Naming Power

One of my favourite restaurants in town closed down last spring. It's since been replaced by another. I've been nervous about trying it for fear of being disappointed. This is odd for me. I'm always up for trying a new place to eat. And I never worry that it won't meet my expectations. And yet, I found myself shrinking away from this new place. Leaving a greater distance between it and myself when I passed it.

Today I finally pieced together why. Why I have this expectation that I will be disappointed.

Its name reminds me of the word Gild. As in "to coat with gold, gold-leaf or a gold-coloured substance".

Which leads my mind to "not being pure"

Which leads my mind to "being fake"

And "trying too hard"

And "trying to be something you're not"

Which leads to an image of dishes that try to have all the right ingredients and touches and yet can't pull it together. Resulting in a less than amazing meal.

Which would be further compounded by memories of great satisfaction and delight in the exact same location. Resulting in feelings of disappointment and sadness.

That is the thought process, spawned from one little restaurant name, that has been causing me to subconsciously think eating there would be a wholly disappointing experience.

How impossible is marketing in general, if you're trying to anticipate customer reaction? A 6-step subconscious thought process has had me avoiding the place for a good 6 months. And, if it took *me* this long to figure myself out, the owners never had a shot.

All from one word.

The good news is, now that I've sorted this all out, I am ready to try it. Someday.