Things of beauty.
We have a philosophy here in our family, concerning money and spending. It is: spend what you need to in order to do good work.
If my husband wants the newest, fastest computer for his business or the super-de-duper digital camera, etc., I don’t begrudge him. Generally, that’s all he ever wants, anyway.
Myself, I can be a little more capricious—lusting after pretty things now and then, but it’s a lust that is seldom stirred. If we covet what the eye can see, there’s very little to look at in Red Wing, materially speaking, and thus I keep myself out of temptation’s way—at least until the flowers arrive at the local greenhouse.
But today I had planned to take my mother-in-law to the Minneapolis airport and to swing by Macy’s at the Mall of America to do a little shopping for a few items that would help me do good work in the kitchen. I figured it was time to invest in some high quality cookware—not a whole set of high quality, because I think just to boil water it’s a little silly to have a $200 pot, but when I reach for my saute pan or a saucepan, I don’t want to be struggling with old, warped equipment.
At Macy’s I bought an All-Clad, Ltd. non-stick 3 ½ qt. saucepan because I never want things to stick in a saucepan. Then I got to thinking, with a saute pan, it’s a little different; sometimes you like things to stick a little, so you can get those flavorful “brown bits” to scrape off while de-glazing the pan. So maybe just Stainless, but not non-stick will do the trick there; not sure. This could be a question for the people at America’s Test Kitchen—or for all of the other highly knowledgeable Salon floggers.
I also bought an 8” Wusthof chef’s knife and a flat roasting rack—(so I can roast 4 game hens at a time; my other roasting rack is v-shape).
I was very happy to keep the economy spinning with my purchases, and yet, I thought “what has become of me that an indulgence is kitchen equipment?” In this nostalgic frame of mind, I was thus lured into Victoria’s Secret—a store I haven’t frequented in years. I think those stores started up when I was in college. Back then, I didn’t have the money to buy much of anything; and now, when there’s a little more money, well, let’s put it this way: the garments they sell have a heck of a lot of marketing behind them and not much engineering. There comes a time in a woman’s life, when a bit of structural engineering in foundation garments is appreciated.
Nevertheless, I bought a little lacy pick-me-up, rationalizing that I most likely would not be wearing the thing all day long. But it was way over-priced and I am now sworn off that store for at least another 10 years. Then I got to thinking (again, imagine), that maybe I shouldn’t have bought anything from them. . .cheap goods, overpriced, just what sort of sweatshop conditions are fueling the fantasies of middle-class Americans here? I resolved to do a little research when I got home. Kristi at K Pasa? has raised my consciousness with her boycott list.
Maybe it’s just the way of the world that a worker in the Dominican Republic has to churn out 180 pair of underpants per day in order to earn her 71 cents. Maybe she wouldn’t have any job if it weren’t for Victoria’s Secret. Maybe she likes her job. Maybe she gets free underwear. Maybe she’ll go on to something better someday. I don’t know what really goes on and I wish I did. I would hope 71 cents per day is a decent wage in her local economy, that she is not being sprayed with harmful pesticides as she works, and that she has the chance to go on to something better someday.
But that store still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There’s this too: as I was purchasing my items, a lady at the next register was buying three bottles of lotion. The sales clerk kept insisting that if she would just buy 8 bottles, she could get them for $35. I don’t know why anyone would want 8 bottles if they really only wanted 3 in the first place. The lady didn’t budge. Good for her. When I get that stupid sales line, I budge--right out of the store without buying any bottles.
I showed my husband the new saucepan & knife & said I’d been to Victoria’s Secret too, reminding him of our spending philosophy: to do good work. “Nice that you think of that as work,” he said, and he didn’t mean the cooking.
Sigh. . .nice work if you can get it.
10:25:34 AM 
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