The invention of tradition seems uncommon, yet it is a tried and true way to create new norms of behavior, e.g.,
St. Paddy's day beer drinking. And April Fools' Day (sometimes called All Fools' Day) is widely celebrated by
89 million Americans each year. April Fools' Day is also a rarity: a major American holiday with minimal
association to food or drink along with a dearth of group norms or related social gatherings.
There's both contrast and satire, beginning with this event's tagline—Drink Responsibly, Eat Irresponsibly—because
that's precisely what custom and American norms dictate. Tripping over this truth (and the
cognitive dissonance that being asked to be responsible and irresponsible at the same celebratory time causes)
will dawn on some of your drinking-eating patrons each April 1st. Experts tell people what to eat, but that's
purely a change-the-demand side mindset. And how's that been working out, America?
It's time to begin protecting eaters from themselves. With your help, All Fools' Food Day is blazing a new supply-side
trail that will be a profitable pathway for your taproom and ultimately create shared identity with the taproom
brewing community. Only large food companies, acting as taste trustees, can make food harm reduction a business,
and thus a default eater way of life. Why don't they just do it?
"Decrying the bad guys is no more of an action than marching with the good guys."
Taking a page out of America's sustainability and "going green" playbook, "while people sometimes
talk about how America's food supply is a problem of corporations, no one has a plan for affecting policy
change among these corporations" until now. That's how the satire and eventual notoriety of All Fools' Food Day
and other complementary collaborative initiatives will, with good fortune, become the tail that wags Big dog Food corporate.
BEER & FOODNOTE:
Possibly your taproom event will evolve into something like Bell's Brewery's
Come as You Aren't—an always 13th annual jam—much better, because patrons will provide the food at no cost to your taproom.