i'm gonna have to stick with my frosted atheism flakes.

Posted by: gmangw at April 5, 2006 12:24 AM

Looks like it's a line of cereals called "Optimum," with different brands "Zen" and "Power"...kinda like the "Sobe" line of beverages has the "Energy" and so forth. Very gimmicked, yes...kinda bizarre. Presbyterian Pops?

By the way, "P.S." means "Post Script," ('After Writing') not "Postal Service." "P.P.S." means "Post-Post Script."

Posted by: =David at April 5, 2006 12:47 AM

uhh, David, I'm pretty sure E.T. was just being sarcastic. As for the cereal, just weird. They had all the movie and TV character cereals in the 1990s, I guess this is the new way to get customers. Man, who comes up with this?

Posted by: julo at April 5, 2006 03:23 AM

Not broken. If you look to the next box, it says "optimum". Optimum is simply the name of the line of cereal. It's kind of like Cereal with berries, as opposed to regular cereal.

Posted by: Cole at April 5, 2006 05:06 AM

Optimum Zen cereal? Must be an empty box.

:-)

Posted by: Marius at April 5, 2006 07:34 AM

Maybe not broken in context with other boxes, but still funny. Besides, are you really eating "Zen" and "Power"? What is the sound of one jaw eating cereal?

P.S. PPS means Post Postal Service. As in, after e-mail replaces snail mail.

Posted by: Fuzzy at April 5, 2006 08:04 AM

Lots of products have odd names, yet succeed. I don't see that this is broken. For another odd cereal name, just think about Cheerios.

Posted by: Carlos Gomez at April 5, 2006 09:01 AM

They're just riding the catch-phrase of the moment like everyone else. At least it's not "The Ultimate Extreme Organic Zen Cereal of Mass Destruction Experience".

Posted by: Ron Mexico at April 5, 2006 11:34 AM

I think what everyone's reacting to is the fact that Optimum Zen is sort of an oxymoron. Zen is sort of a state of blissful oneness and acceptance; hence no Zen is better than any other Zen. Making "optimum Zen" an impossibility. Brings to mind Buddhist Monks wearing $200 running shoes.

The phrase has a real sacred-vs.-profane friction to it, like the book I saw recently (it's on Amazon):

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Life Of Christ."

Posted by: andrew Tonkin at April 5, 2006 12:35 PM

_@_v - that's nothin' compared to the experience of X-TREME WHITE BREAD!!!!!!! IT'S WHITE BREAD IN A FUTURISTIC MYLAR FOILY-LOOKING WRAPPER!!!!!!!

_@_v - we bought a couple of loafs of the stuff cuz it was on sale...

http://static.flickr.com/31/51530504_4a6b364702.jpg

Posted by: shesanilie_@_v at April 5, 2006 12:42 PM

Hm... if Optimum zen falls in the cereal aisle, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Posted by: Random person at April 5, 2006 02:30 PM

ZenFilter (http://zenfilter.blogspot.com/) has an ongoing series of how "zen" has crept into the marketplace and become a marketing gimmick. Kind of silly, but not wholly unexpected.

Posted by: Ryan at April 5, 2006 02:53 PM

I wonder how Optimal your Zen will be when you empty the box. You have to look at the bright side, you are just a day away from starting a BRAND NEW BOX!.

Now, I think I'll get 'Optimum Zen' tatooed on me somewhere.

Posted by: Zen Master Phil at April 5, 2006 03:24 PM

At first glance, I read that as "Opium Zen."

Posted by: Brian Enigma at April 5, 2006 03:50 PM

I have the strange urge to write a sentence with the word Grasshopper in it...call me crazy!

Posted by: @ at April 5, 2006 05:01 PM

Okay. "You're crazy." Happy now?

Posted by: Brian at April 6, 2006 09:59 PM

Does this company also sell milk (to go with the cereal) that will help me achieve nirvana?

Posted by: Ann at April 7, 2006 09:54 AM

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Life Of Christ."

Complete Idiots need Christ, too, if not more than the rest of us.

Posted by: JAC at April 7, 2006 12:19 PM

Dude,

It's not "Optimum Zen". 'Optimum' is a brand name, and 'Zen' is the name of the cereal. Notice on the right-hand side of the picture there's a different Optimum product (Which I think is French Fries or something, weird being in the cereal section).

Posted by: Zach at April 10, 2006 02:55 PM

"P.S." stands for "postscript", "a note or series of notes appended to a completed letter, article, or book" (http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/postscript). "P.P.S", meaning "post-postscript" is, arguably, acceptable for an additional note added after the P.S.

Posted by: Lomedhi at April 11, 2006 10:22 PM

Imagine if there was a typo and they didn't put the "T" and the first "M" Heh heh heh.

That one stupid parent's association would be all over that. "Oh No! I do not want my child to be exposed to that voodoo!"

Posted by: bob at April 13, 2006 10:13 PM

"At first glance, I read that as "Opium Zen.""

Same.

Posted by: Gil at April 21, 2006 03:39 AM

You guys are broken, the last time I checked PS stood for POST SCRIPTUM, latin for "written after".

RTFM thankyou.

Posted by: w at May 11, 2006 06:23 AM