I digress...
Chicken wings, chips, salsa, beer all lay about in front of the TV. As I and the rest of the crew began our 'evening' and the Leafs were doing their best to maintain even the generous title of 'team', a thought occurred to me. Maybe it was the wings, maybe it was the beer, or maybe it was the txt message I got from another friend asking me to come to a wine and cheese party, but something gave me the urge to wonder.
I've been to wine and cheese parties before no doubt, but in general, I'd say that wings and beer are more my typical fare. And so in my mind I created this division. Two choices, two periods of one's life, and of course the line that divided them.
When do you reach across that line, grab hold the stem of a bulbous chalice of merlot, and have no desire to let go? You look back at the beer and wings, but maybe they don't look nearly as appetizing anymore. Maybe those wings look a bit greasy now... maybe the wings don't look nearly as scrumptious as those grapes painted in goat cheese and encrusted with crushed pistachio nuts? Perhaps your merlot, full bodied and smooth, with hints of black currant and wild spices seems an smidgeon more succulent than your ale over there.
Well it may. At some point it may. Or maybe it won't? It's perfectly plausible that as we move through life we simply enjoy these two different pairs at separate times. Separate venues.
But that's not what interests me... I want to know about the margin. The two, five, ten, twenty percent of the time that you, or anyone, choses one over the other.
There's got to be a lean to one side. However unconscious, however minute, there's always a preference.
And why not then a line to cross? A point in time when you've had more of one than the other?
When then?
I would be interested (maybe your next poll?) to see just how many people actually WERE stumped on the "salt and pepper" comment.
ReplyDeleteSee, I know Tay Sharpe standards with writing, and yes... I actually went back and forth, reading it different ways, and still, this sentence was just so odd, so wrong, so unnatural. I was literally about to make a comment on the weirdness of the sentence, just to continue on and see "haha, I caught you with the salt and pepper didn't I?"
And it was that exact comma you mention, that I would add to be the fix.
So funny. Again, I'd be curious to see who else is as aligned as our thought processes.
My comment towards the topic: I love cheese. Tay, you love cheese. And we all know Dave stocks a great Merlot. I would say at least for me that my preferred fare would be wine and cheese. However, I feel the reason for this blog touches on "who" and "what" the wine and cheese brings, not necessarily the actual food items. I can't help revert to our drug talk the other day "Drugs Drugs Drugs.. which are good, which are bad?" It's sometimes not the process, not the actual item in question, but the result of that process or item. "Half of life is what exists, the other half is how you perceive it."
Those unable to step back and realize this simply follow societal trends: wine and cheese doesn't mean just wine and cheese, it means high heels, lil black dresses, fancy hair do's and smokey eyes. Or for guys: not sweatshirts.
On the other hand, why the grub clothes when having wings and beer? I think this stems from a function of practicality, I mean... we can't be wiping our gooey fingers on dress shirts can we now?
In summary, it's not the tangible food and drink items, but what they imply, the impression they carry, and how they affect our behavior.
Ahhhh yes, a very astute take on the duality. I think you're on to something, not just in relation to this issue, but to any scenario where one is forced to get a little reflexive and ask yourself what you really feel about a choice.
ReplyDeleteYour line, "Half of life is what exists, the other half is how you perceive it" is a wonderfully empowering view, and at the same time, it's a little daunting to think that we have so much invested in the way we perceive things.
Your comment is great because to me it suggests that rather than there being a definitive line that's crossed or a set shift in your perspective, you've always been faced with the duality, and you've always chosen something based on your perception of what beer and wings are and what wine and cheese is.
Half of it is that when you're young, beer and wings are readily available, and the other half is that you chose them because they seem to fit with your current lifestyle.
This is actually a great mantra for life. Decisions can be broken down into two parts. One is that you examine the options you have and disregard choices that given the current state of affairs, are not actually viable options for choice (I could choose beer or wine, but I'm a poor student, so wine isn't really a choice I have). And the second part is your actual choice. Chosing beer because you do in fact like the taste better at this moment in time, or because you don't want to have to deal with a potential wine headache in the morning.
Very interesting take... I love your quote.
For me Wings and Beer will never become wine and cheese. The two stand at opposing ends of a chess board, with only kings remaining. Never to have one stand victorious, they lie in endless stalemate. Indeed the feelings associated with the union of an oaky Sangiovese paired with Gorgonzola, brings a mature feel of a high class social rank. While a fine brew complemented with deep fried wings, occasionally dipped in ranch dressing, brings the feel a of working class low-brow social rank. I do enjoy them both. They each have there place in my mind. To answer your question I do however find myself taking preference indulging in the wine and cheese far more then beer and wings these days. Although God forbid the day I prefer wine and cheese at a hockey game over beer and wings. I end this statement as I do with many, a quote. “Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it”
ReplyDelete-Bob Fulton
Hahahaha Bobby's a secret sommelier! Sangiovese and gorgonzola! damn!
ReplyDeleteI think you've touched on something we can all agree on though... wine will NEVER be as welcomed at a hockey game as beer.
Great quote to end the comment too, I think wine is a taste that takes time to appreciate.