The new meaning of mealtime

U.K. chef serves up iPod soundtrack with dinner

Cards for when “best wishes” falls short

Themed hotel mini-bar packages scratch specific guest itches

Teens play trend-spotter, promoter in new online game

The new meaning of mealtime

It's not news that fast food is the American way of life. But the definition of fast is morphing from pure speed to dimensionalized multitasking. There are more active hours in a day. Commutes often start earlier and end later, work hours are increasingly flexible and extracurricular activities are all over the map. Because hyperlife is the new normal, meals are becoming less ritualized. For many Americans, mealtime is unimportant. Meals are often seen as necessary interruptions that come between more pressing events like work, school, sleep and leisure. That's why snacks often preclude entrees (cereal for dinner!), with intermittent grazing throughout the day rather than three sit-down squares. It's also why meal prep centers are so successful—they force consumers to budget in the time it takes to cook but do the planning and shopping part for them. Cooking feels like having to plan seven small events for every night of the week. The weekly grocery list becomes an extinct dinosaur, while the need for last-minute grocery pickups at every place from supercenters to drugstores increases.

What does this mean for the lunch hour? What lunch hour? The lunch break is not about refreshing and recharging anymore, but about getting errands done and eating only to sustain energy. The car dashboard is the desk. Just witness the growing number of mixed-use restaurants designed for multitasking: laundromats/cafés, hair salons/ice cream parlors, spas/bars, books/global fusion cuisine. Miami can even boast tapas at the car wash (Karma Carwash and Café) and at the gas station (El Carajo International). Clearly, consumers are outsourcing meal prep to restaurants in order to save quality time. They are also demanding that venues accommodate time shifting schedules by tweaking menus and staying open longer. Taco Bell has created the Fourth Meal concept. McDonald's is back on top after proving to be a master of flexibility: It's keeping more locations open late to lure clubgoers, healthcare workers and night-shifters; adding snack-size items; and experimenting with the notion of breakfast anytime. We're seeing evidence that families are trying to take a moment to eat together, but togetherness is being redefined as more casual and quick. And it might even come in shifts (the kids eat together, then the parents). Same goes for going out. Informality is perhaps the ultimate outcome of our changing mealtime habits. You see it in the popularity of casual restaurant concepts and even in patrons' attire. Consumers now expect their sustenance to be available wherever they are and whenever they want it. It has never been a better time to invest in vending machine innovations, design ways to help drivers stash snacks and groceries in their cars, or offer convenient yet premium groceries in the most out-of-the-way places.

Ocean sounds make seafood taste better, believes cutting-edge U.K. chef Heston Blumenthal. Diners who order “The Sound of the Sea” at his three-star Fat Duck restaurant listen to seagulls and lapping waves on an iPod while sampling razor clams, abalone and oysters strewn on edible sand that's sauced with wave-like foam. The multisensory meal was born in a lab at Oxford U, where research subjects reported that oysters tasted more intense when they scarfed them while listening to seaside sounds. To amp the illusion, Blumenthal plans to simulate sea breezes with fans and give diners cutlery with faux-rusty handles that look like they washed up on shore. Experimental chefs have already put aromatherapy on the table with vapors and smoke. Adding a soundtrack to the dining experience is the next logical step on the new frontier of molecular gastronomy. Diners tired of the din at trendy high-end restaurants may welcome the respite iPod earbuds provide. If the concept catches on, a new niche market in ambient dining soundtracks could develop overnight.

Life is a journey, but the journey can occasionally be bumpy. Hallmark's Journeys line of greeting cards addresses those sobering times. From cancer, depression, abusive relationships and drug rehab to coming out, caring for aging parents, getting over a miscarriage and seeking help for eating disorders, the Journeys line faces reality head on. But the 170+ cards aren't all serious. Some add a dollop of humor, like the greeting celebrating the end of chemotherapy. Hallmark created Journeys after its research revealed that consumers want cards expressing encouragement and support for life's rougher times (Courier-Journal.com 2.25.07). The cards are wordy (serious matters require more verbiage), so Journeys initially is available only at Gold Crown stores, where shoppers tend to spend more time perusing cards. When the life journey goes awry, loved ones want to express support. Cards that replace saccharine sentiment with comforting compassion ensure that consumers experiencing the bite of reality know they don't walk alone.

Don't settle for the same old $12 jar of macadamia nuts. SoBe's Catalina Hotel and Beach Club offers guests custom mini-bar packages compiled to answer specific hotel stay needs. The Rock Star includes vodka, Red Bull and donuts, but also Gatorade, Visine and Alka Seltzer. It comes with cigs, too, but the Catalina's smoke-free, so you'll have to light up off-site. The Get It On mini-bar includes edible body paint, strawberries and a Barry White CD, among many other romance enhancement tools. Other mini-bars include the Sweet Tooth, the Munchie Mania and the Schizo (with a little something for every one of your personalities). Experienced hotel guests appreciate opportunities to customize their in-room experience and funsters with funds appreciate amenities with novelty.

From Nickelodeon's teen network The N comes Trendetta, a multiplayer online game where teens put their trend-spotting IQ and PR skills to practice. Players pick a trend—a fashion, subculture, musician, TV show, brand—then earn points promoting it via word-of-mouth, TV, the internet and celebrity endorsements. The object: to capture as much of the consumer landscape as possible while edging out the competition. (Sound familiar?) Players can take on up to three opponents in the quest for total trend supremacy. An IM feature allows for real-time chat or good-natured trash-talking. The ultimate goal is to have their trend hit the “50 Hottest Trends” list and the “Trendetta Hall of Fame.” While playing for points is fun, we suspect real rewards (tied to the trends) might keep teens in the game longer. Some more customization options and content around actual trends wouldn't hurt, either. It's been called “essentially free trend-spotting research for the Viacom-owned network” (BroadcastingCable.com 2.19.07). Our take on that: As an intelligence-gathering tool, Trendetta will capture top-of-mind trends and filter for buzzwords. But on its own, it won't replace well-designed surveys, keen observation or insightful translation.

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Published monthly by ISM in partnership with Iconoculture.