The answer behind big companies and secret recipes is simple. It makes the consumer feel like they are getting something exclusive and worthwhile. That secret recipe at KFC is catered to you as an individual. You are being let in on a big secret through delicious, cheap chicken. It also makes the massive fast food corporations feel much more personal and family-oriented. Ronald McDonald and his Big Mac secret sauce is right up there with your great grandmother's Christmas recipe that has been carefully passed down for generations. Both meals invoke the same feeling of happiness and warm emotions that can be traced back to the yonder days of one’s childhood.
As for a more personal spiel about secret recipes, my father has one that I learned just recently. Many Saturday morning, I would wake to a fresh stack of steaming pancakes. Fresh off the grill, you could still smell the cooking batter and seared fruits that permeated the center of each pancake. My father would dice fresh fruits and throw them in the bubbling concoction. As I wolfed down stacks of 5 pancakes, he would always lecture me about his secret ingredient. It was an ingredient that he held responsible for the amazing taste. I personally attributed it to my father simply being a good cook who always puts lots of emotion and care into his food.
Recently, in one of our weekly exchanges of e-mail, my father hinted that he would reveal the secret to his amazing pancakes. I quickly jumped at the first glint of truth. After another four e-mails of hounding, he reluctantly revealed the secret. It turned out he puts water into his batter instead of milk. This shocked me; I never thought such a small difference could make for a drastic change in flavor. Once the answer was revealed, I investigated myself.
I went to Wal Mart with my girlfriend and bought ingredients to test the legitimacy of his secret ingredient. After just one comparison meal, the answer was obvious. His secret ingredient really did make a difference. The pancakes made with water went down much easier than the ones made with milk. It just seemed to clog your throat much less with all the syrup and fruits in the middle. You could best imagine it as the difference between strong after taste of diet soda and the smooth, consistent flavor of soda that featured sugar in place of aspartame.
Despite all of my father’s teasing, I have finally learned his secret pancake ingredient. Although it may not be coveted nation-wide like the hidden ingredients of Dr. Pepper, it makes the chains that bond my family lane that much stronger. It will be yet another tidbit to pass on my children one day.
As for a more personal spiel about secret recipes, my father has one that I learned just recently. Many Saturday morning, I would wake to a fresh stack of steaming pancakes. Fresh off the grill, you could still smell the cooking batter and seared fruits that permeated the center of each pancake. My father would dice fresh fruits and throw them in the bubbling concoction. As I wolfed down stacks of 5 pancakes, he would always lecture me about his secret ingredient. It was an ingredient that he held responsible for the amazing taste. I personally attributed it to my father simply being a good cook who always puts lots of emotion and care into his food.
Recently, in one of our weekly exchanges of e-mail, my father hinted that he would reveal the secret to his amazing pancakes. I quickly jumped at the first glint of truth. After another four e-mails of hounding, he reluctantly revealed the secret. It turned out he puts water into his batter instead of milk. This shocked me; I never thought such a small difference could make for a drastic change in flavor. Once the answer was revealed, I investigated myself.
I went to Wal Mart with my girlfriend and bought ingredients to test the legitimacy of his secret ingredient. After just one comparison meal, the answer was obvious. His secret ingredient really did make a difference. The pancakes made with water went down much easier than the ones made with milk. It just seemed to clog your throat much less with all the syrup and fruits in the middle. You could best imagine it as the difference between strong after taste of diet soda and the smooth, consistent flavor of soda that featured sugar in place of aspartame.
Despite all of my father’s teasing, I have finally learned his secret pancake ingredient. Although it may not be coveted nation-wide like the hidden ingredients of Dr. Pepper, it makes the chains that bond my family lane that much stronger. It will be yet another tidbit to pass on my children one day.
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