Newsworthy stuff from ZAGAT’s newsletter.
Comments: What separates a gimmick from just a good idea? BED sure seems to be a gimmick since I can’t think of a good reason to eat on a mattress. But then again, who knows maybe I’d like it. I don’t immediately discount stuff that’s trendy as much as many of my peer group naturally would.
Virtually any establishment can lure me in with technology. Starwich certainly sounds like they fit that bill. Except with 100 ingredients I’m already feeling a stifling Paradox of Choice. For the lazy non-link followers, Paradox of Choice is a book subtitled “Why More is Less” and is about how consumers today are often faced with too many choices. The constant drive towards more options has left us overwhelmed, stressed, and unhappy.
UPDATE: I didn’t do the book description justice, here’s a better one.
… as choices proliferate, people have a harder and harder time making decisions. And they end up less satisfied with the decisions they make. They are filled with regret over those that turned out well but might have been better; they develop unrealistically high expectations; and when decisions disappoint, as they almost always do because of these expectations (we bought a terrific stroller and left the store dissatisfied that we couldn’t find the perfect one), they blame themselves. The result is stress, unhappiness, and in extreme cases, clinical depression.
seriously though, i just spent 3 hours researching horse vacations and now just want to climb in to bed and cry and never see a horse again
i’m going to pick up a copy of that, thanks for the rec. It’s nice to hear that perhaps my "weak" decision making skills aren’t entirely my fault. So often do I get flustered.
After reading your post, I tried starwich. My head did spin at the number of possibilities, but moreso because everything sounded so good. So often i’m stuck trying to determine the lesser of two evils, but here it was trying to pick the best from their refreshing options.
Can’t wait for their online cards to come out, so i can make up a few favorite salads and just click on them each time.