Gourmet Everything

I love food. I love cooking from scratch. I love finding a new cuisine or menu. I love watching the Food Network.

It's amazing how much variety can be produced by only a handful of ingredients and techniques.

It's also amazing how much variety there can be in the taste, texture, and general deliciousness of the end result even when using virtually the same ingredients and techniques. Coffee can be a burnt, tasteless sludge or an incredibly smooth delight. Ice cream can taste like slightly-flavoured frozen milk or can have a burst of flavour that you crave for days. In Vancouver, you can find some of the world's best sushi within a couple of city blocks as some of the worst I've ever tasted.

The quality of the initial ingredients (and the tools used) certainly makes a difference. But I'd bet that any top chef could shop at exactly the same market as you or I, buy exactly the same things, cook them with regular home appliances, and still produce a much better end product.

Working in the opposite direction, it seems logical to assume almost any food could be made "gourmet".

Meatloaf, fruit cake, mac and cheese, green salads, and a thousand other dishes are considered almost a chore to eat by many many people. Yet there's no reason for that. Add a couple of new ingredients to a meatloaf and cook it a little slower and it will be juicy and tasty. Lighten up your fruit cake recipe and you'll probably win over a bunch more fans...

I think the same logic applies to almost any product.
Why is it such a chore to buy insurance or, at best, something to barely think about? Shouldn't I be excited to be buying something that will protect me?
When I get a tire fixed, shouldn't I find the experience at least a little bit interesting?
Same thing with visiting the dentist, shopping for shoes (if you're someone like me), doing your taxes (if you're a normal human being), and on and on.

Some of the companies that provide these products and services are clearly trying to position their wares in a favourable way, of course. But I doubt that many customers actually think of "chore" companies in the way they want to be positioned.

I'd like to see brands in these types of industries make a radical change to their experience so that it's something you look forward to. Add some spice, cook it a little slower, steam instead of fry, or maybe try adding some garnish.