Thankfully, Qdoba Mexican Grill Grill has cleared up the confusion.
A week before the feast day of St. Valentine, the Denver-based chain issued a news release about a food personality study conducted on its behalf by Dr. Alan Hirsch, director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. The study involved more than 2,500 adult men and women and showed that you can detect someone’s personality by the type of Mexican food he or she prefers.
I did not know that until I read the results of the study, which was timed to help diners find true love and share a nice St. Valentine’s Day meal at Qdoba.
For more than 25 years Hirsch has been studying smell and taste and how they affect eating, mood, sleep, learning ability, perception and sexual habits. He has helped people overcome the loss of taste and smell sensations. Among the books he’s written are “What is Your Food Sign?” and “What Flavor is Your Personality?”
“All of our behaviors reflect our underlying personalities,” Hirsch said in a statement. “With Mexican food preferences, we were able to find a correlation between which food people most enjoyed and what that meant about their underlying personality.”
Qdoba launched a section on its website that allowed visitors to take a personality quiz to discover their “Q-dentity” and find their perfect food personality match at the same time.
The study looked at six menu items—taco, quesadilla, chips and salsa, burrito, taco salad, and nachos—and described the personality traits of diners who prefer specific items. As a helpful guide, the study included characters in movies and TV shows that illustrate those traits.
Customers who prefer tacos are conscientious and perfectionists. They make ideal workers because they accomplish monumental tasks. They become so engrossed in their work that they often sacrifice spending time with their families and friends. America Ferrera as Betty Suarez in “Ugly Betty” and Tony Randall as Felix Unger in “The Odd Couple” have taco personalities.
Quesadilla lovers are dependable and true friends and like being one of the crowd. They’re loyal followers, but not leaders. They work behind the scenes for other employees or family members. Think of Talia Shire as Adrian in “Rocky.”
Chips-and-salsa folks are aggressive, successful, achievement-oriented and natural leaders. They can’t stand defeat, and they won’t take no for an answer. And talk about ambitious! Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina in “Ugly Betty” and Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestley in “The Devil Wears Prada” are examples of this group.
Burrito lovers are dramatic and love being the center of attention. They are seductive and flirtatious, witty and charming, and easily bored with workday routines. They need novelty and excitement. Owen Wilson as Dupree in “You, Me and Dupree” matches these traits, and so does Michel Serrault as ZaZa Napoli in “La Cage aux Folles.”
Diners who prefer taco salad are easygoing, well-adjusted and understanding. They make a perfect spouse, parent and ideal friend. Remember this the next time you see Jon Cryer as Alan Harper in “Two and a Half Men.”
Nacho types are shy, quiet and reserved, secure in their identity, self-sufficient and most productive when they can work alone without interruption. That’s Jenna Fischer as Pam in “The Office.”
Hirsch’s biography says he is currently conducting more than 80 studies involving smell and taste. I hope one of them involves personality types based on preferences for Polish food because I’m longing to find out what my love of czarnina—duck’s blood soup—says about me.