AgVoice | Let's do dessert!

That is the new burgeoning concept with young adults today. And there is a deep underlying meaning when someone says, ‘let’s do dessert’. 

 

But before we reach dessert & understand its space better, we need to decode existing cultural concepts of ‘let’s do coffee’ & ‘let’s do dinner’.  

 

I believe dinner has always been about intimacy. When you ask someone for dinner, the individual is definitely special. Dinner is a sumptuous experience divided over various courses where each course takes you on a journey of deeper conversation. It is about impressing & being impressed. There is a desire, perhaps a subtle pressure to make it perfect, close to an idealized notion in our heads. A lot is at stake over dinner! 

 

Coffee on the other hand is more relaxed, perfect to facilitate platonic conversations. It presents the opportunity to make new friends or catch up with old ones. The experience centers around coffee and maybe some accompaniments but what gets you comfortably talking are the first few sips and the comfort of the mug in your hand. Each sip of coffee leads you on to reveal a little more about yourself. So when you ask someone for coffee, you are clearly signaling let’s get to know one another & “friends” is a good place to start at. No pressures no promises. 

 

Coffee & dinner thus occupy two distinct spaces cuing different meanings. However in the process of getting to know someone, there always is an intermediate stage. An indecisive phase where anything you say or do matters because you need to be delicate in what you imply. So what do you do when you want to catch up with someone who is definitely more than a friend but not special enough yet, however could have the potential to be.  

 

You ask them out for dessert. Because dessert is about enjoying the moment you’re in & letting the moment guide the future. In fact it’s a space where you flow with the go but with no stress of expectations. It is playing cautiously with fire. Dessert provides a neutral non-committal ground where anything is possible. It provides the window of opportunity to take your relationship a step ahead. If all goes well, you'd probably end up sharing one dessert and bond over some intimate conversations. One meal being the main focus of indulgence in food & company becomes your common meeting point. 

 

And look at the options we have for dessert today to lead this kind of indulgent bonding. The dessert space is no longer stuck to natural’s ice creams & Indian mithai. It has exploded to include velvet cupcakes, crème brûlées, cheesecakes, tarts, macaroons, tiramisu – dessert has moved from its meaning of being just meetha after food to a whole sensorial experience that envelopes you. Even dessert bars like Häagen-Dazs, San Churro, Theobroma are more about encouraging shared experiences over a sweet bite.  

 

Coffee & dinner have long played the lead role, however dessert no longer is the sidekick but is finding itself as a crucial character in everybody’s story. It’s the perfect option for the most confused juncture of getting to know someone & we all arrive there at some point. So next time you find yourself stuck in a similar situation don’t forget dessert. Because dessert DEFINITELY HAS POTENTIAL! | By Savita Iyer, Associate Planning Director, Saatchi & Saatchi, Mumbai