This week we deviate substantially from what we normally do. We simply look at a name.
The late-Shirley Ellis, a singer who had more than a few hit songs a number of decades ago, including “The Name Game,” would probably agree with the following: naming can be a serious game. Presumably, she made a pretty penny from it. The politicians and virtue signalers may waste their time with such tomfoolery as renaming sauerkraut “liberty cabbage” or French fries “freedom fries,” but corporations are far more cautious when applying a name to a product. That’s why I was surprised when I encountered this breakfast cereal at Costco recently. I want to make it crystal clear that this is NOT a product review. I have not tasted this, nor have I checked its list of ingredients. My comments are directed at the name only—“Vitalis.”
I think I know why the name was chosen, but for many people of a certain age “Vitalis” is a name that they associate with a hair tonic for men, one which was once very popular and advertised extensively. Perhaps the makers of Vitalis, the muesli, have assumed that all Vitalis hair-tonic users have gone to that big breakfast buffet in the sky. Well, they haven’t!
I’ll end this on the bright side, though. Another example of a different use of “vitalis” can be seen in the name of an obscure Peruvian moth, Keiferia vitalis Povolny. No chance of any confusion with that, however.
Drinking Japan 