Apparently, I Like My Pantry a Little Fancy.

I went down another rabbit hole.

Shocking, I know.

This one started with tea and somehow turned into spices, olive oil, salt, honey, jars, packaging and me realizing that apparently I like my pantry a little fancy.

Not fancy for the sake of saying something is expensive.

I mean the kind of fancy where you pick something up and think, Oh, this is nice.

The jar feels good.
The label is pretty.
The ingredients are interesting.
The story makes you want to know more.

And now the regular version sitting next to it suddenly isn't giving what it used to give.

😂

The funny thing is, half the time I'm not even looking for these things.

I'll see a tea I've never heard of and want to know what it tastes like. Somebody mentions a spice from somewhere I've never been and now I'm reading about what they cook with it. Then I'm looking at another company's packaging. Then somebody has a gorgeous bottle of olive oil.

Three hours later, I have 17 tabs open.

This is how I end up places.

But I don't think I'm the only one.

Food has always been about more than eating, but I think we're getting more intentional about the experience of it.

People want the good salt.

The interesting pepper.

The tea that requires you to actually sit down for a second.

The thing in the beautiful jar that you don't immediately shove into the cabinet.

And yes, sometimes I absolutely want the pretty package.

Presentation matters to me.

There. I said it.

I like opening something and feeling like somebody thought about the whole experience—not just what they were selling, but how I would receive it.

Maybe that's shallow.

I don't care. 😂

I don't think everything has to be purely functional.

Sometimes you buy something because it's useful.

Sometimes because it's delicious.

Sometimes because it's beautiful.

And sometimes you buy it because you like the person who made it.

I've done that plenty.

I'll randomly decide it's Small Business Tuesday in my head and buy something from somebody because I like what they're building.

Do I need it?

Not necessarily.

Sometimes I don't even really want it.

I'll buy it anyway and give it to somebody who will actually enjoy it.

Because sometimes I'm buying the product.

And sometimes I'm buying into the journey.

I want to see what happens next.

I want that person to get another order.

I want the idea to work.

That's probably why I find myself drawn to smaller food brands in particular. There tends to be a person somewhere in the story.

Somebody found this tea.

Somebody grew up eating this spice.

Somebody made this because they couldn't find the version they wanted.

Somebody obsessed over that ridiculously beautiful bottle that I absolutely did not need and will now refuse to throw away.

There's something about that.

The grocery store will always have a place in my kitchen. I'm not about to start sourcing artisanal paper towels from a woman named Claire in Vermont.

Let's be reasonable.

But I'm realizing there's also room for things that feel discovered.

Things with a story.

Things you serve when somebody comes over and they ask,

"Wait. What is THIS?"

Those are usually my favorite finds anyway.

A little useful.

A little unnecessary.

A little discovery.

And apparently, a very cute jar.

I can live with that.