The CODE-X series catalogs a vast codex of source codes (aka “signs”) extracted from past audits.

The object of study in semiotics is not the signs but rather a general theory of signification; the goal of each “audit” is to build a model demonstrating how meaning is produced and received within a category or cultural territory. Signs on their own, therefore, only become truly revelatory and useful once we’ve sorted them into thematic complexes, and the complexes into codes, and the codes into a meaning map. We call this process “thick description”; the Code-X series is thin description.

“LOCAL RECIPE” NORM: Local ingredients, recipes, food and meal traditions are emotionally fulfilling. Meals associated with particular places — Texas chili, etc. Glimpses of local texture — New Orleans balcony railings, for example.

“LOCAL RECIPE” FORMS: : Iconic local recipes. Other forms of local “flavor.” Folksy language: “All the fixins,” “Get your local spice on.”

From a 2020 study of the Excite & Delight space — defined as “Adding oomph to our daily routine.”