Milking the unicorn
After a long dull winter that failed miserably at being cold and snowy, two things that should come naturally to winter, we find ourselves welcoming some sunshine. It is a transitional time of year when we put away the crockpot and snow shovels and haul out the barbecue and rakes. We opt for salads instead of soup and line-ups at The Beer Store get a lot longer.
With Easter weekend having just passed, there was a lot of talk at The Echo office of good food enjoyed with family and friends. And then we tucked into Brent Preston’s new book about organic farming and the buttery lettuce and cucumbers they grow just a few kilometres from Creemore. His book launch coincides with the beginning of a new season, when many people are thinking about getting their own gardens started. Seed orders have been filled and starter kits are at the ready.
With fresh-and-healthy the theme of the week it was so incongruous that we were seeing so much hype over Starbucks’ new Unicorn Frappuccino. This drink is everything that is wrong with the world. (We say this with confidence even though we haven’t actually tasted it.)
Starbucks describes it as a beverage that is both sweet and sour and changes colour and flavour. It is only available between April 19 and 23, while supplies last.
“The Unicorn Frappuccino blended crème is made with a sweet dusting of pink powder, blended into a crème Frappuccino with mango syrup and layered with a pleasantly sour blue drizzle. It is finished with vanilla whipped cream and a sprinkle of sweet pink and sour blue powder topping,” says a Starbucks media release.
“Like its mythical namesake, the Unicorn Frappuccino blended crème comes with a bit of magic, starting as a purple beverage with swirls of blue and a first taste that is sweet and fruity. But give it a stir and its color changes to pink, and the flavor evolves to tangy and tart. The more swirl, the more the beverage’s color and flavors transform.”
It’s apparently part of a “unicorn” food trend, popular on social media, that has resulted in more rainbow icing and glitter than is justifiable even at a child’s birthday party.
Food should be beautiful and delicious, but glittery? The trend appears to have started fairly innocently when a food stylist began adding natural dyes to foods and posting them on Instagram. Her food creations don’t have added refined sugar, unlike the Frappuccino, which is clocking in at 50 grams of sugar or more for one drink. That’s a lot.
It’s not a highly rational position but we are not inclined to blame people from wanting to try the Unicorn Frappuccino. The weirdest foods, not matter how gross, are the most tempting (not everyone will want to admit this). However, this is an example of the power of the consumer. It shows that corporations will sell us anything, no matter how bad it is for us. Let’s hope Starbucks reports next week that sales were low so we can be confident global blood sugar levels are the same.
