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I feel the same way about restaurants. I realized a few years ago that I don’t crave Enoteca’s rigatoni; I crave the feeling of unwinding with some friends afte

I feel the same way about restaurants. I realized a few years ago that I don’t crave Enoteca’s rigatoni; I crave the feeling of unwinding with some friends after a failed attempt at going to an ice cream festival. We were hot. Annoyed. Tired. And had a great time laughing about it at this tiny bistro as the sun set. The food and the restaurant was a setting, and essential, but it was second place behind the social connection of commiserating with friends and laughing about the million little things that went wrong with that day. Going back, the food is good. It’s definitely worth a visit. But nothing will be as tasty as that night. Now that to realize that, I try and seek out those chances to “make a memory” where I can.

BLKNSLVR 4y ago
The older I get, the more I find myself a human, rather than the robot I thought was the ideal goal. Positive social interaction outweighs most other factors in any experience. Doing X may be enjoyable, but doing X with friends can be a memory that last forever. (Tangentially: emotion is a superpower when wielded correctly, but can also be a devastating weapon when wielded incorrectly. I've always bowed down to logic, but emotion has the unquestionable ability to upstage logic - in any circumstance involving a human anyway).
- neuronic 4y ago
  There is a lot of days and nights I remember with friends or family. There is very few days and nights I remember in front of my machines (PC, PlayStation, phones what not). I love computers, digital media and all that but I would always choose a real human interaction first. Especially since my job already puts me in front of a screen 8hrs a day... To remain on topic: I have a weird fetish for Instant Coffee at times. I try to drink really good coffee most of the time, because I enjoy the taste. But then one day I would wake up and just crave the cheapest instant coffee you can find, especially on road trips and in hotel rooms. Amazing how the mind can make something objectively crappy into a joyful experience.
nickstinemates 4y ago
to add to this, if you think about the best hot chocolate you have ever had, it is usually associated with a memory or events surrounding it and not necessarily the quality of the ingredients. heston blumenthol talks about this in his book on The Fat Duck, a 3 star restaurant in the UK.
- caseyohara 4y ago
  Absolutely. I noticed recently that context is a big factor in how I enjoy wines. I had a great bottle of red with some friends over dinner at a nice restaurant. A few weeks later, I had the same wine at home by myself and while it tasted the same, I wasn’t as blown away like I was at the restaurant. Context is important.
pkulak 4y ago
Sure. But I drink my morning coffee alone. I don’t think this is the point the author is making. He or she is saying that they _prefer_ “bad” coffee. And yeah, drink what you prefer. I don’t see the controversy here.

BLKNSLVR 4y ago

The older I get, the more I find myself a human, rather than the robot I thought was the ideal goal. Positive social interaction outweighs most other factors in any experience. Doing X may be enjoyable, but doing X with friends can be a memory that last forever. (Tangentially: emotion is a superpower when wielded correctly, but can also be a devastating weapon when wielded incorrectly. I've always bowed down to logic, but emotion has the unquestionable ability to upstage logic - in any circumstance involving a human anyway).

neuronic 4y ago
There is a lot of days and nights I remember with friends or family. There is very few days and nights I remember in front of my machines (PC, PlayStation, phones what not). I love computers, digital media and all that but I would always choose a real human interaction first. Especially since my job already puts me in front of a screen 8hrs a day... To remain on topic: I have a weird fetish for Instant Coffee at times. I try to drink really good coffee most of the time, because I enjoy the taste. But then one day I would wake up and just crave the cheapest instant coffee you can find, especially on road trips and in hotel rooms. Amazing how the mind can make something objectively crappy into a joyful experience.

nickstinemates 4y ago

to add to this, if you think about the best hot chocolate you have ever had, it is usually associated with a memory or events surrounding it and not necessarily the quality of the ingredients. heston blumenthol talks about this in his book on The Fat Duck, a 3 star restaurant in the UK.

caseyohara 4y ago
Absolutely. I noticed recently that context is a big factor in how I enjoy wines. I had a great bottle of red with some friends over dinner at a nice restaurant. A few weeks later, I had the same wine at home by myself and while it tasted the same, I wasn’t as blown away like I was at the restaurant. Context is important.

pkulak 4y ago

Sure. But I drink my morning coffee alone. I don’t think this is the point the author is making. He or she is saying that they _prefer_ “bad” coffee. And yeah, drink what you prefer. I don’t see the controversy here.