Power of a Name

By any other name, a rose would smell just as sweet...right?

Well, probably not if it was called something like a 'Prussian prickle flower'

Names hold more power than most people realise, and it's my belief that a large part of that comes down to heuristic associations, otherwise known as the shortcuts our brains make to make learning and remembering things better.

Caviar vs Fish Eggs

Caviar is, in it's simplest form, fish eggs. that's all it is. it's the salted eggs of the sturgeon fish. They're decently nutritious and apparently have an umami taste, but I don't think people are eating caviar in 2024 for it's nutrition value .

The funny thing about caviar is that it started off as a common food eaten in the areas where sturgeon can be caught. But as time went on and more continued to be caught, the availability of the Sturgeon plummeted, which paired with the long period needed for new fish to grow, created a scarcity which in turn made the product more valuable, leading us to today where tiny tins are sold for upwards of hundreds of pounds.

But here's something to try when you get someone food:

Try offering them a nice big bowl of fish eggs.

(and watch as they go through all 5 stages of grief before your eyes.)

The reason for this is that we, as people, have learned to associate the fish egg's formal name of 'caviar' with the luxury good, and not the actual eggs themselves.

There's a very big difference between the thoughts you are drawn to have when asked to eat salty fish eggs verses being offered a large serving of caviar.

Here's a few more examples of where this effect might be at play

Champagne vs Sparkling Wine

A sparkling wine, produced in the same conditions, using the same grapes, and with the same process as champagne is not allowed to be called champagne. Instead, they typically go by sparkling wine, which places an arbitrary limit and quality expectation on how much you can reasonably sell the product for (for proof of the role that association plays in wine, you can look to the infamous France vs USA wine competition)

So maybe it's time we coined a new name for Sparkling Wine, one which reflects the real potential of the drink and stopping it from lagging behind prosecco in sales. After all, it's hardly 'champagne'

Patagonian Toothfish vs Chilean Seabass

These two sound like they'd be different breeds of fish, right? well they're the same fish, the only difference is that a wholesaler by the name of Lee Lantz rebranded the fish in the late 70's, selling it to high end restaurants as a 'blank slate fish' where its previously unappetising taste could be used as a backdrop for other flavours. The result is that the fish saw unprecedented popularity, requiring efforts to curve illegal overfishing which could endanger the species.

Prickly Pear vs ____

This is one that's been on my mind for a while, because it currently holds all the same potential that the toothfish did back in the 70s. A prickly pear is the name for the fruit that comes from various species of cacti. I had the pleasure of trying these a few years ago, and aside from the hour spent removing tiny thorns from my hands and lips, the flavour profile wasnt bad.

And despite being enjoyed as a popular fruit locally across Mexico, it's appeal has been lost on the western world when compared with alternative fruits.

Perhaps all it needs is a less aggressive name and a new use case to appeal to more people?