Stories and experiences

Culinary Experiences
 Stories and
storification
Story:

1) A verbally or in writing presented brief account of a

series of events;
2) In narratology, a causally and chronologically
organized sequence of events that the reader
reconstructs based on the plot; a series of events told.

Storification:
"Storification is the comprehensive development of a
company's operations into a narrative form that
engages the customer."
Experience
• In addition to the subjective nature of experiences,
experience research is further complicated by the lack of a
precise definition for the term "experience."
• In English, there is only one word, "experience," whereas in
many other languages, there are two terms with distinct
meanings. For example, in Finnish:
• "Kokemus" encompasses all kinds of experiences.
• "Elämys" refers to unique and emotional experiences.
A story is a means to
stand out from others

• A memorable, easily relatable

story sets a product/service apart
from others – perhaps even
providing a competitive
advantage?
• The best marketing is creating a
compelling story experience from
the customer's perspective.
• Storification enables a more
human, experiential, and
meaningful service culture.
The dimensions of
storification in
business.
vision story (future)

background story (company, product, service)

origin story (history)

service journey (from the customer’s perspective)

customer story (customer background and motivations)

product story (manufacturing process)

reference story (recommendation)

value story (why the product is valuable)

What storification is
not?
• Storytelling is not
about telling the
company's own story,
but about serving
the customer in a
more human and
experiential way
through storytelling
experiences.
Structure
• In storification, the core story (the red thread)
serves as a differentiating and experiential
narrative framework guiding all activities within a
company or organization.
• Beginning, middle, end (Aristotle)
• T-rule: story, emotion, action
(T-sääntö: tarina, tunne,
toiminta)
The Dramatic Arc
(Classical)
1. Introduction: Key characters, their relationships, and the
setting are introduced.
2. Development: Action deepens, obstacles arise in the
protagonist's path, conflicts escalate.
3. Climax: Conflicts come to a head, and events take a new
turn.
4. Resolution: Unanswered questions between characters are
addressed.
5. Conclusion: The audience learns the outcome for the main
character.

Compare with the basic structure of a narrative: orientation,

complication, climax, resolution, coda.
Aristotle’s drama theory / dramatic
arc and Freytag’s pyramid

According to Aristotle:
• The plot (mythos) depicts the progression of action
in a drama.
• The action should be continuous and coherent, and
it should involve change.
• In a good plot, there is a change from one state of
affairs to another in such a way that the plot binds
the beginning, middle, and end into a meaningful
whole.
Aristotle notes that:
• Brilliant consecutive speeches, which have no
connection with each other, do not produce as
great an emotional effect as a chain of speeches
closely linked to each other, even if the speakers
themselves are not as skilled in the latter case.
 Core story of
Snowman World
"A few years ago, something peculiar happened in Rovaniemi.
On a sunny winter day, a group of snowmen strolled through the
gates of the Arctic Circle. These charming, cheerful figures,
who loved snow and ice, had heard that Santa Claus meets
people here at the Arctic Circle. The snowmen also wanted to
meet their good friends, humans, and have fun with them in true
snowman fashion. Additionally, the snowmen had something to
tell the people.

These delightful snowmen are threatened by melting. The

situation is serious because the climate is warming, and this
endangers more than just the snowmen. However, the cheerful
snowmen are on the cold side and invite you to the Arctic Circle
to enjoy the snow and ice with them."
Story tree by
Tarinakone
Storification in
culinary tourism
• The product themes of
Finnish culinary tourism
include Finnish lifestyle,
clean food, food
phenomena, and
stories, as they can
evoke emotions.
 Theme suggestions for
storification in culinary
tourism:
• Authenticity • Cooking Methods
• Finnishness • Stories related to
Locality and Origin
• Traditions with a
Fresh Twist • Food Producers
• Clean and Safe Food • Nature, such as
(local, wild, and archipelago, forest,
organic food) mountain, and
waterways
• Local Food (local
producers, ingredients, • Seasons and
and products) Holidays
• Regional Food • Well-being, Food,
Culture (northern, and Forest (themes
eastern, southern, can be combined)
western)
• Sustainability
https://adamosoft.com/blog/digital-transformation/restaurant-customer-journey/
 An example of a
service story / Mrs.
Claus's House
"Join the elves and help Mrs. Claus prepare delicious
Christmas porridge and traditional gingerbread
cookies. Visiting Mrs. Claus and the elves is
guaranteed to be exciting, heartwarming, and fun. Mrs.
Claus loves to tell stories about Lapland and share
them with her visiting friends. Visitors get to immerse
themselves in the life of the Arctic region.
The elves assist Mrs. Claus each in their own way.
Their days are filled with tasks, including taking care of
Santa's reindeer as he prepares for his important
journey on Christmas Eve and night. Music, crafts, and
stories are at the heart of this cozy Mrs. Claus's house,
Mrs. Santa Christmas Cottage. In addition to sharing
her special recipe for Christmas porridge, Mrs. Claus
may also reveal other secrets of the Arctic Circle. The
program lasts 1.5 hours."
 Food in the world of storytelling: literature
• Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle
Stop Café
• Chocolat
• Ruusuvettä ja lammaspataa
Como agua para chocolate.
• Elämän lempeät maut
• Herman Koch: Illallinen
Ennen menestysromaaniaan Esquivel oli jo kirjoittanut
keittokirjoja ja ruoanlaiton filosofiaa käsitteleviä kirjoja. Romaanin
reseptit ovat peräisin hänen isoäitinsä vanhoista vihkosista.
”Maun fysiologia on rakastettu
gastronomian klassikko, josta voi lukea
aurinkoisilla kukkuloilla syntyneen
jäniksenpojan mausta, tryffelin eroottisista
ominaisuuksista, suklaan sopivuudesta
saarnaajille, kenraali Bissonista, joka joi
päivittäin kahdeksan pulloa viiniä lounaalla,
paistetuista kalkkunoista, joiden tuoksu olisi
voinut johdattaa pyhimyksenkin
kiusaukseen, ja lukuisista muista notkuvien
ruokapöytien ihmeistä.”
Food in the world of storytelling: movies

https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/the-best-and-worst-food-harry
-had-in-the-wizarding-world

https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/food-scenes-in-film
-ranked

https://www.timeout.com/film/the-best-food-on-film-moments-of-
all-time
Food in the world of storytelling: TV-series and documentaries
Sources
• Alanko, O., & Käkelä-Puumala, T. (2001). Kirjallisuudentutkimuksen peruskäsitteitä.
Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura.
• Kalliomäki, A. (2019.) Älä kerro tarinaa, luo tarinakokemus! SAMK 12.11.2019.
• Klassinen draaman kaari. Jyväskylän lyseon lukio. (n.d.)
https://peda.net/jao/lyseo/isac/solal/finnish/falih/draama/draaman-kaari/kdkl
• Miten elokuvadramaturgiaa sovelletaan tarinallistamisessa? Tarinakone 2011.
https://tarinakone.fi/blogi/5-miten-elokuvadramaturgiaa-sovelletaan-tarinallistamisessa/
• Panttila, P. Ruokamatkailun tarinallistaminen. Opas ydin- ja palvelutarinan
käsikirjoittamiseen. Hungry for Finland, Haaga-Helia.
https://www.hungryforfinland.fi/files/2021/12/Opas_palvelutarinan_kasikirjoittamiseen_20
20.pdf
• Räikkönen, J. Elämykset. (2017). Teoksessa: Edelheim, J., Ilola, H., & Björk, P. (2017).
Matkailututkimuksen avainkäsitteet. Lapland University Press.
• Tarina. Tieteen termipankki. https://tieteentermipankki.fi/wiki/Kirjallisuudentutkimus:tarina
• Tarinallistaminen – Palvelukokemuksen punainen lanka, Talentum 2014.
• Ilmainen tarinallistamisen opas: https://tarinakone.fi/lataa-opas/