Appetizing Adjectives

Taste is one thing, the sound of a meal is quite another. Boy, are we gullible! Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that when a restaurant named its dishes using geographic, sensory, or nostalgic labels (think Traditional Cajun Red Beans with Rice, or Satin Chocolate Pudding, or Grandma's Zucchini Cookies), sales rose 27 percent compared with the same dishes with plain names (Red Bean with Rice, Chocolate Pudding, Zucchini cookies).

Customers not only favoured the cleverly named foods, but they also rated them as being high quality and good value. Plus, they were more likely to indulge in or go for more descriptively labelled treats. "We have this expectation that these foods will taste better," says food psychologist and study author Brian Wansink.

So when we're offered regular chocolate cake, we may think, "I don't want to exercise to burn off the kilojoules", but when it's Grandma's Traditional Cake, we say, "I think I deserve that."