People Who Do
My mom and I were talking recently about some fairly meaningless things and she said, “I have lots of categories where I feel like people fall on one side or another. One of the categories I have is. . . ”
Because of what we’d been talking about, I knew exactly what she was going to say: “People who use toaster ovens and people who don’t.”
My family falls decidedly on the “people who don’t” side of the toaster oven category. My parents have never owned one and I remember vividly the first time I saw one when we stayed in a condo in California when I was around 11 or 12 (and I had to ask what it was).
And then, when Bart and I were registering before our wedding, he said, “I’d like to register for a toaster oven.” I would never even CONSIDERED registering for one; I hardly even knew what you might use it for. Did we eat enough bagels to justify having one? Did it do anything besides that? Wasn’t that what a TOASTER was for?
One of Bart’s uncles and aunts kindly bought it for us and Bart declared, several times, that it was his very. favorite. gift. A toaster oven! I was floored.
And then our first apartment had what was possibly the world’s worst oven. The very first thing I tried to cook was banana bread and it rose VERY fast and then spilled all over the floor of the oven and never cooked through. (There were tears). Out came the toaster oven and I used it exclusively the whole time we lived there as a regular oven. And then in Texas, we kept it on the counter because I could either use TWO ovens at the same time or I could avoid turning on the regular oven and making the kitchen approximately the same temperature as Hades. I was suddenly a “person who uses a toaster oven.”
Since this conversation, I’ve thought a lot about the categories I mentally note but have never really consciously thought about: People who chew gum and people who don’t. People who listen to the radio and people who don’t. People who go barefoot when possible and people who don’t. These categories aren’t in judgemental ways – more just a way to keep track of people. An “oh, yes, she knows something about cooking because she is a ‘person who makes dinner on a regular basis.'”
I have amused myself all week thinking of the many many categories I have for all different areas of life. Maybe there is a “People who categorize others and people who don’t” category. If so, I’m on the “People who do” side.
I wish we had a toaster oven. I keep trying to convince Roger. Maybe I ought to just go buy one. But then, it wouldn't really replace the toaster, and I don't have extra counterspace. What to do… I guess I am in the people who don't know whether to get a toaster oven category.
People who love Blue Bell
Please who sneak candy into movies
People who notice other people that don't wash their hands in public restrooms (ew)
People who always use hand sanitizer all. the. time. (me)
People who utilize DVR and never watch commercials
People who love and I mean LOOOVE LOST
People who comment on blogs
Man…I love this post!
Oh there's another one!… people who love this post!! 🙂
People who eat ketchup and people who don't.
People who like garlic and people who don't.
People who shower every day and people who don't (my biggest peeve!).
People who are chronically early and people who are always late.
People who drive until their tank's on empty and people who don't (my husband and I are wildly different on this one).
People who eat breakfast and people who don't.
People who read the end of a book first; people who put their dogs in cages; people who don't send Christmas cards; people who eat the inside of their Oreos first; people who read in bed; people who wear slacks to funerals; people who name their children after flowers; people who paint their nails; people who slam doors on Mormon missionaries; people who never save money; people who take only tours; people who buy used books, people who only give homemade gifts; people who play boardgames.
That is so totally my story! I had never ever used a toaster oven, and when Kevin wanted to register for one, I was like, "what do you need that for?" His answer: cinnamon toast. You can put the butter and cinnamon on before you toast it. So I said "fine" in a "this is so not fine" kind of way. He just didn't recognize that yet, but in the end, I love my toaster oven. Enough so that when our old one broke, I had to go buy a new one because it is a NECESSITY. I am now one of those people.
I found this post through Operation Pink Herring and I LOVE it. Such a fascinating topic.
My family and my in-laws are just about opposites in every category I can think of, which is really interesting and challenging and sometimes fun to be in the middle of.
One of the big ones? People who have salt and pepper on their tables and people who don't.