So I bought a stove. Actually the industry term is a range. Have you ever heard of a biscuit container with instuctions that state "preheat the range to 400"? Should Stove Top really be called a Range Top? At least in the UK they use the term "cooker" which actually describes what the damn thing does. I believe that the technical definition of a range is an oven combined with a cooktop. Like a transformer triple changer, your appliance now has three forms : a cooktop, an oven, and the uber conglomeration of both.
So not only did I buy a range, but I bought an Italian made stainless steel commercial stove. Looks like a monster and puts out enough BTUs to be the furnace off my fledgling brewery. And yet I am a little sick with myself with such a purchase. I believe that it is a distinctly American trait to place such importance on the appearance/price of ones appliances. Do Ukrainians care if their neighbor has a stainless steel fridge? Actually they probably would as a stainless steel fridge in the Ukraine is about as rare as a Delorian in Paterson NJ. However you get my point. As much as I bought the range for pragmatic purposes (we currently have a horrifying electric range that looks like it was used as a background prop in Sanford and Sons, and I need a commercial stove to brew 10 plus gallons of beer), I still feel a twinge of ego at how damn shiny and expensive the damn thing looks.
Can class systems be defined by appliance price/finish? Are we in a new gilded age that can be renamed the stainless steel age? Judging by the kitchens of the wealthy it would appear that this moniker would be appropriate. Why would I feel pride that my appliances where made of stainless rather than powder coated steel? Is powder coating for the commoners, the mere peasants? Adulthood is a strange place. I find myself largely uncomfortable with it. I don't think a 21 year old Paul would care about stainless steel. 21 year old Paul was stupid about many things, but wasted no time on thinking about appliances..... I think in this way that 21 year old Paul was much wiser than 35 year old Paul.
I prefer the free-range stoves. Makes for happier stoves.
ReplyDeleteTruth be told, out of all the places I've been, America certainly places more importance on things like possessions within one's house than many other places. However, I think it is nothing more than a characteristic of an opulent society in an opulent era. I imagine the Roman Empire had something similar, where their fire pits were compared on the whiteness of the marble by which they were constructed.
ReplyDeleteThink of the Russian guy from the DIRECTV commercial.
I, for one, am looking forward to the gallons of beer.