The #fridayfive -- five things I learned this week:
1. I'm a fan of the Savannah Bananas, the exhibition baseball team that has completely rethought the rules of baseball. Part of their ap-peel is their accessibility -- an article on the team in this month's United Airlines' Hemispheres magazine notes that the players interact with the fans before, during, and after the games (they also have more TikTok followers than the MLB). When 35% of consumers haven't eaten a single meal with a friend or family member in the past week, providing that human connection to consumers is more important than ever. In an age of kiosks and apps, how do you do it?
2. I keep seeing the new book Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection mentioned in numerous magazines. While I haven't read it, I do like the idea that you should diagnose the type of conversation you're having. How many times have you thought you were having a friendly conversation, only to find out the other person wants to sell you something? Or you were venting about something that annoyed you to someone (an emotional conversation, according to the book), and they give you advice on what to do, which annoyed you even more (they were having a practical conversation)?
3. I'm strongly against unpaid internships, stages, etc. - they only exacerbate longstanding inequalities. That's why I was interested to read about Chef Evan Hennessey's stage program at his restaurant Stages, featured in the February issue of FSR. Instead of picking herbs in the corner, selected interns will sit down with guests for a meal at the beginning of the stage to talk and learn (an opportunity that is already rare), then they'll not only execute a multi-course tasting menu, but they'll take home half of the profits on the night it's presented. (https://lnkd.in/gZryzkdR)
4. I've always been a little skeptical of the concept of terroir, but maybe it's not the place that matters -- it's the bacteria. Researchers have found that the microbiome around tea plants can impact their flavor, and even the same varieties can taste very different depending on the microbes present nearby. (https://lnkd.in/girSZ-ew)
5. In the latest issue of Imbibe magazine, I learned cream cocktails rose to prominence in the early 1900s thanks to the popularity of the Alexander, and kept their popularity through Prohibition because they masked the taste of bad bootleg liquor. In the '60s and '70s they experienced a golden age, as drinks like the Grasshopper and Pink Squirrel rose to prominence, but they fell out of fashion as Americans grew more calorie conscious (in Maine, the White Russian is sometimes called the "Fat Ass in a Glass").
#connection #hospitality #communication #internships #research #tea #terroir #cocktails #menumatters #data
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1moMoving forward!