Lazy Sunday # 325: Scorch A Binder!

I’m constantly amazed at how hard humans work at complicating the simple things in life, in the process creating a “sub-culture” or hip new trend wherein we discuss ad infinitum the pros and cons of various elements of that subculture/trend as if they were as important as life itself.

Last night, driving across town to have a beer with friends, I had a profound insight into how Canadians have changed over my lifetime.

Used to be, you’d drive down any Canadian street on a Saturday night and see guys walking home or waiting for the bus with a box of 12 or 24 beers under their arm. Last night I noted nobody with such packaging, but several carrying little hemp or paper sacks  sagging under the weight of a quart or two of craft beer.

I don’t know a lot about craft beer, perhaps owning a pallet too damaged by decades of Molson Canadian, Budweiser, or Watney’s Red Barrel. 

But I overhear the debates about who uses too many hops or too little honey and wonder where this need to so thoroughly parse and categorize something as simple and enjoyable as “just having a beer” comes from.

We’ve been doing it with wine for centuries and now there are weed aficionados publishing reviews of various bud varieties. And maybe there’s a form of unique nirvana some reach by carefully coordinating what’s combined with what. It just isn’t me.

Which brings me to the grilled cheese sandwich.

When I was a kid, I loved nothing better for lunch (or dinner) than a grilled cheese sandwich.

Later in life, it was something no truck stop or diner could get wrong. I even loved the way waitresses would call them in to the short order cook in the back. “Scorch a binder!” said it all.

But not anymore…

Now, I’m sure there’s something to be said for pickled pumpkin and truffle butter. But seriously, other than doubling the price and giving the fromagiere who used to be a barrista or the guy who knew every Noir title at Blockbuster a new way to pull informational rank on you, what’s the point?

A grilled cheese is bread and cheese. Hold the turnip greens.

And Enjoy Your Sunday…