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Not as fancy this year
Jan. 22nd, 2003 04:52 pmI thought I’d have a lot to write about now that this year’s Fancy Food Show is over. But maybe I’ve just gone too many times. Nothing stood out this year to serve as an example of how horrible a huge three day event (both sides of the Moscone Center) filled with corporate food purveyors, one-step-from-bankrupt producers, smarmy sales reps and pretentious foodies can be.
God I hope I’m not just getting used to it.
But really I think it’s a another benefit of the collapsing economy. Companies are just not spending as much money as they used to on temporary displays for trade shows. Gaudy wealth isn’t as hot as it was for the last few years. For example, I didn’t see those chocolate bars with real gold flake that appalled me once before. There also seemed to be less life-sized photos of craggy peasants working honorably in their fields and fronted by real life power-suited sales reps proclaiming the integrity of artisianal products in between fiddling with their Rolexes* and taking cell phone calls.
I tried to get my co-workers and vendors to play the what’s-this-year’s-trend game and we couldn’t come up with anything. While olive oil, chocolate, chips and spreads dominate in general, there’s almost always an ingredient that suddenly appears in everyone’s new products. Years ago it was sun-dried tomatoes. Every booth had a sun-dried tomato bread, chip, chocolate and/or oil. Other years it’s been chipolte, wasabi, habanero peppers etc. But this year everyone seemed to be in a holding pattern. Then a vendor said, "I hate to tell you, but I think the trendiest thing this year is cheese."
The most audacious thing I saw was actually in my area of specialization. At the Crystal Food Imports** booth, there were aged Italian cheeses topped with dyed herbs in the shape of an American flag. At first I was repulsed, but then I saw the possibility of a nice anti-war cheese display with these cut-up flag-cheeses. Alas, it was just the cheesemaker’s tribute to the 911 martyrs and they were not for sale.
Maybe it was just a little mellower this year because we’ve honed our below-radar strategies. Wear badges backwards so they can’t be read? Check. Make a map of where to go specifically and move quickly?*** Uh huh. Don’t make eye contact? Yup. Dress punk and try to look like you’re not in the trade? Well, we do that every day. I will note that the Italians were NOT impressed with the rubber bracelets/cock rings our co-worker made out of metal Parmigiano Reggiano stamps.
But mostly it was perfunctory say-hi-to-the-cheesemakers, schmooze-with-the-owners-of-the-companies, gossip-with-cheese-friends kind of thing. I had to say "They’re not my girls." about my co-workers, twice over the three days, an ominously increasing percentage of times yes, but something that also has almost lost its ability to shock me.
But don’t worry kids. I haven’t lost my love for the cheese, it’s just the trade show atmosphere that bores me. I did actually taste some wonderful things and hopefully some will be available soon. The 300 day aged gorgonzola. . .yum. . .
*Knock-offs as often as not. But it’s important for the image.
**I do my buying work in a fairly crowded area of the store. Once when an order from this company didn’t come in the second or third time it was supposed to, I got my rep on the phone and screamed, "Where’s my god damn crystal order!?!". Everyone within hearing distance looked up from what they were doing. It took some quick talking to keep out of a mandatory rehab program.
*** Here’s an excerpt from something I posted anonymously to food message board last year: "And then there’s the stink of failure and desperation from the sections that are the least trafficked and desirable. . . . as a retailer I walk quickly through those gourmet slums lest someone grab me and beg, 'You're from XXXXX store. Please give it a chance. Did you taste my artisianal jalapeno/chocolate/kava kava/Echinacea/extra virgin olive oil/corn chips with jellybean centers? Please please. Here's a brochure with a busty model/smiling peasant in native garb on the front'
Explaining that you only buy perishables just makes the grip that much tighter"
God I hope I’m not just getting used to it.
But really I think it’s a another benefit of the collapsing economy. Companies are just not spending as much money as they used to on temporary displays for trade shows. Gaudy wealth isn’t as hot as it was for the last few years. For example, I didn’t see those chocolate bars with real gold flake that appalled me once before. There also seemed to be less life-sized photos of craggy peasants working honorably in their fields and fronted by real life power-suited sales reps proclaiming the integrity of artisianal products in between fiddling with their Rolexes* and taking cell phone calls.
I tried to get my co-workers and vendors to play the what’s-this-year’s-trend game and we couldn’t come up with anything. While olive oil, chocolate, chips and spreads dominate in general, there’s almost always an ingredient that suddenly appears in everyone’s new products. Years ago it was sun-dried tomatoes. Every booth had a sun-dried tomato bread, chip, chocolate and/or oil. Other years it’s been chipolte, wasabi, habanero peppers etc. But this year everyone seemed to be in a holding pattern. Then a vendor said, "I hate to tell you, but I think the trendiest thing this year is cheese."
The most audacious thing I saw was actually in my area of specialization. At the Crystal Food Imports** booth, there were aged Italian cheeses topped with dyed herbs in the shape of an American flag. At first I was repulsed, but then I saw the possibility of a nice anti-war cheese display with these cut-up flag-cheeses. Alas, it was just the cheesemaker’s tribute to the 911 martyrs and they were not for sale.
Maybe it was just a little mellower this year because we’ve honed our below-radar strategies. Wear badges backwards so they can’t be read? Check. Make a map of where to go specifically and move quickly?*** Uh huh. Don’t make eye contact? Yup. Dress punk and try to look like you’re not in the trade? Well, we do that every day. I will note that the Italians were NOT impressed with the rubber bracelets/cock rings our co-worker made out of metal Parmigiano Reggiano stamps.
But mostly it was perfunctory say-hi-to-the-cheesemakers, schmooze-with-the-owners-of-the-companies, gossip-with-cheese-friends kind of thing. I had to say "They’re not my girls." about my co-workers, twice over the three days, an ominously increasing percentage of times yes, but something that also has almost lost its ability to shock me.
But don’t worry kids. I haven’t lost my love for the cheese, it’s just the trade show atmosphere that bores me. I did actually taste some wonderful things and hopefully some will be available soon. The 300 day aged gorgonzola. . .yum. . .
*Knock-offs as often as not. But it’s important for the image.
**I do my buying work in a fairly crowded area of the store. Once when an order from this company didn’t come in the second or third time it was supposed to, I got my rep on the phone and screamed, "Where’s my god damn crystal order!?!". Everyone within hearing distance looked up from what they were doing. It took some quick talking to keep out of a mandatory rehab program.
*** Here’s an excerpt from something I posted anonymously to food message board last year: "And then there’s the stink of failure and desperation from the sections that are the least trafficked and desirable. . . . as a retailer I walk quickly through those gourmet slums lest someone grab me and beg, 'You're from XXXXX store. Please give it a chance. Did you taste my artisianal jalapeno/chocolate/kava kava/Echinacea/extra virgin olive oil/corn chips with jellybean centers? Please please. Here's a brochure with a busty model/smiling peasant in native garb on the front'
Explaining that you only buy perishables just makes the grip that much tighter"
