13 Oct 06
Originally posted by sjegThe best apples and peaches to eat don't ship very well.
No-- this thread is about the following example.
Typically, I found in the US ... we'll say, an apple.
It would be green... bright, shiny, shiny very shiny green like the Ol' Green Banner green, and very large and juicy looking.
Excellent... except when you taste it... nothing.
It's probably waxed, coloured, frozen, genetically modified and then spr ...[text shortened]... and Holland or the US... which tastes of nothing in particular... but it's a trendy lable.
You know, just vote with your wallet. Don't buy the mass-market stuff if you don't like it. I don't.
But resenting that it exists or that other people do will just give you an ulcer.
13 Oct 06
Originally posted by sjegWilliam Morris had similar concerns in 19th century England.
No-- this thread is about the following example.[..]The US is the worst place for this ideal- it's all packaging, and no content..
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/depsta/iss/library/speccoll/bomarch/bommay06.html
Forcing corporations to market "good" food would require massive state intervention, unlikely to be popular.
13 Oct 06
Originally posted by xsI didn't realise there was an Irish series called Rip-Off Republic.
Or course...much worse than the Rip-Off Republic. 🙄
And a web-site: http://www.ripoffrepublic.com/
Do you suspect that sjeg's comments betray a familiar and hypocritical European prejudice against the "colonial" USA?
13 Oct 06
Originally posted by sjegThis is hardly just a phenomena of the US. I moved from Zambia to South Africa, and all the fruit here looks plastic (though its worse in some shops than others) I was told the same by relatives who visited the UK.
No-- this thread is about the following example.
Typically, I found in the US ... we'll say, an apple.
It would be green... bright, shiny, shiny very shiny green like the Ol' Green Banner green, and very large and juicy looking.
Excellent... except when you taste it... nothing.
It's probably waxed, coloured, frozen, genetically modified and then spr ...[text shortened]... nd buy it.
The US is the worst place for this ideal- it's all packaging, and no content.
Basically, when you have a choice you buy what you think is best and that is often based on looks. Then the people selling to you modify thier products according to your preferences.
Places with less choice and with poorer people experience less of this because people just buy what is available or what they can afford (price more important than looks)
Most of the worlds egg producers add yellow coloring to the chicken feed to make the yolks yellower.
Coke doesnt taste the same if the brand isnt on the container.
The problem is that consumers do not always get a choice. Once the suppliers figure out what they think the consumer wants then that is all they supply.
13 Oct 06
Originally posted by twhiteheadIt's true. If you want something more nutritious, you have to buy from shops that stock organic produce. There are various organic co-operatives working to fill this niche, for which there is increasing demand. Now the problem is to sort fake organic from real organic!
This is hardly just a phenomena of the US. I moved from Zambia to South Africa, and all the fruit here looks plastic (though its worse in some shops than others) I was told the same by relatives who visited the UK.
13 Oct 06
Originally posted by pizzinteaWell here is one musician who is not into Ipod's or its ilk. I think for productivity purposes something like Ipod's may be more use for DJ's as a portable storage device for the parties they cater to.
Well no one needs anything, but let's say iPods are helpful for some musicians? They may like it. Other than that, marketing is convincing people they need it. Saw this somewhere making reference to the difference between good and great, "a good salesman can sell a refrigerator to an eskimo, a great salesman can sell a refrigerator with an icemaker to an eskimo." Kinda explains marketing.
The thing that bugs me about packaging is the incredible lengths they go to to make it difficult to open. You see the covers of stuff like CD players as a layer so hard to open you need a pair of scissors or a knife, almost impossible to get open with just fingers. What in green creation do they need packaging that strong for? It's overkill to say the least. Is it so they can be stacked 5,000 deep in some overseas tanker?
13 Oct 06
1 edit
Originally posted by Bosse de NageYou miss the point-
I didn't realise there was an Irish series called Rip-Off Republic.
And a web-site: http://www.ripoffrepublic.com/
Do you suspect that sjeg's comments betray a familiar and hypocritical European prejudice against the "colonial" USA?
Rip-off Republic refers to the price of food/drink/service in our current economy, which is probably the highest in Europe. However, bear in mind our wages are also among the highest in Europe- 2nd only to Luxembourg (which is a mady-upy country anyway)... and possibly also the Swiss, but they definitely don't count. We earn more per capita than many of the large rich countries (Germany, France, U.K.) in Europe, and the standard of living is very high too.
It does not refer to the quality of foodstuffs/ drinks/ luxury items, which we are discussing here- thankfully, there are still Irish apple on sale, and ones which are naturally green.
13 Oct 06
Originally posted by Bosse de NageAnd... it's from experience of someone who like to eat well having lived a while in the US, where content is often second to packaging, and people don't seem to notice/mind.
Do you suspect that sjeg's comments betray a familiar and hypocritical European prejudice against the "colonial" USA?
Plus- you'd be surprised- 90% of Irish people and madly in love with the US... and Australia/ New Zeland.
Everyone has family there, and every student (apart from me and maybe three others) takes a gap year in the States and in Australia. It's a cultural link, and a lack of language skills, as I see it.
So the prejudice swings quite the opposite way from that which you assume.
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13 Oct 06
Originally posted by sjegI think you definately have a point there. Packaging and marketing which leads to brand loyalty. Beer in the US is a perfect example. I could be sitting in a brewpub that has a fantastic selection of their own brews to choose from both light and dark and without fail some bloke will come up to the bar and order a Bud Light. I can only shake my head.
Experience in America led me to one conclusion- for the US market, packaging is far more important than substance. Would you agree with this statement? And is this the way markets are turning the world over?
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13 Oct 06
Originally posted by sjegAs someone who lives in a part of the US that is heavily populated with Irish and also as one that visits Ireland almost on a yearly basis I can verify that this is the truth.
Plus- you'd be surprised- 90% of Irish people and madly in love with the US... and Australia/ New Zeland.
Everyone has family there, and every student (apart from me and maybe three others) takes a gap year in the States and in Australia. It's a cultural link, and a lack of language skills, as I see it.
So the prejudice swings quite the opposite way from that which you assume.
13 Oct 06
Originally posted by UllrRight on. Many of my pals say they actually like the taste of the Bud/Coors/Miller Light! I say what taste?
I think you definately have a point there. Packaging and marketing which leads to brand loyalty. Beer in the US is a perfect example. I could be sitting in a brewpub that has a fantastic selection of their own brews to choose from both light and dark and without fail some bloke will come up to the bar and order a Bud Light. I can only shake my head.
Is this the trend in Europe also? A shift to form over substance?
14 Oct 06
People are often 'conned' by branding and packaging into thinking that they are buying a superior product. I once did some work in a canning factory and was amused to discover that many tinned items with a supermarket 'home brand' label (sold at a fraction of the cost) were identical to branded items. Do you think this is generally known?