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The strangers among us

August 13, 2010 by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

I love airports. I love hotels. I love conferences. I love anywhere there are groups of strangers I can interact with. What is so fascinating is that just as an individual has a unique personality, so to do groups of people. They have their own rules for engagement, boundaries, senses of humor, etc. Now go beyond this…a corporation can have a definable personality. Cities, states, countries, governments and even conferences all have personalities which can be profiled. Think about it – what comes to mind when you think of California vs. New York or France vs. England, or Kraft vs. Unilever?

So you will not be shocked when I tell you that trends have definable personalities too and if you understand a trends personality you will be more successful at strategically navigating it. You can play within its boundaries or challenge those boundaries to make a trend move in a new direction.

Now come along to a pretend conference with me. However, the attendees are not people, but foods and flavors. Picture it is the opening mixer and upon entering the sea of faces it appears, at first glance, to be a homogenous group. In reality they are clusters with distinct personalities. Allow me to introduce you to 6 of the groups. Each group is split into 2 factions – Familiar and Experimental. Do you have your drink and a smile ready?

Say hello first to seasonings. The Familiar faction is represented by chocolate, smoke, global sugars and salts, and teas. They have a sense of history, are grounded, comforting. The experimental factions is represented by cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, flowers, exotic garlic, turmeric and are coming in from Asia and the Middle East. As a group all are low toned, earthy flavors – the Tree Huggers of the conference. You are not seeing a strong showing by citrus or chilies – the personality has shifted. The group brings reassurance, confidence, and security to foods.

Next are the vegetables. The Familiar faction is represented by heirloom varieties, sweet potatoes, fennel, and weeds to name a few. The Exotics include pickles and kimchi. There are vast differences between the factions in this group and so they are the Bi-Polars. You must be strictly tied to the past or be global, but authentic, to stay in their good graces.

Here comes Fruit. The Familiar faction includes mango, kumquat, and coconut. The Experimentals showing up are baobab, yum berry, and cupuacu to name a few. Both factions have strong superfruit ties but the first group can be grown in the USA while the second flew in from oversees for the conference. Together though they are tropical, inviting, flirty, intoxicating – they are the Sensuals.

The Protein group is hard to miss. They are the ones laughing the loudest, telling the best stories. The Familiars include heritage meats, hot dogs, eggs, and fried chicken. Their counterparts, the Experimentals are represented by offal, small sustainable fish, and interesting new meat cuts. But the two factions are neither extreme nor ground breaking compared to some of the other groups – they are the False Bravados.

The Grains move easily between all of the groups tossing out compliments like politicians up for re-election. The Familiars include breakfast breads and regional pizza. The Experimentals are the single ancient grains. Together they are the Interpreters as they can be used as bridges or carriers to global flavors. They allow unfamiliar cuisines to enter the food scene in a less threatening manner for Americans. They are your new best friend.

And lastly, let me introduce you to Beverages. The Familiars are represented by artisan drinks, regional teas and coffees, local, micro-distilled items. Among the Experimentals you will meet muscle drinks, culinary cocktails, spritzers, frappes, and adulterated waters. This group has the tightest boundaries, the most rules – do not deviate from authenticity. If you are introducing a drink with health benefits or historical ties to this country or a global beverage you have but one chance to get it right so as not to alienate them as these are the Bi-Polars.

While it seems disharmonic to have the groups have two factions, it is quite normal as consumers come out of the recession – from comfort to confidence.