Games People Play

I am excellent at playing head games...with myself. 

During childhood there were inklings of my potential for mind power when, routinely, if I assumed my actions/behavior were "safe" I would mysteriously end up in trouble. On the other hand, if I thought I was in for it, no one said a word. It was in college, however, that I really mastered my special gift. Somewhere around my junior year I discovered I could get out of studying by convincing myself that sleep was more important for my overall well-being. And of course, the mind game most of us have played involves reverse psychology wherein we anticipate the worst in a specific situation so that the experience is bound to be better than expected.

Most recently, many of my head games have been related to food, unhealthy food in particular. You've probably done this, too. You tell yourself you've earned it. Or it's fine because you're going to work out later tomorrow this week some time soon. Or that cookie is a very legitimate choice given that you really want a hot fudge sundae. What I've noticed of late, however, is that food marketers are into playing games with our heads, too. Now, this should come as no surprise given that marketing is all about getting into our heads and playing with our emotions, but a dining experience last week really brought this home for me.

Rob and I took the kids to Elevation Burger in Wynnewood, PA where I had a Groupon to use. I figured an offer at a burger joint was right up my alley. And this place had fresh cut fries, hand-scooped milkshakes and fresh baked cookies, too. And the best part? It was all healthy and environmentally friendly. Count me in!

As soon as you walk into Elevation Burger you are greeted by healthy looking signage proclaiming their organic, grass-fed, free-range, no-trans-fat policy. You are delighted to learn that grass-fed beef is lower in calories and contains higher levels of healthy fatty-acids (Omega 3s). And if the health benefits don't get ya, you'll feel good knowing that this is a sustainable/green/environmentally healthy way to eat as well.

Whew! With a lead-up like this, I don't remember the last time I was so eagerly anticipating my dining experience! We waited in line to place our order:

• 2 Elevation burgers (two patties, two slices of cheese) 
• Two single hamburgers for the kids
• Three orders of fresh cut fries
• Two milkshakes
• One root beer float

And the dining began. 

And I was disappointingly underwhelmed.

Nothing seemed to have any flavor. Was it the lack of those hormones and antibiotics I was missing? Have I become so used to corn-fed, jacked-up, imprisoned cow meat that I couldn't appreciate this elevated burger? And why did the fries leaving me craving something genuine, say from Mickey D's? Even the milkshake failed to rock my world. Sigh. It was a classic case of having set my expectations too high.

The best part of all? When I got home, I was sick as a dog. I think I gave birth to an elevated burger in my bathroom. See, here's the thing. The ingredients may matter, but ultimately I still ate two big slabs of meat, covered in fattening cheese, washed down with a calorie-laden milkshake. Alas, no head game was going to win out over the common sense of my stomach.

Yes, playing head games can be risky and you're not always assured of a win. When's the last time your mind let you down?