再大的公司、再有名氣的品牌，也會遇上業績不如以往或嚴重下滑的窘境。這時該怎麼挽救局面？來場美容大改造吧！
泰咪恰巧在 WalletPop 上看到一篇 "Big Name Makeovers 2008" 系列報導，挑幾個較台灣所熟知的產品和大家分享一下唄～
What's a company to do when sales slump and interest in its product or service fades? One option: A major makeover. Tammy picked a couple of examples which are familiar in Taiwan from the article "Big Name makeovers 2008" on WalletPop to share with all my friends!
M&M's
高檔巧克力市場不斷擴張的今天，M&M's 製造公司 Mars 當然也不會放過這區塊，推出了 M&M's Premiums。1941年上市，特地為戰場上士兵所設計的零食，強調『只融你口、不融你手』的 M&M's，如今也增加了新風貌.....
取代大家所熟悉的袋裝巧克力豆，M&M's Premiums 為盒裝，口味則有杏仁、覆盆子杏仁、摩卡、薄荷、三重巧克力等五種。最大的差別在於，沒有了招牌脆皮外表，取而代之的是稍軟的糖衣，且比傳統 M&M 更大顆一點。
The high-end chocolate market is expanding, so Mars is trying to cash in with M&M's Premiums, a specialty line of the candy which was launched in 1941 as a treat for soldiers that wouldn't melt in the battlefield.
The new version comes in brightly-colored boxes, rather than small bags, and comes in flavors like chocolate almond, raspberry almond, mocha, triple chocolate and mint. The biggest difference is that the new version does not have that signature crunchy candy shell, but instead has a softer glaze and each nugget is larger than a regular M&M.
NESTEA／雀巢冰茶系列
冰茶飲料比以前更受歡迎了，於是雀巢公司決定換掉原本看起來再普通不過的保特瓶，使消費者能在眾多長得都差不多的汽水中，一眼就認出他們的產品。
在美國，茶類飲料銷售量在 2007 年成長了 24%，尤其綠茶更是像坐上火箭般的業績直衝，因此雀巢希望將此產品線與其他商品做區隔。瘦長型的透明保特瓶、搭配看來清新舒爽的標籤設計、加上全系列天然成分口味等因素，看上去的確是很吸引人啊～
Iced tea is more popular than ever, and so Nestea has decided to make its bottles look as different as possible from traditional soda bottles.
Sales in the tea category went up 24 percent in 2007 -- with green tea sales skyrocketing in particular -- and so now Nestea wants tea to stand on its own. The new bottles are sleek and thin with clean graphics that call out the antioxidant content and all-natural elements of the flavoring.
Judging by the sudden surge in popularity, you might think iced tea is a relatively new phenomenon, but Nestea, which is owned by Coke, has been around for 50 years.
※ 殘念的是，上面這些新產品＆新設計，台．灣．通．通．都．沒．有.....
※ Too bad is, all of those new product line & new designs CAN'T BE SEEN IN TAIWAN.....
前後兩年的目錄，版面大小還差真多耶！成本壓力果然無所不在啊～
版面雖然變小，但多了88頁，不曉得 IKEA 這麼做省下多少哩？
See how different on the size that 2008 & 2009 catalogs are! Pressure of cost down is everywhere~
It's smaller now, but 88 pages more. Wonder how much IKEA has saved?
位於大量學生、年輕人聚集的鬧區地段，傳統台式麵包店苦撐著對抗漲勢不斷的原物料成本，堅持提供價格不變的商品。
只是，昔日俗擱大碗的麵包，卻也不得不縮水到這般，比泰咪巴掌還小的可愛 size 呀.....
Located @ the area where are always lots of students & youngsters, the old time Taiwan style bakery works hard to fight the higher and higher raw material costs, insist to provide their merchandise with same prices as before.
However, the good bargain breads in the past, is now cannot help but shrink to such cute size, smaller than Tammy's palm.....
剛剛才看了稍早的奧運跆拳道女子 57kg 級銅牌戰的重播。我想全台灣，喔不，或者全世界，應該都為之動容吧！
第一場比賽就左膝受傷的台灣選手蘇麗文，歷經敗部復活一路挺進銅牌戰。
看著她一次次不是因為被對手擊中、而是因受傷的身軀負荷不住而跌倒，雖痛苦但仍努力掙扎著重新站起來比賽，任誰都不忍心再繼續看下去啊......
場上主審好幾次試著勸她放棄比賽、場邊教練完全表露無遺的天人交戰，仍然動搖不了她的意志
比賽結束的那一刻，看著她扼腕的倒在地上，不只民視體育主播陳建君講到哽咽，泰咪的眼眶也溼了呀～
我想，全世界無論是現場或看轉播的所有觀眾，都不會認為她輸了這場比賽.....
無需任何名次，這種奮戰不懈的精神，早就超越實質獎牌所能帶來的意義，在許多人心中，她早已是金牌得主
蘇麗文，妳是台灣的驕傲！！！
Where is the boundary between mature & immature?
Facing the irrefutable facts
Nobody is absolutely right or wrong
What should be the next step?
Turn left?? or turn right???
前陣子去了趟台北，趁著時間還早，便前往台北車站二樓、人氣強強滾的微風美食廣場先解決午餐。
Been to Taipei a few weeks ago. Since I still had some free time, I had lunch @ Breeze Center @ 2nd floor of Taipei Train Station.
逛了一圈下來，主要目的就是尋找這家店啦～
Rambling around the center, the main purpose was looking for this store~
拉麵花月 嵐 (日本らあめん花月官網請由此進)，自去年10月底微風美食廣場開幕以來，看過一些介紹，就一直想找機會嚐嚐，看它是否真如報導所言的好吃。
Ramen Kagetsu Arashi (Click Ramen Kagetsu to Japan's official site). Tammy had read some articles about it since Breeze Center was open, and always wanted to have a try.
MENU 設計還蠻精緻的呢～
Menu's design looked nice~
泰咪媽點的大蒜拳骨拉麵 (原湯口味)
嗯～有達到一定程度的水準，不錯！
Tammy's mom ordered Ninniku Genkotsu Ramen (soup made of garlic & pig's bone).
Mm.... it reached a certain level, not bad~
泰咪的大蒜拳骨白濃拉麵
這個湯頭好喝哦！但過熟的水煮蛋有點令人感到遺憾啊.....
Tammy had Ninniku Genkotsu Ramen Shiro (soup had same base as above, plus natural salt from Japan).
This soup was tasty! but I didn't like the egg was too well-done.....
特製嗆辣韭菜
(真的會辣吔.......)
Specially made spicy leeks. (It was really hot!!)
花月嵐特製秘傳拉麵醬油 (有大蒜味)
MENU上介紹如果覺得湯頭味道不夠，可以加這味，但泰咪把它拿來沾稍後的煎餃。
Specially made soy sauce for ramen (with garlic flavor)
Said on menu this can be added to the soup if you think it is not salty enough. Tammy used it as dip for gyoza (fried dumpling).
煎餃上菜～
味道普普，而且表皮煎得不夠酥脆
Here came the gyoza~
The taste was nothing special, and the skin wasn't crispy enough.
麵條煮得有點過軟，而且不是日本一般拉麵慣用的那種麵條，大概在台灣難找到相似的吧？
Ramen (noodle) itself was a bit overcooked (too soft), and it was not the same ramen used in Japan. Guess it might be hard to find the same kind in Taiwan?
叉燒肉還不差，油脂還算適中。不像大多數在台灣的日本拉麵，為了考量一般人怕吃肥肉，都選用太瘦的腿肉。
不過，那肉片能切得這～麼薄，老實說真令人佩服.......
Chashu pork was not bad, enough fat in it. Not like most Japanese Ramen in Taiwan, consider that most people don't like too much grease, and use the lean.
One more thing, I had to admire that they can slice the pork to such thin slices.....
點餐時店員告訴我們，他們的湯頭比較濃，如果到時覺得太鹹，可以請他們加水。泰咪 & 泰咪媽喝過之後的一致結論是：的確比之前吃過的別家店好很多，但還是沒日本的濃啦！
The staff told us their soup is stronger than others, they could add hot water for us if we weren't used to this kind of flavor. After give it a try, Tammy & mom's conclusion was : It did really taste better than others, but still not rich enough as the real ramen soup in Japan!
整體來說，進軍到台灣的拉麵花月 嵐，在製作、取材環境都不同的條件下，雖然仍舊比不上日本道地口味是必然的結果，但它已經是泰咪目前為止在台灣吃過最夠水準的日本拉麵了！(或許還有比它更好的，只是泰咪孤陋寡聞不曉得啦～)
Generally speaking, facing the different ingredients & production conditions, I've always known it'll be a sure thing that Ramen Kagetsu Arashi in Taiwan still couldn't reach the regular level in Japan. However, it was truly the best Japanese ramen I've ever had in Taiwan so far! (maybe there must be some more better ones out there, just I don't know yet.)
推薦給各位和泰咪一樣愛吃的好友們，也找機會去試試吧！
If you like to taste any different stuff as Tammy, I recommend all my friends to try it!
後記：
當天從台南搭乘的高鐵班次，一進站泰咪就覺得：哇～這列車怎麼看起來又髒又舊的啊？ 原來它可是大有來頭的、從2004年1月30日便開始服役的，台灣高鐵第一組營運列車呢！(泰咪真是有眼不識泰山哩.....)
Postscript :
The High Speed Rail Tammy took at that day looked a bit old & rusty. After seeing this sign I'd just known it actually was the very first Taiwan High Speed Rail Train, and start being on active duty since 30th, January, 2004!
趕在保存期限一個月到期前，好好品嚐泰咪的 CUP NOODLE 吧！
實際 "泡麵" 的任務，就交由一旁的 HELLO KITTY 代勞囉～
Enjoy Tammy's CUP NOODLE before its expiration date (1mon. after the making date)!
To "protect" the memorable cup, the actual "cooking" job was substituted by "HELLO KITTY" at left hand side~
