MANILA, Philippines - Food neophobia” is generally defined as the extreme fear of trying new foods. It isn’t officially classified by the medical field as a disorder, but the truth is that it exists. Some people just find the unfamiliar frightening.
“How would you know unless you try it?” The phrase sounds like something our mothers would have said years ago. It is at once an invitation to take a gamble on something unknown, and a challenge to see if you have the guts to actually do so.
Ask any food lover, though, and he or she will always mention that trying new dishes presents certain intangible benefits. More than just broadening one’s gustatory exploits, trying new things expands one’s perspective. As something that naturally reflects a country’s and people’s culture, food has the power to do that.
That’s why people try dog meat, live octopus, snake blood, and the like. The aforementioned are quite extreme, but regardless, the same logic still follows — a single bite can change everything.
It’s a curious case when new fast food dishes are introduced into the market. Consumers are such masters at recycling the burger-chicken-spaghetti combo that monotony pretty much cancels itself out. Because the products are so familiar, there is little to no chance that these will fail to live up to expectation and disappoint. A wide range of choices ensures variety, and we know how everything tastes, which keeps things “safe.”
Yet there again lies the fact that trying something different will always make the experience, whatever it is, more complete. In the case of giving new fast food offerings a chance, technically, the consumer has everything to gain. Knowing that it comes from a well-known establishment lessens the chances that it’s weird; if it turns out good, then it could become a new favorite.
With the intention of keeping things fresh Jollibee, a power player in the local fast food industry, has added a new dish to their pasta line: their signature Jollibee Chicken and Mushroom Pasta. Made with generous portions of real ground chicken meat, sliced mushrooms, and combined with a special blended sauce of tomatoes, herbs, and spices, Jollibee’s Chicken and Mushroom Pasta aims to wow the Filipino palate with its unique flavorful taste.
Spaghetti and palabok have been on Jollibee menus since way back, and this is the first time that a new pasta dish is being introduced in the lineup.
“This was not an easy task. It took us 2-3 years before we were able to finally decide [on this recipe,]” says Twinkle Aniceto, Brand Manager SBU-Marketing Division of Jollibee Foods Corporation. “We conducted several market research studies to test the acceptability of the profile amongst our target market and this one consistently won as the best preferred variant by our consumers.”
Created by a pool of in-house chefs and subjected to scrutinous testing, both in-store and within the company itself, the Jollibee Chicken and Mushroom Pasta will surely excite the pasta lover in every one of us! The dish is very flavorful, and is Italian-inspired with its use of herbs and spices. The sauce, however, still retains a bit of the sweet-tomato flavor that majority of Filipinos have preferred over the years, so it isn’t too unfamiliar.
Because I am a sucker for new fast food options, I recently sampled Jollibee’s Chicken Mushroom Pasta and it truly demonstrated how it is primed to be a favorite in the pasta segment. I was pleasantly surprised by the dish: a combination of al dente noodles, slightly sweet tomato-based sauce, succulent ground chicken, an overload of mushrooms, and the distinct flavor we Pinoys enjoy in our meals. One of the recipe’s strengths is that while being different, it does not go too far as to alienate diners. The efforts of Jollibee’s Research and Development Team had really reflected on the turnout of the Chicken and Mushroom Pasta.
“Our loyal customers have enjoyed our Jollibee Spaghetti and Palabok Fiesta for years, without another pasta option. So we thought it’s about time we offer them something new, a dish that is more suited to their adventurous and discriminating tastes,” continues Twinkle.
Jollibee Spaghetti and Palabok Fiesta were both launched roughly three decades ago. At the time that these dishes were new, one can only speculate that they were, at one point, weird and different. Now they are family favorites, simply because people took a chance on them — and decided that taking the risk was a good choice.
On that note, Twinkle shares and says: “We aim to remind consumers that the favorite things that they have grown to love are a result of their openness to try out the newest things out there. With the new Jollibee Chicken & Mushroom Pasta, this will surely become one of their favorites.”
In his book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, famous chef, author, and TV personality Anthony Bourdain says: “I’ve long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime ‘associates,’ food, for me, has always been an adventure.” Indeed, the new Jollibee Chicken and Mushroom Pasta would make for a good, new, fast food adventure!
Try the new Jollibee Chicken and Mushroom Pasta, available now at a Jollibee Branch near you.
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E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@gmail.com.