Grilled cheese sandwiches, Mac and cheese, ice cream, chicken noodle soup and animal crackers. Comfort food. Sushi is not comfort food, and tofu isn’t either. All of my comfort foods can be made or bought easily and I was introduced to them as a child. Only children would think that making crackers into dinosaur shapes or animal shapes would make them taste better, but they are more fun. I did have great fun making words with Alphabits in the milk in my cereal bowl. Mental stimulation and breakfast in one. And who was on the cover of the Wheaties box?
These culinary musings bring me back to a time when choices were much fewer, but maybe more satisfying. Our choices have grown exponentially, but I am not sure I am more satisfied. Are we all victims of Choicitis? This new disease is an epidemic in our society and causes paralysis or diminishing returns when faced with millions of choices. Hell, I have a hard time choosing which font to use as I write this. For those who may be wondering it is “Helvetica Neue”, but I had a hard time choosing because I also like “Helvetica” and “Futura”. The list of fonts is long and I want to make the “right” choice.
When I need toothpaste, I walk to the toothpaste section in the super market and stare dumbly at the shelves and shelves of toothpaste. Questions, more questions! Do I have sensitive teeth, or need to whiten them? What about my gums? Cavities? Bad breath must be addressed. Is my enamel hard and healthy? Have you noticed how long advertised claims have grown. After reading all the things toothpaste or mouthwash claims to do, I must then choose one. And then I see a plain tube of toothpaste, the only claim on the tube is it will help clean my teeth. I’m embarrassed to say that I seldom choose this toothpaste, instead I run down my checklist of concerns and search diligently for the “just right” choice. What if there were only 3 choices of toothpaste? Number 1, Number 2 or Number 3? Imagine. Think of how much time this would save me, and how much longer I could actually brush my teeth. Choicitis would begin to be tamed, no matter how small the progress made.
Choosing the best shampoo for me is another exercise in frustration. How can a poor ill-informed consumer like me make the right choice. Is my hair dry or oily, fine or coarse, colored or not colored, thin or full, curly or straight…..you get the idea. I have managed to rein in my menu deliberations to just a few minutes. I become impatient with fellow diners who ask detailed questions about menu items and then say they need a few more minutes. Which car to buy? It hurts my head to think about making this choice. Which computer to purchase? My head hurts more. That plain tube of toothpaste looks a lot more attractive to me!
Keep it simple is a motto I try to live by; obviously I have lots of work to do but I am not giving up. As of today Choicitis does not have a vaccine to prevent it, but there are ways to lessen the damages. When I ask myself how important is it if I make the perfect choice, I can often see it simply is not that important. My teeth will not turn black and fall out if I choose Colgate instead of Crest. Suave or Herbal Essence is not a life or death decision. I am a bit concerned that we recognize so many brand names of products. Could you buy me shampoo becomes could you buy me only Herbal Essence? I think a lot of our choices are manufactured by manufacturers. Is men’s deodorant made any differently that women’s deodorants? Women’s products are more expensive than men’s. Why? Is the product better or is the advertising better?
A lot of questions in this post, and this is a symptom of Choicitis. I love Animal Crackers by the way and don’t really care which animal I am eating. Never quite sure of ourselves, others may know more. I do know one thing for sure. If you are choosing love or hate, always choose love. Always.
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