branding is bullshit

background
example: illustration by todd harris; "branding illustrated"
source: http://www.clusterflock.org/2010/10/branding-is-bullshit.html

foreground
example: easy tasty magic's 'taste no. 5 umami paste' by laura santini
source: only holt renfrew

analysis:
yes, i bought into the hype and ended up buying the last two tubes of umami paste left in the entire city (as of this weekend and probably until after christmas, as i was told by the store clerk). *thank goodnesss* fitness world closed early on friday for their annual christmas party - otherwise, i definitely would have ended up with zero tubes. apparently, all 82 tubes from this latest shipment sold out within 3-4 hrs. i wonder where consumer-generated buzz fits into this illustration....under 'marketing' or 'advertising'?

taste has been divided into four categories: sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. in the early 20th century, a japanese scientist identified a fifth category of taste, which he called 'umami' that roughly translates to 'savouriness' or 'deliciousness'. umami is present in foods that are high in glutamates. still confused? here is more info.

food writer laura santini, whose father owns the restaurant 'santini', combined the most umami-rich italian ingredients such as tomato, parmesan cheese, and porcini mushrooms into a singular tube of paste that can simply be squeezed, rubbed, or spread for explosive results.

if you managed to get your hands on umami paste on this side of the pond, and you wonder what to do with it, here is the youtube vid to get your cooking juices going. but, eh... don't do what this guy did, because that's just nasty.

don't ask me if it tastes good, or actually worth stalking holt renfrew for, because my foodie fiance has not popped open the tube yet. we'll soon find out whether branding really is bullshit, or actually a squeeze of paste that truly is the 'ultimate flavour bomb'.

and oh, you live in the uk, and can readily get your hands on this stuff?? ship 'em over to this side of the atlantic and sell 'em - you would make a killing.