… I’m the Gingerbread Man. Well, that’s not quite true is it. Given that gingerbread men are just biscuits that sit on a plate, they’re pretty easy to catch. But it does seem that gingerbread men are not all that easy to eat.
Recent European research from The Garbing Reed Institute in Bern tells us that when faced with eating a gingerbread man, 76% of consumers feel some degree of guilt.
It should be no surprise then that another august academic (with time on his hands?) has managed to link the way we eat our gingerbread with our personalities. Dr Gee Baring from Denmark presented his findings at the 2nd British Sociological Association Food Study Group Conference (I kid you not) in 2008. We believe that they deserve a wider audience, so we’ve reduced the 64 page paper to a few salient points below.
Question: Once you’ve got past your unease, how do you eat a gingerbread man?
Snapping off a limb (leg): Indicates a tentative nature, a desire to be liked and an unwillingness to be confrontational. Extremely insecure, often puts the needs of others before themselves.
Snapping off a limb (arm): Confident and inclusive. An achiever who is prepared to act even if those actions might incur some risk. A leader who is comfortable making decisions.
Biting off a limb (arm/leg): Biting off a limb from a whole gingerbread man suggests that the more negative traits indicated above can be more prevalent. Tentativeness leans towards sloth – decisiveness can tend to manifest itself as bossiness.
Snapping off the head: Forthright, somewhat aggressive with narcissistic tendencies. Little regard for the views of others. Generally unaware of the effect ones actions are having on others.
Biting off the head: Downright nasty bit of work (paraphrasing here). Self-centred despot with no time for the weak or those who do not conform. Destined for board level positions and early retirement on a fat pension.
Breaking in half/random destruction: One of life’s dreamers. Happy to go with the flow and rub along. Can be prone to introspection, which might be interpreted as selfishness. Never knowingly upsets anyone – but never the first to volunteer.
All in one go: Dr Baring didn’t actually address this one. But it’s not hard to interpret. Your just damn greedy!
Why Midas and gingerbread? On our website we have represented each member of our team as a gingerbread man or woman. Each one was designed by the member of staff and therefore, each gingerbread person displays a little of the designer’s personality. Has it become an obsession? Maybe. What does that say about Midas? Don’t ask.
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Midas is a design consultancy driven to help you connect with your audience through effective branding and communications. If you'd like to find out more about us, we'd be happy to talk. Email in-touch@midas.uk.com or call +44 (0)1494 787200.