Seasonings For Processed Food...

Do you like to cook?

Think you're the next Iron Chef?

Well, if you don't know about Penzey's you should.  It's an old fashioned spice merchant with herbs and spices that actually smell and taste like something (yes, there actually is a distinct difference in flavor between oregano and basil, but if you only buy the little brown leaves in the supermarket, you'll never know).  The best part is:  it's actually cheaper, per ounce, than McCormick's and Spice Island.

And they now have free shipping over $30.

Yeah, subsidized shipping!

Anyway, they put out their little catalog on a quarterly basis.  This issue features their new flavor:

Frozen Pizza Seasoning


o_O

WTF?

I mean they used to have "Pizza Seasoning", but now it's "Frozen Pizza Seasoning"?

My first question is "why?".

And after my initial shock of dumbing down the spice industry to accommodate processed food that has already been flavored, I have to ask:

"Is this because frozen pizza tastes so bad or is this spice designed to make other food taste like frozen pizza?"

Now, don't make it sound like I'm being nitpicky.  When you buy "Butter flavoring" and "Vanilla Extract", it's to make food taste like the flavoring.

So, honestly, is this spice supposed to make other food taste like frozen pizza?

Seriously, folks, I think that you're listening too much to your marketing people because I think that some things (like spices) don't need "improved flavors"- just keep the ones we all know about tasting good at a good price.