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The Tragic MooLatte

Andrew Fenton

By Andrew Fenton
in Ready to Eat

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phaelon56

phaelon56

Posted
Posted
We can be far too sensitive to this stuff and frankly political correctness in all its forms has gone way too far, its about time we all stood up and said enough is enough.

Reminds me of the time years ago when some animal rights group wanted Fishkill NY to change its name because of the violent connotation.

"Kill" is Dutch for creek :laugh: Fishkill is still called Fishkill. And Hooker Ave in Poughkeepsie is still named after a Revolutionary War general named Hooker (despite the fact that in the 1970's some idiot ran for political office in that area with a proposed name change for Hooker Ave as part of his platform - he was concerned about the "negative image" that the name implied).

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Suzi Edwards

Suzi Edwards

Posted
Posted
Ok i might be missing the point but I am an aussie and from where i sit as a disinterested person it seems like theres a little bit of political correctness gone mad here - frankly I dont see it as the slightest bit offensive at all, i think theres just some people who lilke making mountains out of molehills..

Mind you one of the most popular cheeses here is called Coon which is australian slang (and offensive slang) for an Aboriginal Person (and the cheese has been around for decades) - yet when a self serving activist tried to get it banned he failed completely because no one, not even the aboriginees who were supposed to be offended, cared. As more than one person put it - Its just cheese.

We can be far too sensitive to this stuff and frankly political correctness in all its forms has gone way too far, its about time we all stood up and said enough is enough.

EDIT : and apparently the New Zealanders arent offended by the Kiwi shoe polish either nor are the Japanese by the Jap pumpkin but im told theres some concern over the use of the 'American' hot dog label because people might think theyre made with real americans.....

i think you have to be *much* more careful about causing racial offence in the US than anywhere else. i've worked with lots of australians and think there is a real don't give a damn attitude about casuing offence...whereas affrimative action is so much more a part of the landscape in the us...

i'm british and as soon as i saw the word moolatte i thought mulatto and was really, really deeply shocked that it was being used.

then i read steve's "decafro" post and snorted water through my nose.

Suzi Edwards aka "Tarka"

"the only thing larger than her bum is her ego"

Blogito ergo sum

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spatchcock

spatchcock

Posted
Posted

So how does this compare to the story of Sambo's Restaurants?

Details can be found here: Sambo's Revival (story is outdated - 1998 - item about how they want to revive the chain)

In short, 2 guys named Sam and Bo decide to open a restaurant,a nd name it after themselves, hooking up with a kids story called "Little Black Sambo" about an Asian Indian boy who like pancakes, their specialty.

They didn't take into account the American connotations around "Sambo"

btw, the publishers have changed the name of the book, but descendants of the founders aren't changing the name.

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Curlz

Curlz

Posted
Posted
Absolutely fascinating... yet another faux pas in corporate advertising history.

(Anyone else remember the Pinto -- I know but can't recall others, and this is the first one that comes to mind.)

And how about the Chevy Nova--Communications professors loved to tell us aobut how it didn't sell well in Spanish speaking countries because no va translates to "it doesn't go!!"

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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jbonne

jbonne

Posted
Posted

in the "yes, they could take a hideously unfortunate gaffe and make it worse" department:

A “MOO”VING CUSTOMER APPROACH: BRING YOUR FAVORITE COW TO DAIRY QUEEN® FOR A FREE MOOLATTETM

MINNEAPOLIS – You’ve heard of “Belly up to the bar boys,” but here’s a customer approach with a “moo”ving new twist. To celebrate the kick-off of State Fair season, Dairy Queen® invites you to bring your favorite cow – the authentic, living, four-legged bovine variety -- to any participating Dairy Queen or DQ Grill & ChillTM location nationwide from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 24th for a coffee break, and receive a free MooLattéTM, Dairy Queen’s newly-introduced frozen blended coffee beverage. ...

“We wanted to do something different and totally fun to celebrate MooLatté,” said Michael Keller, executive vice president of marketing for International Dairy Queen, Inc. “We’re expanding our customer base with new products like MooLatté. And, with this promotion, we’ve added a new twist.”

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bleachboy

bleachboy

Posted
Posted
bring your favorite cow – the authentic, living, four-legged bovine variety -- to any participating Dairy Queen or DQ Grill & Chill location nationwide from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 24th for a coffee break, and receive a free MooLatté

Huh? That's a pretty lame publicity stunt. I have serious doubts anybody's going to go to the trouble of transporting cattle to a Dairy Queen just to get a free MooLatté.

Don Moore

Nashville, TN

Peace on Earth

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fifi

fifi

Posted
Posted
in the "yes, they could take a hideously unfortunate gaffe and make it worse" department:

A “MOO”VING CUSTOMER APPROACH: BRING YOUR FAVORITE COW TO DAIRY QUEEN® FOR A FREE MOOLATTETM

MINNEAPOLIS – You’ve heard of “Belly up to the bar boys,” but here’s a customer approach with a “moo”ving new twist. To celebrate the kick-off of State Fair season, Dairy Queen® invites you to bring your favorite cow – the authentic, living, four-legged bovine variety -- to any participating Dairy Queen or DQ Grill & ChillTM location nationwide from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 24th for a coffee break, and receive a free MooLattéTM, Dairy Queen’s newly-introduced frozen blended coffee beverage. ...

“We wanted to do something different and totally fun to celebrate MooLatté,” said Michael Keller, executive vice president of marketing for International Dairy Queen, Inc. “We’re expanding our customer base with new products like MooLatté. And, with this promotion, we’ve added a new twist.”

That has to be just about the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted

Maybe that is also the reason the Ford "Pinto" did not sell well in Brazil, or other Portugese-speaking countries???

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Andrew Fenton

Andrew Fenton

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

In the interests of science, I tried the MooLatte (mocha version) this hot, hot afternoon.

It's... sweet. Very, very sweet. Makes my teeth hurt sweet. I finished it half an hour ago and my mouth still tastes funky sweet. I guess that's because of all the syrup they add to it; I've never had that reaction to a Blizzard or other DQ ice creams.

Anyway, it's made in the same mixing machine as the Blizzard, only with an ice mixture added to the ice cream and syrup. I couldn't taste any coffee flavor over the chocolate: bad! But it has whipped cream on top: good! It was nice and cold: good! But not especially refreshing: bad!

All in all, it was okay, but I'm probably not going to search one out again. That is, unless I happen to bring my pet cow, Bessie, with me to Center City Philadelphia, and take them up on that free drink.

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fifi

fifi

Posted
Posted

Why am I getting such a kick out of this scenario that ran through my sick mind:

*cue TV reporter*

"Today, the local Dairy Queen in Kicktown was closed down be the health department. It seems that, due to a current promotion for MooLatte, 50 potentail customers showed up with their pet cows on leash. The volume of cow pies in the parking lot resulted in a considerable amount of cow plop being tracked into the restaurant. The manager says that they will be closed for a few days for clean-up, sanitizing and reinspection."

*cameraman slips on a fresh cowpie and the picture is lost - end of report*

Linda LaRose aka "fifi"

"Having spent most of my life searching for truth in the excitement of science, I am now in search of the perfectly seared foie gras without any sweet glop." Linda LaRose

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hannnah

hannnah

Posted
Posted

I confess to wondering how many stock trailers a Dairy Queen parking lot could hold - never mind the cow poop, what about the traffic jam? :laugh:

"Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Little Red Cookbook! Little Red Cookbook!" --Eddie Izzard
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phlox

phlox

Posted
Posted

The word 'latte' already implies the presence of milk, since that's what the freaking word means; it's not like people are going to be confused and think it's a goat milk smoothie, so the 'moo' is not only potentially offensive and dumb, but redundant as well.

That said, one of my favorite summer treats is a mint Oreo Blizzard. I've tried other flavors, but none compare to that one. I get really upset when I encounter a Dairy Queen that doesn't stock mint syrup.

"An appetite for destruction, but I scrape the plate."

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StudentChefEclipse

StudentChefEclipse

Posted
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This Just In:

A 'Moo'ving Customer Approach: Bring Your Favorite Cow To Dairy Queen® For A Free MooLatte

You've heard of "Belly up to the bar boys," but here's a customer approach with a "moo"ving new twist. To celebrate the kick-off of State Fair season, Dairy Queen® invites you to bring your favorite cow -- the authentic, living, four-legged bovine variety -- to any participating Dairy Queen or DQ Grill & Chill location nationwide from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 24th for a coffee break, and receive a free MooLatte, Dairy Queen's newly introduced frozen blended coffee beverage

Cows... you know... produce ... waste... i gotta say, ICK!

"My tongue is smiling." - Abigail Trillin

Ruth Shulman

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Mabelline

Mabelline

Posted
Posted (edited)

I actually put this together with the stock exhibition at the State Fair, which I reckon is the reason they came up with it. But if you show up with a trailer with 10 steers for the pen exhibition contest, do you get 10? And can your cow substitute a burger and fries for a MOOOLATTE? Sorry, just me being obnoxious.

By the way, PETA or no one else has tried to change the name of Dead Indian,Wyoming. Does that mean they care more about what fish are thinking and feeling than live "Indians"? :biggrin:

Edited by Mabelline (log)
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Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

Posted
Posted

update from Slate :rolleyes:

It's possible that Dairy Queen has belatedly figured out that MooLatte is a name likely to cause racial offense and has decided that its best public-relations strategy is to play dumb whenever it gets razzed about it. But Durasa's cluelessness seems genuine to me.

Maybe you should just read the article and the Q & A .... :hmmm:

or the Houston Press article itself: here

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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joiei

joiei

Posted
Posted

I blame my MooLatte addiction on Jason and Steve. If they had not talked about it, I never would of stopped at that DQ in Seymour, Texas. The ones in West Texas seem to be much better than the ones made in East Texas and Louisiana. I have not tried the Okie version yet. But my preference is for the Mocha.

As for the obstacle courses in the parking lots, just wear rubber boots when you know your going to stop or use the drive through.

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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Gifted Gourmet

Gifted Gourmet

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Posted
I never would of stopped at that DQ in Seymour, Texas. The ones in West Texas seem to be much better than the ones made in East Texas and Louisiana.

No Dairy Queen newbie it seems ... :wink:

Dairy Queens are so ubiquitous in the Lone Star State that the familiar red logo is sometimes referred to as a Texas stop sign.

Apparently, DQ is a fully established Texas institution ... :laugh:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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nice_guy1812

nice_guy1812

Posted
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I just think that MooLatte is a stupid name because I would feel silly saying moo every time I order it. The reference to mulatto NEVER occured to me until I read about it here. I don't think they should change the name because I think it's ridiculous how some people can get offended. I would be thouroughly surprised if one person of mixed-race parents did get offended.

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the War Room!"

-Presiden Muffley, Dr. Strangelove

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joiei

joiei

Posted
Posted
No Dairy Queen newbie it seems ... 

After that first one is Seymour, I did a fair amount of traveling around, stopping once a day for a ML hit. I am now in DQ recovery. :blink:

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

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jbonne

jbonne

Posted
Posted

a generally sympathetic view of DQ's effort, from Nation's Restaurant News ...

http://www.nrn.com/newsletter-mm/story.cfm...rs%20Newsletter

"It's just crazy enough, but not too crazy," said Michael Keller, executive vice president of marketing for International Dairy Queen Inc. 

Cows won't be allowed inside the units, but customers do have to make an effort to win their free beverages. 

"It doesn't count unless the cow approaches the threshold of the door," Keller said. Although Dairy Queen executives don't know what the turnout will be, Keller said he expects the promotion to do well in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Texas, states with large cow populations.

no mention of the branding dust-up.

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