The Bite (Issue 22): A weird food history rabbit hole

Remember when Cosmopolitan got into yogurt? Earlier this week, I clicked play on a new series called “[Welcome to Flatch](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0QmaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW1kYi5jb20vdGl0bGUvdHQxMTQ0NzQ3MC9XA3NwY0IKYioY_jVihrW9WlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAl),” a mockumentary-style sitcom — based on the[BBC series “This Country”](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0QlaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW1kYi5jb20vdGl0bGUvdHQ2NTgzODA2L1cDc3BjQgpiKhj-NWKGtb1aUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~) — about the eccentric inhabitants of a small Midwestern town. The show is fine (the British version is better), but one line in particular really stuck with me. Seann William Scott plays Father Scott, a minister who had a short stint in his youth as a Christian boy band called A-Men that was “very popular in Germany.” Eventually, Father Scott decided to go solo and, as he put it, he hoped to be bigger than Cosmopolitan yogurt. I slammed the “pause” button and immediately fell down a [food history](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0RaaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMTcvMTIvMDIvZWF0LXRoZXNlLXBvZGNhc3RzLTEyLWRlbGljaW91cy1zaG93cy1hYm91dC1mb29kLWhpc3RvcnkvVwNzcGNCCmIqGP41Yoa1vVpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) rabbit hole. “I now can’t stop thinking about Cosmo’s early aughts, ill-fated foray into yogurt,” I texted my partner. He simply responded with a question mark. Let me explain. In 1999, Cosmopolitan — which was known for appealing to the “fun, fearless, female,” as storied publisher [Helen Gurley Brown](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0Q0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMTIvMDgvMTMvaGVsZW5fZ3VybGV5X2Jyb3duL1cDc3BjQgpiKhj-NWKGtb1aUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~)would have put it — was at a turning point. A new millennium was fast approaching and, after serving as publisher for almost four decades, Brown had been gently let go by the publication as the magazine’s leadership felt like she had potentially fallen out of touch with what young women wanted. What did the new guard at Cosmopolitan think women wanted? Yogurt. That year, the magazine partnered up with MD Foods to launch a line of low-fat yogurt, as well as a low-fat soft cheese. It was, per market researchers, a first effort to push the Cosmopolitan brand into the “health food” sector — which is probably more accurately described as the “diet food” sector, in this case. Dieting had long been a throughline of the Cosmo ethos, pioneered by Brown herself.[As she once wrote](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly9xei5jb20vMTA4NTA1NS9ob3ctY29zbW9wb2xpdGFucy1oZWxlbi1ndXJsZXktYnJvd24tdGF1Z2h0LXdvbWVuLXRvLXByaXplLXNraW5uaW5lc3MtYWJvdmUtYWxsLWVsc2UvVwNzcGNCCmIqGP41Yoa1vVpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~): If my weight’s okay, dinner for me might be muesli with chopped prunes, dried apricot, six unsalted almonds, dusting of Equal, and a cup of whole milk. Delicious! If weight-fighting, it’s back to tuna salad with one slice seven-grain toast and half a tablespoon of diet margarine. Dessert every night is that whole package of sugar-free diet Jell-O in one dish just for me—one envelope couldn’t possibly serve four as directions suggest—with a dollop of peach, lemon, strawberry or whatever Dannon light yogurt on top. Fifty cals—heaven! —I’m Wild Again Now, it’s not unthinkable for a brand that’s not exactly known for food to take a foray into culinary endeavors. Patagonia, for instance, launched “Patagonia Provisions,” a line of sustainable pantry items. “What’s an outdoor clothing company doing selling food?” wrote Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard in a[2020 blog post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0QkaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucGF0YWdvbmlhcHJvdmlzaW9ucy5jb20vVwNzcGNCCmIqGP41Yoa1vVpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~). “A similar question was asked of me in 1968, when we were blacksmithing new tools for mountain climbing, and suddenly started selling shorts, shirts and pants. Skepticism seems to rise whenever a company refuses to ‘stay in its lane,’ but as an entrepreneur, I see business opportunities everywhere.” For Patagonia, it seems to be paying off; it’s not unthinkable that you’d want to load your Patagonia backpack with Patagonia smoked venison links and cacao-goji power snacks for your next hike. In the case of Cosmopolitan, the leap was a little harder to make: “You read our magazine about staying thin, so maybe you’d like to eat out low-fat yogurt, too?” That didn’t impede them from attempting to inspire that leap, however. It’s worth noting that during this era, Cosmopolitan was attempting to lay the groundwork for some major expansion. As Campaign, a trade publication centered on marketing and advertising,[reported in 2001](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2FtcGFpZ25saXZlLmNvLnVrL2FydGljbGUvY29zbW9wb2xpdGFuLWJ1aWxkcy1saWZlc3R5bGUtY2VudHJlcy83MDg2Mj9zcmNfc2l0ZT1tYXJrZXRpbmdtYWdhemluZVcDc3BjQgpiKhj-NWKGtb1aUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~), “women's glossy Cosmopolitan is to launch a series of branded 'lifestyle centres' that will offer advice on exercise, nutrition and emotional problems to young women.” And the year prior, the company had announced they were considering launching a line of branded cafes. These ventures had trouble getting off the ground — just as the yogurt had trouble moving off the shelves. Despite being branded as “sophisticated,” (which also meant that it ran more expensive than its competitors), grocery shoppers just didn’t seem interested in the branded product. To this day, a Google of the phrase “Cosmopolitan yogurt” will, after you’ve scanned through a page or two of cocktail-inspired treats, turn up a bunch of business school presentations about the importance of understanding one’s target market through extensive market research. With the rabbit hole fully explored, I was able to return to my show with a better appreciation of whomever on the writer’s team had tucked that gem of a line into the script. In this issue of The Bite, Salon Food’s newsletter, I want to share a few essays from the Salon Food archives about the gendering of food, diet culture and weird moves from major food companies — Ashlie D. Stevens, deputy food editor. *** Not a subscriber yet? Sign up to get [The Bite](~/AASU4wA~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-VwNzcGNCCmIqGP41Yoa1vVpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) delivered to your inbox every week! *** [Diners, Dudes and Diets](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0RGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjAvMTEvMTYvZGluZXJzLWR1ZGVzLWFuZC1kaWV0cy1lbWlseS1jb250b2lzL1cDc3BjQgpiKhj-NWKGtb1aUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~) Women had Cosmopolitan yogurt, men had yogurt that * checks notes * was served in plastic tubs etched with six-pack abs. This is just one of the almost comical examples of the confluence of food and gender found in researcher and writer Dr. Emily Contois’ book, “Diners, Dudes and Diets.” In [my interview with Contois](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0RGaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjAvMTEvMTYvZGluZXJzLWR1ZGVzLWFuZC1kaWV0cy1lbWlseS1jb250b2lzL1cDc3BjQgpiKhj-NWKGtb1aUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACU~), we specifically talked about yogurt. “If you're getting a yogurt marketed for women, it just collapses in your hand, she said. “But then, I wrote about the Dannon Oikos Triple Zero one. It's such a heavier weight. Then there was Powerful Yogurt that had six-pack abs literally chiseled on every cup.” She continued: “So, it starts there, but you also see it in flavor names. They're often more simple and direct when intended for a male audience. For women, they're often standing in for desert, right? It's key lime pie, instead of just key lime. For men, it's a post-workout snack they recodified.” [A mother, a daughter and a pot of cabbage soupÂ](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0ROaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMTkvMDYvMjkvdGhlLWRpc2d1c3RpbmctZGlldC10aGF0LWJyb3VnaHQtdXMtdG9nZXRoZXIvVwNzcGNCCmIqGP41Yoa1vVpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) “I don't remember the first time we tried the diet together, but I was probably 15 or 16,” wrote Salon’s Mary Elizabeth Williams. “I remember the piece of paper clearly though; a photocopy so many generations away from its original the letters were fat and fuzzy. My mother was probably at the beginning of everything then, all the problems I still don't understand. It was getting harder for her to maintain the whippet physique that had become part and parcel of her identity.” It’s a tough, touching essay about mothers and daughters and the things we share — neuroses, experiences or, in this case, a disgusting cabbage soup diet. [First Taco Bell Jalapeño Noir, now Old Bay Vodka](~/AASU4wA~/RgRkGIMYP0R-aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjIvMDMvMTUvZmlyc3QtdGFjby1iZWxsLWphbGFwZW8tbm9pci1ub3ctb2xkLWJheS12b2RrYS13aHktYnJhbmRzLWFyZS1zaGlmdGluZy10by11bmV4cGVjdGVkLXNwaXJpdHMvVwNzcGNCCmIqGP41Yoa1vVpSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAJQ~~) In terms of brands branching out, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the trend of fast food giants and major food companies trying to dip their toe in the world of what I’ve heard referred to as “stunt spirits.” Arby’s had Curly Fry Vodka, Taco Bell released a wine…and now Old Bay is getting in on the vodka game, too. Our mailing address: 1000 N. 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