What’s in a name?

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I just posted about doughnuts – and that has led me to expand on the topic of names. Does a brand name matter to you? Sometimes local shops have cute or amusing names which are kind of endearing. We have a local hairdressers called ‘Curl up and Dye’ and a fish and chip shop called ‘Pete’s Plaice’ for example. I never really liked ‘ToysRUs’ because of the backwards ‘R’. And because I don't like the use of letters instead of words - R instead of are, or U instead of you. I know I laughed at the US convenience store chain ‘Kum’n’Go’ – it sounds more like a brothel for men in a hurry than a grocery shop! But the one I really really hate is ‘Krispy Kreme’ doughnuts. This is just wrong on so many levels, it provokes an almost visceral reaction. For starters doughnuts are not meant to be either crispy or creamy, they should be soft and doughy, and sugary on the outside. And even if they were either of those things, the fact that they have spelled both ‘krispy’ and ‘kreme’ wrong just gives the impression that they are not really either. In the same way that the word ‘creme’ is used as a description of something that is not real cream, then presumably ‘kreme’ is something that is even further from the real thing. And ‘krispy’ must signify not really crispy. So altogether that name to me just shouts out ‘fake manufactured non-food!’ Ugh. I hate the name so much that I have never once been able to bring myself to even try one of their products. Presumably the name doesn’t bother other people. Or maybe they are just used to fake food? All rights reserved. © Text copyright Fleur 2025.