Don’t worry, I didn’t know that was a word, either.  I was looking in the thesaurus for “hunger”, trying to find something that sounded a little like “prejudice”, or at least had the same cadence.  It works, right?

There’s a couple of things I wouldn’t have suspected I’d experience, when I started working web development.  The first is a lot of fun moments out in the city, and in the grocery store, seeing businesses and products whose websites I’ve worked on.  The second is hunger.

Sure, working on anything for a long time, forgetting to eat, that will make a person hungry.  But what I didn’t expect was the way working on foodservice websites would make me absolutely yearn for soft pretzels.  Hanker for ravioli.  Crave burgers and hot dogs.   Beautiful food photography inspires and compels, and working with them for hours at a time is an exercise in restraint, but it’s a feast for the eyes.  They say never go grocery shopping hungry, but what if you can’t even go to the store when you’re longing to heat up a big bowl of ravioli topped with freshly shredded parmesan cheese?  My solution has been two-pronged… make sure I eat something filling before I work on one of those extra tempting websites, and have flavored water and small snacks on hand.  And for when that fails… Make a run out to Pal’s, or raid the freezer for some of the brands I’d bought at the store, unable to resist the pull of the foods I’ve been looking at for hours.

Like, how can I resist knowing that I can run down to Ingles and get this for myself?

It’s not just knowing that I worked on the websites, although that gives me a sense of pride and personal connection, it’s the fact that the design and photography Creative Energy does is so dang good.  I know that, being foodservice websites, I am not the target audience.  I am not going to order 12 cases of salsa.  Probably.

Another fun thing about foodservice websites is the wild recipes some of them have.  What can you do with hot sauce, you ask?  Put it on stuff? That seems like it would about cover it.  But no!  How about cinnamon rolls with a Fiery Glaze!  What do you think of Strawberry Basil Lemonade?  Angry Apple Pie!  Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes!  Yes, please and thank you.

I would guess that the average person doesn’t know that “Extra Fancy” Ketchup is not one of those vague phrases put on labels just to look good.  I was amazed to learn years ago that there are regulated grades of ketchup quality – the best grade requires a smooth consistency, no noticeable specks of tomato skin, and specifics like measured viscosity.  Check out this PDF detailing the precise grading procedures from 1971!

magine having a job where you use a Bostwick Consistometer to measure how far a precise amount of ketchup flows in 30 seconds.  You can actually buy one at the link there, if you happen to have about a thousand dollars to spend on curiosity.

Over the years I’ve spent working on foodservice websites, it’s been an unexpected adventure, and I’m always excited to work on projects for old clients and new.