Tag Archives: Foodie

December 2, 2016 · 1:01 pm

Food And Doing Well By Doing Good

This Foodie Friday I want to chat about a couple of food-related things I read this week and how they might translate into some thinking about your business. The first is an article (seen here) about how Nestle has figured out a way to cut the sugar in its candy. The second is something businesses are doing in Japan to help with a problem on their roads.

Nestle Crunch in most recent packaging

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nestle says its researchers have found a way to structure sugar differently so that it uses 40% less. It claims this can be done without affecting the taste. As a former fatty who misses chocolate A LOT, this is good news. More importantly, it helps to address the epidemics of diabetes and obesity. Nestle is patenting the method which seems like a missed opportunity to open source something that can help a lot of people. Of course, once you file a patent the method is no longer secret so maybe others will find a way to do the same.

In Japan, as in many other countries including our own, the population is aging and the old folks are continuing to drive. My 91-year-old Dad refuses to give up the car keys and it’s something that keeps our whole family up at night. What they’re doing in Japan is to offer the super seniors discounts. In fact, nearly 12,000 seniors living in Aichi had voluntarily given up their licenses in exchange for discounted goods and services, and that was before one of the leading ramen chains (hence the food focus!) offered a discount for life to those who hand over their licenses. Since the proportion of all fatal accidents attributed to drivers over 75 has spiked from 7.4 percent to 12.8 percent, this seems like a pretty good public service.

In both of these cases, the motivation may not have been to do well by doing something good but I think that’s the effect. Who wouldn’t want to eat less sugar and not down a bunch of artificial sweeteners which are just as bad? Nestle ought to sell more candy. In Japan, safer roads help everyone, and the businesses providing the discounts can’t serve younger customers who’ve been hurt by an older driver, not to mention the older drivers themselves. Hopefully, the additional patronage more than makes up for the discount.

This is the sort of thing any business can think about. How can we do some good in our community and does that activity hold the promise of helping the business? As anyone involved in Corporate Socal Responsibility will tell you, the two things are not exclusive to one another, and I’m all for it. You?

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November 18, 2016 · 1:40 pm

What’s My Name?

Our Foodie Friday Fun this week begins with a question. What do English Muffins, Vichyssoise, and Spaghetti and Meatballs have in common? I think if you asked many people they might answer that each is a “foreign” food that has become popular in the U.S. Actually, while the popularity piece is correct, each of those dishes was invented right here in America. You can add such “imported” dishes as Pasta Primavera, German Chocolate Cake, a Cuban Sandwich, and nearly every bit of what most Americans think of as Mexican food to the list. Each of these was created here despite their name or feel.

English: Spaghetti and Meatballs

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What does that have to do with business? I dine a lot at a local Mexican spot. This is not the “Mexican” food of Taco Bell, Chipotle, or Qdoba. There are no English menus and while there are certainly tacos, burritos, and other familiar sounding dishes, there are fillings such as tongue and tripe instead of the ubiquitous ground beef and chicken. There are also dishes (iguana, anyone?) that are truly Mexican. No chimichangas here.

I bring this up because we often allow our preconceptions of something to dictate how we process information. We hear “pasta” or “spaghetti” and we believe something originated in Italy. We see a spreadsheet and assume that the numbers and formulas have been vetted when in fact there may be computational errors or typos. Much worse is some people’s tendency to hear a name and assume  a lot about the person.  You know what I mean – a Jewish name means someone who will be good with money, an Asian name means they’re great with numbers. It’s a long, unfortunate list.

So the next time you settle down in front of a fajita or a nice bowl of chili and appreciate their “authentic” flavors, just remember that the flavor comes from Texas and not from Mexico. When you next settle in front of a report or a spreadsheet, spend a minute to ask about its origins as well. You can even think about what the motivations where of the person who created it. Try to keep an open mind about the interviewee in front of you as well, whatever their name, It might just change your whole perception.

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November 11, 2016 · 2:43 pm

Hiring Cast Iron People

It’s Foodie Friday and this week I want to dwell on cast iron pans. Hopefully, you own a couple and they’re not sitting in some drawer rusting away. What I’ve been thinking about today is how there are some real misunderstandings about cast iron and how a number of those misunderstandings have equivalencies in how some folks look at employees. Let me explain.

Those of you who don’t use cast iron regularly probably have a few misconceptions. You think that it’s an outdated technology and newer types of pans are lighter and have better non-stick surfaces. You feel that cast iron is temperamental. You can’t wash it with soap and water and as a result, it always has a gross sheen of old cooking oil and other gunk on it. You fear using anything metal on it in case you disrupt the non-stick surface. Finally, you fear cooking acidic food such as tomato sauces in it because the acid will result in an off taste as it interacts with the metal.

None of the above is true. Well, ok. The pans are heavy. I have a 15-inch cast iron skillet that requires a back brace to lift. But it makes a roux like no other pan I have. It took a while to learn how to use cast iron properly. It doesn’t heat evenly but it holds heat fantastically. Because of that, it puts an amazing sear on anything. It can go from stovetop to oven with no fear. I wash mine with soap and water all the time and the non-stick surface is fine. Why? Because it’s not old oil that creates the non-stick. It’s a layer of polymerized oil that has already bonded to the surface. That is also why I cook acidic foods in it without issue as well. The more I fry it in the better that layer becomes. So what does this have to do with business?

We often look at people much as we look at cast iron pans. We think that people who are older can’t have the properties that make them valuable. We hear rumors they’re difficult and that they’re temperamental. We don’t think they are versatile enough to deal with any situation. We hear they require constant care and maintenance. None of those things are true, at least not to a degree that’s any worse than we face with any demographic. The reality is that more experienced people can often perform a multitude of tasks and, like cast iron, get better at them over time and with use.

There is one other thing cast iron has that’s extremely valuable. It’s called emissivity, which is its tendency to expel a lot of heat energy from its surface in the form of radiation. Not only does it cook what’s in contact with its surface but also the food above that surface (think roasting). Who wouldn’t want an employee that radiates high energy to those around them?

If you have a cast iron pan in a closet someplace, take it out, clean it up, reseason it, and put it to work. Not a bad thought for the underutilized experienced employee in your midst either!

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