I'm getting gas this morning, pulling into the crowded gas station that
offers the liquid gold at a gasping $3.98 a gallon rather than the
typical $4.03. Waiting in line for an available pump, I spot a sign for
the newest convenient store offering – gourmet soda. This led me to
think about gourmet, not something I would think you could get at a gas
station next to aisles of crispy, spicy chips, day-old hot dogs and
stale soft pretzels. "Now on tap in the soda machine is gourmet soda"
the sign reads with a large green crocodile happily slurping up this
tasty soda.
So what is gourmet? The term is slapped on candy, soda, cake and savory
dishes to sell anything. It's the name of a magazine, a nondescript
description for anything we're supposed to want to eat because it sounds
quality, unique or at least interesting.
www.Dictionary.com says it is "of or characteristic of a gourmet, esp.
in involving or purporting to involve high-quality or exotic ingredients
and skilled preparation." However, the word is most often used as a
noun, such as a connoisseur of fine food and drink.
I suppose it is a subjective term, rightfully used to market food and
drink to the masses who want more, better, and tastier. But honestly, I
cannot imagine fine ingredients going into soda. It's not like the
high-quality beers that use real fruit during fermentation rather than a
sweetened cherry flavored syrup to make cherry wheat beer or
peach-tinged ale. Or it's not the same thing as wine that uses the top
pick crop of the best looking, unbroken grapes and send the rest to
another producer to make a less expensive label. Soda is carbonated
water and syrup, more expensive or not, it's still corn syrup and dye
that fizzes.
This gourmet trend has gone too far. As America's palate has matured and
we want better food and fresher ingredients, marketers know we'll buy
anything that's labeled gourmet. Consumers need to stop falling for
gimmicks and be smarter, but then again, I that cute croc did make me
want the soda.
