Hip Tastes Blog

Get Trashed...The Healthy Way! (Thanks, fomato)
filed under: Goods & Gadgetry

fomato, a very cool greeting card company I discovered at SF's recent Renegade Craft Fair, does not pretend to be a high falutin' organization. To wit, the company's site says this about its origins: "We are a small greeting card company based in Los Angeles. fomato was formed in 2004 by a group of disgruntled restaurant co-workers." That's it. I like that that's it. But fomato is not small potatoes (sorry, couldn't resist) so far as card companies go.

Need proof? Then check out this cute wine-themed card they were exhibiting at said Craft extravaganza. (I also want to give props to fomato for organizing cards by Occasion, by Subject or...by Creature. The first creature on the list is Alien. The second is Blob. And a category under "Subject" is "Educational Sort Of". Like I said, nice.)

The card 's exterior touts wine's health benefits, narrated by an interesting green, three-eyed blob creature. The copy reads "Get trashed...the healthy way! Vino!" With subtext by another blob, "My arteries could use LOTS of unclogging!" Inside, the plot thickens as a small blob admonishes the big green belligerent blob from the front, "You know you can just eat grapes and get the same health benefits."

Cue sharp intake of breath from green blob (I would imagine). Which of course leads to laughter. Personally, I was totally tickled by the card, since so much has been made of the so-called French Paradox and benefits of drinking red wine. Of course, you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out that you can score the same heart benefits (which come from the skins and seeds of red grapes) by drinking grape juice as you do by quaffing fermented alcohol made from grapes. And this fact CAN grate on those of us who enjoy drinking wine regularly and would LOVE to believe it's also some sort of elixir/fountain of youth. You know, it's you, me and the big green blob in this.

However, the truth is the truth, and I love that this card puts it out there so hilariously. I also really enjoy the fact that the big blob, even after hearing the sad truth about this vino, is still pictured making a getaway with two full bottles of the stuff on page 2 (which also, incidentally, reads "Salute / Happy Birthday).

For more fomato drinks cards, click here

PS for more on The French Paradox, check out a book I love, French Women Don't Get Fat, by the very chic (and wine exec-lady!) Mireille Guiliano

Posted by Courtney on August 22, 2009 10:50 AM