Pantry Item: Feeling (chocolate candy bar)
Produced by: Fel Fort
Location: Argentina
This one jumped out at me while I was making my way around Buenos Aires, Argentina a few years ago. What a great name for a candy bar! Feeling. In English it is ripe for a spoof. Picture a young man who is nervous to tell a girl how much he likes her. He can give her something that shows that he has feelings for her in a literal way. He could ask if she would like to share his Feeling. But enough with the spoof. Let's get serious.
This multi layered chocolate bar comes with multiple meanings. The outer chocolate covers a crispy cereal biscuit with a thick viscous chocolaty center. Each layer is a separate snacking sensation. Now let's read this chocolate casserole from a cultural perspective.
At one level it is moderately existential. I mean to say that "Feeling" connotes a generic experience and maybe Felfort doesn't want to impose any meaning to your eating experience. Just that you feel while you eat. Imagine it to mean that this would be your "In the Moment" bar in which the masticator senses each texture as it is. There is no judgement just feeling what it is. It's so zen.
The next layer is the oddly romantic or sexualized nature of this product. As stated before it is a great English gag in which one can share their Feeling with someone else . Add to this the fact that Felfort said quickly sounds like you are "falling for it" coupled with a little red heart. You can see now that the feeling you are going for might be love. Taken to the extreme the feeling of love oftentimes translates into sex. It is the physical expression of love (well at least sometimes) and I can see lots of great ad campaigns in which the candy bar Feelings is tasted, bit, sucked and swallowed. It's so bad it's good.
But the next layer taps into Argentinian psyche. Per capita Buenos Aires boasts two impressive titles. The most psychiatrists and the most plastic surgeons than any other country in the world. Some would claim that these two might be linked (imagine the high pressure of physical beauty may lead to neurosis and feelings of inadequacies) so in a society in which half of the population might have trouble tapping into their true feelings Felfort fills such a void in over the counter form. Likewise genuine feelings can be masked in a culture where a high percentage of nips, tucks, Botox and liposuction mask true beauty. I can hear confessions on a fine Argentinian leather couch (a wonderful byproduct of the incredible beef industry) of a business man saying "I am not sure if I love her. She's beautiful but is that who she really is?" (OK the chances of this happening are slim to none but roll with me). There emerges confusion over true feelings due to misperceptions of true beauty. In a late night, high octane lifestyle fueled by Malbec, beef and cigarettes, one is left wondering- "What do I really feel after all?" Only thing left to do is to just "Reconnect to Feeling" by picking up a candy bar that can ground one in the moment. It's prescription free and so needed.
How does it taste: Crunchy, sweet, chocolaty therapy.
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