Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Culture
This shop is near my house in Fulham.
Now I must admit that I haven’t tried it, but something tells me Chop Chop’s ‘authentic’ Thai/Chinese/Malaysian/Singaporean is targeting people who don’t actually know what authentic Thai/Chinese/Malaysian/Singaporean actually is.
A bit like Wagamama.
Or Gary Vee.
The word authenticity is in danger of going the same way as words like revolutionary and innovative … a meaningless tag used by adland to try and make boring look a little interesting.
I hope not, because authenticity – real authenticity, not the marketing/hype/PR version of the word – has an incredible ability to drive both distinctiveness and loyalty but as James Hetfield of Metallica told me [un-humble brag there] …
“You can’t be authentic if you’re not prepared to be vulnerable”.
Something very few people and brands understand until its too late.
God, this post has gone pretty heavy from being a photo about a noodle shop in Fulham.
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bang goes your fucking metallica gig campbell.
Comment by andy@cynic November 6, 2018 @ 6:21 amOnly Rob could find a link between a multi-Asian restaurant in London and Metallica. But I do agree with your observation Andy.
Comment by Peter November 6, 2018 @ 6:42 amPeter? I always liked the classic and casual Pete.
Comment by George November 6, 2018 @ 6:53 amMy annual moment of adulting.
Comment by Pete November 6, 2018 @ 8:50 amYou are an adult at least twice a year Pete.
Comment by DH November 6, 2018 @ 6:03 pmand yes i am awake. somewhere i will discover its this fucking blogs fault.
Comment by andy@cynic November 6, 2018 @ 6:22 amI pity whoever has to deal with you in the morning.
Comment by Rob November 6, 2018 @ 9:00 amAs you once said Rob, no one wants to be inauthentic but the marketing community appear to be giving it a good try.
Comment by Peter November 6, 2018 @ 6:43 amI could not agree more with your point on authenticity, or should I say James’ point. I am just unsure it conveys its full importance being hidden in a post about an Asian takeaway in Fulham.
Comment by George November 6, 2018 @ 6:55 amOK … so it seems my narrative [to try and make what I write sound better than it actually is] has thrown people off, but can we all get past that and enjoy the point?
Comment by Rob November 6, 2018 @ 9:01 amExcellent point, strangely made.
Comment by Lee Hill November 6, 2018 @ 8:07 am+1
Comment by Marcus November 6, 2018 @ 9:26 am+2
Comment by DH November 6, 2018 @ 6:08 pmsheep.
Comment by andy@cynic November 6, 2018 @ 7:01 pmClassic therapy-speak. Not questioning its wisdom, just suggesting its origin.
Comment by John November 6, 2018 @ 9:01 amWell he said it to me, whether he came up with it himself is a different issue … but he certainly wasn’t just mouthing the words, he really meant it.
But then he learnt it the hard way, as the ‘Some Kind Of Monster’ doco showed.
Comment by Rob November 6, 2018 @ 9:03 amNot questioning his honesty – I’m just saying its basic therapy and Brene Brown for one has talked about it a lot. And I agree with you re his own experience and the doco, but he’s often spoken about the impact a coach had on his outlook.
Comment by John November 6, 2018 @ 9:14 amI probably could have phrased my comment better – “classic therapy-speak” was meant to be purely descriptive but I can see how it might be interpreted as dismissive. That was not my intnetion.
Comment by John November 6, 2018 @ 9:20 amwhen the fuck did you become polite? scrap that. why the fuck did you become polite? this is campbells blog, the only apology should be from him.
Comment by andy@cynic November 6, 2018 @ 7:03 pmAndrew is back and he is taking no prisoners.
Comment by George November 6, 2018 @ 9:34 pm“This above all: to thine own self be true
And it must follow, as the night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man/Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!”
Polonius, was some kind of monster.
Comment by Marcus November 6, 2018 @ 9:30 amstop watching songs of fucking praise.
Comment by andy@cynic November 6, 2018 @ 7:00 pmIs that even on anymore? It still made me laugh. I mean your comment, not the television show.
Comment by George November 6, 2018 @ 9:35 pmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJKpUH2kJQg
your drummer boss’ favourite band said it best when they said it..
Comment by Niko November 6, 2018 @ 10:22 amNiko FTW.
Comment by DH November 6, 2018 @ 6:08 pmI’m stealing that quote.
Comment by Chikashi November 6, 2018 @ 10:44 amWhat if “authentic” isn’t a qualifier for individual national kitchens but for the collective? Authentic mongrel. That’s not inauthentic, is it?
Comment by Chikashi November 6, 2018 @ 10:46 amThese days that would be called cultural appropriation, wouldn’t it? Ha.
You make a fair point but this takeaway in Fulham isn’t suggesting they are creating a fusion of different authentic Asian foods to create a new culinary experience …. and even if they were, I’d suggest it’s still not authentic, but an new form of Asian cooking.
Comment by Rob November 6, 2018 @ 11:53 amI am guessing that the secret to their dishes lie in stuff that the H&S inspector has not spotted yet.
Comment by Chikashi November 6, 2018 @ 12:19 pmGood quote!
Comment by Rob (Other one) November 8, 2018 @ 12:00 am[…] newer and cooler brands, is a philosophically nebulous concept, what Rob Campbell refers to as ‘… a meaningless tag used by adland to try and make boring look a little interesting,’ we owe it to the discussion to look at how this late-capitalist fetish has little real relationship […]
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