What’s For Dinner?
It is perfectly normal for generations to bash other generations. It’s our way of showing a little solidarity among our cohort. From the shared experiences and music of a decade, to the very fact that we’re all just getting older, we tend to identify best with those who experienced the same things.
I am a Baby Boomer and proud of it. I was one of the 78 million persons born in the US between 1946 and 1964. It was a period of unprecedented economic growth. The returns of soldiers after WWII and the Korean War saw many young persons marry, have children, buy cars, and move to the suburbs.
Maybe not all in that order, but you get the idea.
The generation before mine is often called the Greatest Generation, in reference to a book Tom Brokaw wrote in 1998. My generation made fun of them as being stodgy old timers with sorry tastes in music. After we grew up a bit, though, we came to accept them. That said, we didn’t waste any time heaping coals of scorn on Gen-X (1965-1979) and the Millennials (1980-1996). Give us enough time, and we’ll make fun of Gen-Z as well (1997 to the present).
Naturally, Gen-Xers make fun of Millennials as well as the Boomers, and Millennials make fun of us all. This is beginning to sound a lot like the Chicago in which I was raised, where every ethnic group despised all the others. And God help a Polish man who married into an Italian family.
But I digress.
Today, Millennials have been accused of “killing” practically everything once held near and dear by previous generations, including food. They just don’t want to do things the ways they were always done. The challenge is for Marketers to figure out how to respond, and not hold their aging ground.
Much has been written about the Millennials and how they are the kings and queens of the Experience Economy. They are far less interested in things than their older counterparts, and far more interested in collecting experiences.
As for me, I must be a hybrid. While I am definitely a Boomer, I share many traits with Millennials. I live for experiences, but then again, I have been wont to collect material things as souvenirs of those experiences. Like my Starbucks mug collection.
But back to food. In case you haven’t noticed, the trend these days is toward very progressive American fare, and a lot less of the standard meat-and-potatoes my parents knew and served. We want intriguing international cuisine. We crave craft beer brewed down the street. We insist on being locavores as much as possible when it comes to ingredients. We love the challenge of using chop sticks. And we want variety in our variety.
Notice how I included myself in all of that.
It’s no small task for Marketers trying to keep up with this. Menus must be revised frequently. I have seen many a progressive establishment go with seasonal menus reflecting the availability of fresh foods. Some change their menus daily, or have a common core with several selected items that change every day.
Restaurateurs thus need to stay at the forefront of dining preferences, constantly on the lookout for new dishes. Brussels Sprouts have been resurrected from the dead in recent years thanks to new ways to prepare them, and who hasn’t had something containing cauliflower lately? If only my parents knew then what chefs know now. You can actually makes those vegetables pretty tasty.
To call us fussy eaters is an understatement, but food preferences, just like music, are highly subject to the interpretations of the people creating and consuming them.
But speaking of music, don’t get me started. That’s where I draw the line. I can hang with the Millennials when it comes to experiences and food, but I’m sticking with my music.
Things were better back then. I can roll with pretty much all of the changes, except this one.
Dr “Rock On“ Gerlich
Audio Blog
