass marketers of food” and creating their own menus. And, of course, there will always be the conformists, doing what they are “told” (albeit perhaps subliminally). Which one are you??