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An argument could be made that pates were one of our earliest fast foods. Not that they are fast to make -- quite the contrary. A really good pate takes hours or days to prepare properly. No, fast food in this context refers to the convenience of having pate in the refrigerator, ensuring a quick and tasty meal, impromptu entertaining, a spur-of-the-moment picnic, or a late-night supper, all without having to turn on the stove.  »

Can you imagine -- it seems we were just worrying about Y2K. Now it's a minimal remembrance -- many more have replaced it and now constantly invoke fear in the American psyche.  »

Don't let your customers fall into a post-holiday slump that could put a dent in your sales figures. The first quarter of 2005 is brimming with new television shows, marketing messages, and impending events ready to inspire them. Start brainstorming your own promotions and events that piggyback into what your customers are hearing from the national media. »

By now the huge golden wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano appliqued with the distinctive pin-dot logo are recognizable to even the most neophytic of cheese lovers. With a history and tradition that goes back more than 800 years, it is easily one of the world¿s most famous cheeses, and with its versatility and uncanny depths of layer upon layer of flavor, it is arguably the greatest.  »

"Blue on blue, heartache on heartache." This song is about the color blue and how it represents certain feelings. This month, we'll explore how the color blue impacts our lives and how your customers will react to blue. »

Concern about customer satisfaction shouldn't cease when the customer walks out the front door. Certainly, you devote lots of attention to ensuring that the coffee or tea you serve is of high quality, but an essential part of providing customer satisfaction is ensuring what happens when they leave the store and head to their cars, a train, or their office where they will consume the coffee.  »

It's the economy stupid! --James Carville Carville's axiom about elections and the economy has become a critical part of conventional wisdom. Incumbents have both an incentive and some ability to manipulate the economy to their advantage. »