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Today I went to Ithaca with Jenna, and we had some interesting conversations on the drive. The most interesting thing was this, that I realized is such an issue in my life that it's worth writing out.
It seems like these days people are discouraged from having standards. People who do have preferences for things are called picky or difficult, hard to shop for, impossible. But I think that cultivating true appreciation for good quality things has the potential to greatly increase one's experience of life. You hear about "wine snobs" and connoisseurs of various things, but often they are portrayed as snooty or not typical. Think of Frasier.
Jake and I are connoisseurs of all kinds of things. Chocolate, wine, coffee, pretty much all foods. We appreciate and seek out quality and craftsmanship, people who take pride in their work, and things made by people who are the best in their field, who really care about what they do. Their effort really comes through, and is worth the added effort of seeking it out, and worth the expense. But not everything that is the best is necessarily more expensive. Usually, though, it's more expensive in terms of time and thought put into it. We enjoy seeking out obscure things made by true artisans. And we get so much pleasure from the most simple things, partially because of the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of discovery, partially because the quality is so exceptional that it's impossible not to genuinely enjoy it.
So we have a reputation for being picky and food snobs, and everything snobs, really. We read lots of reviews for everything we order online. We want to find things with the best reputation. Well. The best within our means.
For us, the more care is put into a thing, the more satisfaction and enjoyment we seem to get out of it. We are surrounded by quality tools for all our hobbies and chores. They are a pleasure to use. My spinning wheel, for example, is a work of art. Jake's grain grinder is too. We appreciate the aesthetic of our tools. Frequently, we get to meet the artist or craftsman responsible for the things we buy. This adds such a personal element to the item, and increases our appreciation and respect for it.
But when I think about the food industry, and in fact everything that is mass produced, every system that we are surrounded by, I feel like we are being told from all sides to just shut up and take whatever we happen to get, and not think about it. It's the same with birth, medical care, food, service, all the crap we buy at Target or even Saks Fifth Avenue. We're not encouraged to seek out more than what is readily available, piled up for our convenience, ready to fall apart right on schedule so we can spend more money replacing it.
We've found ourselves on a many a wild goose chase for random things, just to avoid that mass produced stuff, and discover the cream of the crop. Of course, we do buy a lot of whatever-happens-to-be-there stuff, but that's just because in the end it gets exhausting considering going to Japan for the best rice cooker (seriously).
I suppose it's as much a hobby for us as anything. Before we had kids, we would set these little scavenger hunts for ourselves and take off in search, finding ourselves in unexpected places talking to interesting people about things that are fascinating to only a few people. We haven't done much of that lately, and a lot of our searching now is done online. The thrill is gone, sort of.
But I do resent being looked down upon for having high standards. Or standards at all, really. So many people don't give a thought to what they do or eat or buy, and we get so much enjoyment out of paying attention to those things. Okay, sometimes maybe we get so much stress and frustration too, but when you get it right, it's all worth it.
It seems like these days people are discouraged from having standards. People who do have preferences for things are called picky or difficult, hard to shop for, impossible. But I think that cultivating true appreciation for good quality things has the potential to greatly increase one's experience of life. You hear about "wine snobs" and connoisseurs of various things, but often they are portrayed as snooty or not typical. Think of Frasier.
Jake and I are connoisseurs of all kinds of things. Chocolate, wine, coffee, pretty much all foods. We appreciate and seek out quality and craftsmanship, people who take pride in their work, and things made by people who are the best in their field, who really care about what they do. Their effort really comes through, and is worth the added effort of seeking it out, and worth the expense. But not everything that is the best is necessarily more expensive. Usually, though, it's more expensive in terms of time and thought put into it. We enjoy seeking out obscure things made by true artisans. And we get so much pleasure from the most simple things, partially because of the thrill of the hunt and the satisfaction of discovery, partially because the quality is so exceptional that it's impossible not to genuinely enjoy it.
So we have a reputation for being picky and food snobs, and everything snobs, really. We read lots of reviews for everything we order online. We want to find things with the best reputation. Well. The best within our means.
For us, the more care is put into a thing, the more satisfaction and enjoyment we seem to get out of it. We are surrounded by quality tools for all our hobbies and chores. They are a pleasure to use. My spinning wheel, for example, is a work of art. Jake's grain grinder is too. We appreciate the aesthetic of our tools. Frequently, we get to meet the artist or craftsman responsible for the things we buy. This adds such a personal element to the item, and increases our appreciation and respect for it.
But when I think about the food industry, and in fact everything that is mass produced, every system that we are surrounded by, I feel like we are being told from all sides to just shut up and take whatever we happen to get, and not think about it. It's the same with birth, medical care, food, service, all the crap we buy at Target or even Saks Fifth Avenue. We're not encouraged to seek out more than what is readily available, piled up for our convenience, ready to fall apart right on schedule so we can spend more money replacing it.
We've found ourselves on a many a wild goose chase for random things, just to avoid that mass produced stuff, and discover the cream of the crop. Of course, we do buy a lot of whatever-happens-to-be-there stuff, but that's just because in the end it gets exhausting considering going to Japan for the best rice cooker (seriously).
I suppose it's as much a hobby for us as anything. Before we had kids, we would set these little scavenger hunts for ourselves and take off in search, finding ourselves in unexpected places talking to interesting people about things that are fascinating to only a few people. We haven't done much of that lately, and a lot of our searching now is done online. The thrill is gone, sort of.
But I do resent being looked down upon for having high standards. Or standards at all, really. So many people don't give a thought to what they do or eat or buy, and we get so much enjoyment out of paying attention to those things. Okay, sometimes maybe we get so much stress and frustration too, but when you get it right, it's all worth it.
