Utility

Horwitz’s article about ‘Eating on the Edge” illustrated how food, just as many items and utilities, have evolved to fit a specific purpose in today’s culture. This idea of eating food or having a meal becoming more of an individual experience has resonated with me much more ever since coming to college, due to how busy I am just on a day to day basis and how little time I have to eat in between classes and or places I have to go. Because of my specific meal plan, I am not allowed to enter the cafeteria before 11 o’clock in the morning, yet after 11 and until 7 o’clock at night I am allowed to get as much food as I want as many times as I want. This being said, my eating patterns and my appreciation for a specific meals such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner have diminished drastically due to my inability to fully experience or indulge in a specific meal. This idea is not shared only by me, "In the US, unstructured eating patterns have become more common, while taking time to share food with others is becoming less familiar"(Horwitz 4). Due to this change in my eating patterns, I have noticed that I tend to eat much more food on the go and my appreciation for the food that I eat has changed from something I used to completely and utterly love, into a utility, "an additive to a situation, such as a cigarette would be, rather than being definitive"(Horwitz 1). For me this change is something I have come to accept due to the situation that I have been placed in, and the priorities that I have established for myself have put my academics and or my personal success above my enjoyment of specific meals. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely sit down and enjoy my meals every once in a while, but food itself at this point in time has become a utility that is essential to my survival and nothing more.

Pete's

I went to Illegal Pete’s at 12 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon and was treated to a nice crowd packed inside the restaurant due to the miserable weather that day. I ordered some chips and salsa to keep me company during the next hour of observations. The staff as well as many of the customers were one the younger side of the age spectrum, in my opinion, due to the close proximity to the University of Denver, and because of this I felt that the atmosphere and the restaurant itself were catering to the needs of the customers they are use to seeing on a regular basis. With popular music playing throughout the restaurant as well as sports on any and every television, the restaurant exuded an almost barish feel to it. This is understandable because Pete’s has a bar which, in my opinion, seems to be serving alcohol at any and every time of the day.

Another point I wanted to bring up was the accessibility and or efficiency of the way the restaurant is set up and run. With the customer having the ability to see all the ingredients behind a glass shield and their specific taco or burrito being made from start to finish, the process is very quick and easy, and leaves the customer satisfied, having the finish product being the exact combination that they ordered and saw made. While all of the ingredients are already prepared and presented in front of you behind the glass shield, the difference between Pete’s and a Subway is in the quality and or freshness of the ingredients, not necessarily the way in which the ingredients are displayed. Although you may get your food as fast, if not faster than at a fast food restaurant, the quality will never be compromised and the customer will always be satisfied.

This idea of restaurant efficiency really interested me, and so after leaving Illegal Pete’s I looked around campus for other restaurants that used this same fast-service food technique. What I found was that Chipotle about a block down the street has basically the exact same ordering process, “Distinguishing features include non-standardized layouts, unique décor, an open-view kitchen, and an ordering process in which the customers can see the food being assembled.”(1) The advantage for the customer, like I pointed out earlier, in being able to see your food prepared and all of the ingredients going into this amalgamation, is that in the end of the transaction the customer is getting exactly what they ordered and the quality of the ingredients is visible to the customer before the chose to put it into their meal or not to. Both Chipotle and Illegal Pete’s are Mexican grills that service mostly college students, and in my opinion because of the proximity to the University of Denver and the youthful, fast moving culture, the unique efficient layout of each restaurant allows many different people to eat their meals in many different ways.

What I mean when I say the restaurant “allows many different people to eat many different ways” is that no matter how a person wants to treat their specific meal at Pete’s or Chipotle that day, either getting it to go and eating it in class or at work, while on the go, sitting alone studying in the restaurant, conversing with your friends sitting at a table, having a drink at the bar watching the game, the point I am trying to make is that the accessibility and or utility of the food being produced at these restaurants is absurdly versatile. While sitting at a table observing other people’s meals, I wanted to see what the utility of the food they were eating was for that specific person. For some, the utility of the burrito is that it holds well on the go and can be eaten while multitasking due to the fact that all the ingredients are neatly wrapped up in a massive tortilla, for some the meal is used as a way to connect to the person you are sharing your meal with, and for some it is just for the pure enjoyment of Illegal Pete and or Chipotle which they can enjoy sitting by themselves watching television, reading a book or newspaper, doing schoolwork, the options are limitless.

The utility of the food served at Illegal Pete’s is ridiculously versatile, able to satisfy each and every customer in an efficient unique way. The atmosphere of the restaurant is just as adaptable to any situation as the food is, and because of this Pete’s is not only a place to go to eat, but also a place to hang out with your friends and relax, giving you the option every time you walk in their doors to experience something different and unique.

Bibliography

"Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. Stocks." CMG. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. <http://finapps.forbes.com/finapps/BuyHol

Chipotle

This is a link to basically a connection that I'm trying to make between other restaurants that use the fast-service food technique and restaurant efficiency to make their product more appealing

Social Status

Both articles showed the connection that food can have to a culture and or a certain social status, yet both authors chose very different settings to carry out their research and by doing so have created unique stories that show the importance of certain food in both a prison setting and in Shenzen, China. In the article about Eating in Shenzen it talked how Shenzen’s population had grown over 40 times its previous size of 300,000 and because of this the traditions and or culture of Shenzen was drastically changing. A great way the author found to distinguish between the long time Shenzen citizens and the new comers happened to be the food that each group chose to eat, and in this food came histories of both people from Shenzen and not. The connection I drew from this article to the article about prison food or “Spread” was the way in which class and or social status was determined through the food you ate. In Shenzen the food you ate determined whether or not you were a local Shenzen citizen or just someone from a different part of China looking to be successful, in prison, even having the ability to buy ingredients to make the spread showed that you either had or did not have money and because of this placed you in a certain group. Different ethnic groups made different spreads with different ingredients and because of this it is very easy to see which group certain people belonged to. In jail, “Spread” is a delicacy that only well off inmates, either financially or politically, have access to, and because of this, either the absence of such a delicacy or the presents of it says something about the group that you belong to as well as what your status is in the prison system. 

Coke vs. Pepsi Analysis

Stephen's Essay

When looking at Stephen's essay I found many similar observations about the way in which Coca Cola chooses to advertise their product, such as, detailed and intricate animation, promoting uniqueness, and showing the happiness that their product brings to their customers. These choices made by Coke to promote their product through showing what Coca Cola has to offer instead of what other companies lack compared to their own, in my opinion as well as Stephens, is much more effective in persuading people to buy their product. Coke has chosen to take the high road compared to Pepsi, who chooses to try to make Coke look like an inferior product, by not even considering the competition, and by doing so have created an ad campaign that makes people want to by their product, not by showing why they shouldn't be buying their competitors drinks, but by showing what is so great and unique about the product they are selling.

Coca Cola

From the time that I was little I have been amazed by Coca Cola’s advertising ideas compared to those of other mass companies like Mars or Lays. It always seemed to me that Coca Cola put a little more time and effort into their marketing department than did other companies due to the intricacies of Coke ads I have seen. In class on Friday I showed at least three different Coca Cola ads, all promoting some different slogan or punch lines, yet all with the same intrinsic message.

            First lets take the grand theft auto Coke commercial, where a man drives up who everybody thinks is going to bring harm, buys a coke, and starts spreading love around the city. This commercial, the first time I saw it, made me think about being generally a good person and giving a little back to the world, because of the catchy song “Give a Little Love” and the whole atmosphere of the commercial. This advertisement was promoting “The Coke Side of Life” and in doing so showed a society that most of the viewers would like to be a part of. This commercial showed what affects coke has on a day to day basis, in their opinion, and in doing so promoted a world in which “You’re gunna be remembered for the things that you say and do.” This message of the “Coke Side of Life” ties directly into Coca Cola’s other slogan or catch phrase of “Open Happiness” because of how the portray what the coke side of life is. While in some cases diversifying your ad campaign is a negative and can detract from the consumer’s ability to understand what the company is promoting, Coca Cola’s ability to intertwine different advertisement ideas into one mecca-marketing scheme that is understandable and accessible to all is a feat in itself.

            The Coca Cola Happiness Factory commercial also caught my eye due to the similarities in what this commercial promoted and what the grand theft auto Coke commercial promoted. In this commercial a guy goes up to the Coke machine, puts in his money, and then you as a consumer get to watch the inner workings of the coke machine, until a final product is given to the customer, who starts to walk away, then takes a sip and looks back mystified at the Coke machine. Just to start off, I want to say that the animation in these Coke commercials is ridiculously amazing and intricate and is a reason that I enjoy watching these ads so much. With catchy songs in the background that illustrate a happy, fun, enthusiastic, yet unique day, play perfectly into both of their slogans “The Coke Side of Life” and “Open Happiness”. The uniqueness and quality of coke is something that I feel Coca Cola is trying to promote and distinguish themselves by. At the end of The Coca Cola Happiness Factory, the customer takes a sip of the bottle while walking away, stops, and looks back at the coke machine in awe, making me think that there is something special about this drink that deserves a double take. In my opinion this ending scene says a lot about the quality and uniqueness of Coke because of the way he reacted to the situation. When getting a drink out of a vending machine it’s nothing special, yet while walking away he stops after taking a sip of his Coke and appreciates something unique that doesn’t usually happen. This idea of Coke being a one of a kind drink plays perfectly into their ad campaign of “The Coke Side of Life”, by saying that only this drink will allow you to feel this way, and “Open Happiness”, by showing that there is something special and or different that requires appreciation or at least a double take.

            These advertisements, in my opinion, are not targeting a specific audience; yet appeal more towards the youth of today because of the intricate animation as well as the message that it is promoting. Also I feel that Coca Cola is one of the only companies today actually promoting the product that they are selling and not some hoax just to get the attention of their consumers. Coke is actually putting effort into how their product is perceived by the general public and has a very strong ad campaign to do so. These advertisements are trying to show that coke is a unique drink that has the ability to change one’s day in the happiest of ways, and that this happiness that you felt is not only specific to you but can be given to other people in this tiny little red labeled bottle they like to call Coca Cola. 

Advertising at Its Best

I think this idea of advertising for a specific economic and social class goes on much more than advertisers would like to admit. Personally I really enjoyed the comparisons made in the article between language used to advertise a certain material for upper class versus lower class socioeconomic positions because it brought up something that although I rarely think about happens all the time. Taking the potato chip, especially, and looking at how advertisements on higher priced bags of chips differ from advertisements on lower priced bags of chips was a very good example to look at due to the availability of potato chips as well as the consumption of potato chips. These connections between the advertisements on higher priced bags of chips to socioeconomic class and or culture really intrigued me to look at how nice sit down restaurants advertise themselves compared to fast food restaurants. When looking at advertisements for fast food restaurants, I found that the advertising focused more on what the establishment and or food had rather than what the food or establishment didn’t have. This advertisement strategy came up when looking at potato chip bag advertisement and was called linguistic negation. Using linguistic negation highlights what your product has to offer than other products lack. For example when I was reading advertisements for high-class restaurants I found that what the restaurant promoted was the ambiance and or quality of food that lower class establishments lacked in providing for the customer. These differences in advertising techniques, in my opinion, has altered and will continue to alter the way in which products are advertised, and personally I don’t see the linguistic negation advertisement technique staying around too long due to the ever changing world of advertising. 

Loveless

Living only a short drive down Natchez Trace Road from the best southern food in Nashville Tennessee, I was able, whenever I wanted, to stuff my face with the most seasoned, decadent southern foods imaginable. From the homemade preserves and fried chicken, to the biscuits, whose recipe has remained unaltered to this day, some of my favorite memories have been created in the restaurant’s soothing southern atmosphere, conversing, while savoring every bite of my favorite combination platter.

            This little slice of heaven is located directly off of Highway 100 on the outskirts of Bellevue Tennessee and is famous for being able to put a smile on anyone’s face that walks through their doors. Having the ability, because I lived so close, to go after school, during school, or even before school probably did massive damage to my cholesterol levels, but it also allowed me to appreciate all the different faces and subtleties in the food and restaurant that, in my opinion, make the restaurant so damn unique.

            So let me start off by explaining why my favorite combination platter is the best meal selection possible at this little humble abode. First off there is an urgent need to get a combination platter because in doing so complementary baskets, upon baskets, upon baskets of steamy buttermilk biscuits are placed in front of you with not one, not two, but three choices of freshly made preserves. After ruining your appetite by eating all the biscuits you could ever possibly desire, a fried quarter chicken of white meat with creamed corn and French fries is placed in front of you, and the feast begins.

            With such a hospitable southern waiting staff, the refills of sweet tea and coffee are plentiful, and a friendly face is never that far away. Since I have been going to the Loveless Café with my family for over a decade, I have become very friendly with many of the servers and know many of them by name. While the fried chicken with creamed corn and fries is a great meal, sometimes I stop by the café for a little snack and this gargantuan meal is not suitable. In this scenario a serious evaluation of the menu is in order and at least one if not two baskets of biscuits are needed.

            One of my favorite memories at the Loveless Café was shared with my friend from high school who was on the soccer team with me. After practice one day neither of us really had anything going on and due to the fact that he lived at least 45 minutes away from school we decided to hang out before he went home. We went to the park and ended up throwing the football for a while until a brilliant idea popped into my head. I grabbed the football and headed to the car, he shortly followed grasping the idea that I wanted to leave. With Loveless closing in a half hour it was my job to get us there, and that was exactly what I did. Going one speed the whole way there, fast, we got there just in time to milk the system and get multiple baskets of biscuits for free.

As we sat down in the homey little front room we were the only people in the restaurant and got to experience something very unique. Being one of the largest tourist attractions in Tennessee due to the phenomenal biscuits and or fried chicken, it is usually packed shoulder to shoulder with at least a 45 minute wait time and we got to be the singular table being waited upon. This experience allowed me to really appreciate the unchanged nature of the restaurant, from the porch outside to the walls filled with autographed photos of southern and national celebrities, the true southern roots are very visible and one of my favorite parts of the restaurant. With a big glass of sweet tea and biscuits on biscuits my friend and I tried our best to find something on the menu to eat, but ended up stuffing ourselves with one too many baskets of biscuits. When the waitress who was serving us came over to see if we wanted anything before the chef left we told her all we needed was the check, to which she responded, “Oh ok so y’all don’t want anything to eat besides the biscuits? It’s on the house.” This small act of kindness resulted in a hefty tip for said waitress and a lifetime of support from my buddy and me.

After this experience, every day after practice my friend and I would stop by the Loveless for biscuits and sweet tea, and occasionally, dependent upon my mood, would order my favorite meal consisting of the succulent fried chicken, creamed corn, and French fries. This humble little abode has become and will forever remain my favorite restaurant.