Author: Captain Obvious

I remember when retired American Airlines executive Jack Jackson would speak at our industry events lamenting how the upstart airlines were changing the rules to flying.  Some in our industry may remember his famous stories of wondering whether those new paradigms really worked.  He told of his trip from Houston to Dallas where he argued with the ticket agent … who did not give him a ticket (only a cash receipt) and it had no seat number or even his name on it!

She asked him if he knew his name and he said yes he did.  Then she told him he could write his name on the slip of paper if he would like to do that.  “But what about my seat number?!”  She calmly replied that he could have any open seat he wanted, and if he really wanted more seat choices, he should arrive earlier next time.

Oh the times they are a changin’.  Well, Amazon has once again moved the retail cheese in the same way.  Only time will tell, but watch this video and decide for yourself: Watch the Amazon Go video here.

I have blogged and spoken about Amazon’s relentless desire to be The Everything Store for all people.  There is a book about that by that title.  It is easy to criticize Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.  It is easy to criticize Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.  That does not stop them from trying, adjusting, and pushing forward.  You have heard me reference this over and over again in my quotes from the late Steve Jobs about the “crazy ones” yet our industry still thinks in small, incremental steps, afraid to move boldly.

Of course, if Amazon fails at this the crowds of rear view mirror thinkers will cheer.  They simply do not want to turn around and look into the future … If Amazon fails at this, they will have learned something ahead of everyone else and have moved on.

That is what truly makes a difference in a company:  Trying things, testing the waters, going with what works, and moving on from the rest.

 

How many times do we stand by, watching what is going on, saying to ourselves: “I am not going to get involved; let nature run its course.”  Several of my friends have gotten in trouble trying to help people in distress or experienced “collateral damage” or even death trying to help someone.

Watch the video that aired recently, it is encouraging. 

Sure, it’s a story about a real cowboy detaining a would be thief.  The story ends well.  But, what if he had broken the thief’s leg in the process?  What if the thief sued him for some God-forsaken reason?

The story is a good reminder of the gentle kindness of so many, and the special gift that just happened to find a just cause for use in this woman’s hour of need.

I personally appreciate his answer to why he did it: “It was just the right thing to do.”

 

 

Susan and I recently had dinner with two professional chefs who have literally toured the world cooking for the rich and famous.  What made it special was they cooked for their wealthy employers’ families as well as their special guests, so the range of food styles and subtleties were enormous. And the stories they tell are fascinating.

Perhaps it was silly of me to offer to prepare dinner for them, but I did.  It was a simple meal.  Some cheese and crackers and then some grilled sea bass prepared over conversation as we got to know them.  They were both gracious as we ate … not sneering at my simple approach.

We listened intently to their stories.  They had been everywhere and cooked just about everything.  One was trained in France so I asked if they had seen the movie, The 100 Foot Journey.  They had not, but they remembered seeing the trailer.

That movie is the motivation for this blog.  In it, Hellen Mirren (the French restaurant owner with huge renown) proclaims to her student from India that he shouldn’t change a recipe that is 200 years old.  He quips:  “Well, maybe 200 years is long enough!”  He added some spices from a foreign culture.

Maybe it is time we all listen to that advice in our approach to regulation, politics, and so many other aspects of our lives.  Something to reflect on.

 

 

One of our friends recommended that we try Blue Apron’s “DIY” home prep meals. The idea of enjoying a few minutes preparing dinner together seemed almost romantic, and the fact that you didn’t need to go find this or that was especially appealing, so we tried it.

The meals were great, and we learned how to prepare dishes that otherwise might be intimidating or tedious given how unusual some of the ingredients are and hard to find in your local grocery.  But, I was appalled by the amount of trash these meals produced, especially the enormous cooled and insulated box they come in.  I just hauled the huge assembly to the curb and hope it will be hauled off.

I believe this is going to come back to haunt this industry … and probably pretty quickly.  Yes, it is good that we don’t throw away as much food in the preparation steps because there is only the amount of each ingredient we need to prepare the meal … so food is less likely to rot in the fridge.  But, the amount of plastic, paper, and who knows what is in those giant gel ice bags …

So, I went online to see if I am the only one thinking this way, and of course, I am not.  Here is just one rather well written article on the subject: BuzzFeed Article

I wonder whether the rest of the world has it right.  We just need to slow down…stop at the local butcher, baker, and candlestick-maker and just get what you need for that day’s meals.  After all, your fridge will simply not hold much.

P.S. Some of you who know will also spot the trick here.  By recommending friends to Blue Apron, you get more free food.  My mind quickly went to the potential Ponzi scheme available here.  Join all the food delivery clubs get your reduced cost trials and then free food by recommending your friends.