I went to LaFortune this morning only to encounter a good friend of mine from Argentina eating breakfast. I know I have already written about my own breakfast habits, which is why I found my attraction to her breakfast so interesting. She had V8 Fruit Splash, a yoghurt parfait from LaFortune, and a bagel with raspberry jelly. I greeted her and commented on her breakfast. It looked so delicious and healthy.
My first memory of yoghurt parfait stems from a visit to family in Germany. They lived near Munchen. I remember waking up to the smell of a hot cup of coffee and that sense of healthy familial warmth that that envelopes me with. I went out to the breakfast table to see a table filled with toast, meat, cheese, cereal, and yoghurt. Confused, I sat down and began to watch the family eat in order to understand how I was to digest this food. The family made open face meat sandwiches on fresh bread from the bakers and used the yoghurt to softer the cereal. This concept was exceptionally foreign to me. A fan of behaving like a Roman, I scooped yoghurt on to my bowl of cereal and proceeded to digest it. The yoghurt left the cereal crunchy and uncomfortable in my mouth. I felt like I had more food in every bite that I consumed and that I had to work harder to consume it. The taste sensation also greatly differed. Yoghurt cereal was much sweeter than cereal with milk. My sweet tooth liked it. So did my tummy. I did gain 10 pounds over the course of that trip. My next memory of yoghurt parfait was in New Zealand. However, my most recent memory of yoghurt parfait was at the airport in Chicago. I had some time in the terminal and wanted to eat something healthy while I waited. The yoghurt parfait at McDonalds had a low price point and reminded me of the sweet unfamiliar, uncomfortable, but filling breakfast I had had in my travels. While traveling, it seemed appropriate. My friend's yoghurt parfait reminded me of travel, and as I approach my own trip to Berlin, it appealed to me.
She also was eating a bagel. I had eaten bagels throughout high school with butter. The warmth of the butter made the bagel taste sweet and hearty. One could easily eat more than one bagel and often I did. As I entered college, my best friend lived in a Jewish community and introduced me to a fresh variety of bagels. Bagels were my special treat. It reminds me of my best friend, of the amazing times I had in college, of other cultures, and of a treat.
Finally, V8 fruit splash. The orange of the bottle connotes summer and the sweet taste of an orange. The color is also attractive and invigorating. V8 means vegetables. As a child, my mother always would not let me leave the table unless I ate my vegetables. In fact, she would calculate the number of bites left on my plate. Vegetables are an obligation. However, fruit, is a privilege. Oranges were always a sweet healthy snack that I could have during the summer, when I came in from playing. Granted, I do not like peeling them. My hands always smell like oranges. The 'splash' part reminds me of playing in the swimming pool with my dad. We would always play games and act like kids. V8 fruit splash evokes all of these memories to create a playful healthy treat, rather than an obligation.
I wanted the combination of these items on my friend's table because they presented a sweet unfamiliar treat.
However, when I asked my friend why she selected these items, she said it was because they were all of her favorite things. She tried eating cereal with milk only to feel like she was gaining weight. Unlike how I felt in Germany, in Argentina, I image they are more likely to eat yoghurt as part of the breakfast process. As a result, instead of being unfamiliar, yoghurt is more associated with youth and relaxation, as my cereal and milk is to me. The V8 splash connoted more of the summer and her feelings of desire to return to Argentina to see her family again. However, I am unsure about the bagel. However, for her, this breakfast is normal. It is familiar and warm. It is my cornflakes, banana, and coffee. Even though we both like that breakfast, we select it for completely different purposes.
Managers should take notice of the reason behind specific breakfasts. Very few managers show a full balanced breakfast anymore due to obesity issues. However, I rarely see marketing for traditional breakfasts that does not include morning and a family. Family is not the only people with whom you eat breakfast. As a market of a yoghurt parfait in the U.S., I would try to emphasize the international flavor, travel, and the warm sun of an Argentinian brunch. Emphasize a different breakfast situation to first appeal to international subcultures within the U.S. and then to the substance desires of American nationals who may gravitate towards the exotic.
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