Responses #2

http://sooyeonluvu.blogspot.com/2009/10/less-calories-product.html?showComment=1256603902536#c5045458037193542050

http://alyssarmedrano.blogspot.com/2009/10/alcohol-killer.html?showComment=1256606671610#c2530811428869995797

Crowd Pleaser

While watching the Philadelphia Eagles play the Washington Redskins on the ESPN network tonight I noticed a pattern during each set of commercials. The main ideal and targeted consumer for each and every advertisement was directed more towards the male gender, commercials about beer and football was the major theme. The advertisement that Applebee’s uses to highlight certain items on their menu has Monday night football analyst Chris Berman, the sports commentator using his well known catch phrases to explain each delicious looking entrée. Berman uses, “he could go all the way,” to guide a hand that clutches a fried onion ring straight into a creamy dipping sauce as if it was a running back crossing the line. Each piece of good is commentated on as if it were a player on the field. It seems that many different TV broadcast stations associate their commercials with who they intend on viewing their net work. The common themes range from beer to cars in order for men to satisfy their need for escape. Most fathers and/or married men who work nine to five jobs not only get all of Sunday to relax and enjoy the NFL all day, but Monday night after having to regretfully return to work, come home to one more night of guy time. Guy time is a key component in a man’s life because men, generally, have a tendency to get angrier rather than emotional when it comes to domestic disputes or bothersome coworkers at the office. Football becomes that escape for men, because Monday night while the game is on most eyes are glued to the television they escape that reality for one more night after the weekend has passed on. This escape is captured in the advertisements of the men driving the fancy sport cars with an attractive younger lady or the men enjoying their delicious beer with some friends or a beautiful counterpart. These advertisements all relate to the consumer surveys and studies that show each network who is watching and what they want, this is the most successful way to advertise to effect some ones emotions and trigger extra thoughts or reactions.

Bar food, good for taste or good for business?

Do you ever wonder why most bars have a similar choice in food/appetizers? For those of us who have spent time in any form of drinking hole you have consumed many variations of cheap and greasy bar food. The different forms of food from nuts to nachos usually are washed down with an overpriced beverage from the bar. Most items on the menu are chalked full of some form of spicy sauce, salty coating, and/or seasoning that tends to raise the number of drinks each customer ends up purchasing. This clever method seems to be found at bars as well as restaurants. Hot wings, chips and salsa, and mixed salty nuts are found commonly throughout drinking establishments across the world.
Bars and restaurants seem to utilize this form of thirst enhancer all over the world. One example is Murphy’s Beer Bar off of 2nd Street in Long Beach. A simple beer tavern located above a fitness center, Murphy’s has abundant amounts of beer. Along with the purchase of multiple pints or pitchers you receive chips and salsa to enjoy with your frosty, cool beverage. Upon dipping the chips in the salsa there is a surprising spicy zest that instantly stings your taste buds, and immediately requires a solid chug out of your pint glass. A common food found in bars all over is the traditional bar nuts. These salty little pleasures have been associated with bars for centuries, what might surprise some is that the salt that coats the outside of each nut. Salt creates a dry, dehydrated sense after shoving a few handfuls of nuts in their mouth. These tricks of the trade force people to drink more create most socially occupied customers. Many other forms of food such as hot wings, nachos, and spicy fries can be found at many different bars and seem to get spicier each and every year. Tasting great, and getting the job done creates a somewhat silent ignorance from the patrons within the bar as they cash out when two o’clock in the morning comes around. So next time you think of getting those hot wings ‘extra hot’ just remember sometimes there’s a little ‘extra’ kick added to the already spicy sauce.

Responses

http://kyleshibel.blogspot.com/2009/09/inspirational-chef-needed.html#comments

http://virrygarr.blogspot.com/2009/02/gum.html?showComment=1254535609436#c684888732685179854

Banana Hammock

For years an important part of my daily breakfast has been the banana. Easy-to-grab on the go, and filling enough to ease my stomach until the lunch bell. The potassium enriched yellow slice of heaven not only has been around for centuries, but continues to be found throughout cultures and countries all over the world. Potassium found in a banana is very necessary nutrient in a diet for an active person. It helps with preventing cramps and gives an extra little boost of energy. Thinking back to my high school lacrosse tournaments, I can always remember eating bananas and banana power bars, two or three at a time, in between the exhausting games. With three games back-to-back I needed every little bit of help I could get in my belly. Native to the tropics of Southwest Asia, it is said the banana was first domesticated in the country of Papua New Guinea, and are now farmed all throughout tropical destinations.

One unique feature about bananas is the way they grow. Growing in bundles of 20 or more, the fully edible banana can be found in numerous different recipes throughout the world. Most Asian countries serve the banana cooked, or boiled and eat not only the inside but the outside as well. This fascinates me because I, personally, have never tried the skin of a banana and actually look forward to trying it out. I have grown more accustomed to throwing a Chiquita or two into the blender with some strawberries, yogurt, milk, ice, and any other fruits; frozen or fresh. As well, I love banana chips. Through researching for this blog, I have also learned that a banana can be pealed from the stem, or the other end as well.

When cooking bananas generally, the skin is green, as opposed to the already ripened yellow ones. Found in over 107 countries world wide, it seems the banana is a healthy part of many different cultures. From banana bread to banana pancakes, this yellow-shelled bundle of deliciousness has filled stomachs for centuries and it seems, will always be a part of the worlds diet.