The Astronomical Success Story of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Last year, Lipton sold 58 million individual packets of its onion-flavored soup and dip mix. Even when you factor its usage in the occasional meat or side dish, that’s a lot of dip. Makes you wonder if this onion dip—whose quality may be more reliant o…

Last year, Lipton sold 58 million individual packets of its onion-flavored soup and dip mix. Even when you factor its usage in the occasional meat or side dish, that’s a lot of dip. Makes you wonder if this onion dip—whose quality may be more reliant on nostalgia than, say, its own merit—were invented today, would it still be as popular? Or is it the beneficiary of a set of Gladwellian circumstances that are arguably impossible to replicate today?

It’s hard to imagine a series of events as fortuitous as those afforded to Lipton and its onion dip.

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The Weirdly Untraceable Origin Story of Ants on a Log

You might recall an era in the United States when raisins from California danced the Grapevine, peanuts (and their butter) were welcome in school cafeterias, and celery was tolerated not revered.

Before celery became the vessel for drinkable wellness,…

You might recall an era in the United States when raisins from California danced the Grapevine, peanuts (and their butter) were welcome in school cafeterias, and celery was tolerated not revered.

Before celery became the vessel for drinkable wellness, it was a conduit for spreadable and, as history can attest, sometimes questionable combinations. Seemingly absent from Instagram feeds today are recipes like Fannie Farmer’s “Celery with Roquefort” (chilled stalks filled with butter and cheese), which debuted in Catering for Special Occasions with Menus and Recipes (1911).

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