Food Needs To Stand On Its Own In Order To Be Called 'Amazing'

Nevin Barich

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , October 22, 2019 () – My wife and I have this running argument when it comes to “amazing food.” Let me give you an example.

Recently, she went to some mom-and-pop taco stand and called me on the drive home to tell me she was bringing me home some brisket tacos for dinner because they were “amazing.” When she got home, however, I tried one of these tacos and didn’t share her enthusiasm.

“They’re ok,” I said, “but a little dry.”

My wife responded by rolling her eyes.

“Well you need to add stuff to them,” she said. “I added some cheese, salsa and sour cream, and it made them great.”

And therein lies our continuous argument.

If you tell me that some food item is amazing, I expect that it’s going to taste amazing without putting 45 things on it to improve the taste. My wife, however, feels that if putting on those 45 things makes the food taste amazing, then the food item in question is “amazing.”

Here’s my thinking: You can make anything taste good by adding a bunch of stuff on top. Heck, I can make a piece of plywood taste edible given enough melted cheese and sour cream. But that means that the concept of “amazing food” is completely watered down. If food becomes amazing by adding numerous toppings, then anyone can become an amazing chef.

It reminds me of this scene in the movie “Green Book” where the characters played by Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen are eating in a diner and Ali’s character asks Mortensen’s character how the food is. He shrugs and replies “salty.” He then goes on to explain that anyone can make food taste good by adding salt, but the trick to really good food is to make it tasty without the eater needing to add anything to it.

Viggo and I are right. Anything can taste good by adding salt or other flavorings, but “amazing food” needs to stand on its own.

Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence, which can help YOU better address your own industry challenges. We invite you to come take a look at our service.Call us today at 310-553-0008 and we’ll schedule you for a 15-minute demo.

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