Riding the Fairway elevator

Fairway is more of an Upper West side institution than a grocery store. It's been part of our weekend ritual for over 3 years now. It sells the most affordable and genuinely fresh produce sourced from family farms - olives from Greece, cheese from Vermont, fresh orange juice from Florida, farm-raised lamb from New Zealand...you get the idea.

Who says grocery shopping can't be fun? Unlike Whole Foods and other very clinical supermarkets, Fairway is a madhouse. The signs are quirky and cheeky, the butchers are flirty and the check-out queues resemble concert ticket lines. This NYT story has a picture of the elevator that we ride since we have a stroller to push around. It can get as crammed as a Mumbai commuter train, and thank heavens, lasts only 16 seconds!

Goodbye Domino!

Yesterday Lav shared this NYT story on Conde Nast shutting down Domino magazine. The recession is taking away whatever lil' indulgences that remain.

In 3 years Domino did what few decor magazines were able to accomplish - it democratized interior design. City dwellers (I presume) especially liked the features on smaller spaces. They kept the focus on offbeat designers while veering away from peddling overpriced Ralph Lauren sheets. The design blogosphere is mourning.

I am just glad that I kept every issue.

"So what do you do?"

When you first meet someone - at the locker gym, or a co-passenger on a plane and have dispensed with all the opening pleasantries, why do some people consider it inappropriate to ask "So what do you do?" or "What profession or trade are you in?".

I always prefix my question with what sounds more like an apology,"If you don't mind me asking, what do you do?". I notice that some people are outright offended, some proceed to change the subject or throw me an irritated glance.

It's fair to assume the responder feels 'sized-up'. That somehow divulging details of their career will determine if they are important enough to talk to. Or that I am a 'serial networker' who will annoy them with a request for a business card, proceed to send a LinkenIn invitation and then ask for a professional favor.

It's so hard to convey that I don't ask 'What do you do?' for my professional advantage, but because I truly like talking to people ...to find out what their interests are, hear great stories and hopefully make a connection.

A few months back Tariq and I sat next to a man on our flight to Paris. A very nice gentleman who made recommendations on where to grab a baguette and have a picnic. I asked what he did. He was a journalist for the AFP. I told him I worked in Media/Public Relations. Great opportunity to befriend him and pitch him a client? But no, we talked about the industry among other things and had a swell time.

We ended up meeting for dinner when he visited NY. Both Tariq and I were so glad that he looked us up and we were able to enjoy a meal together. My point is simply this - every random meeting or conversation can be the start of something beautiful. Call me an idealist but I truly believe that.

Luxuries become Neccesities

Tariq and I are toying with the idea of moving out of NYC. We are not sure where our next port of call will be, but temporarily we want to put up our feet at my parent's home in tranquil Cochin. A good idea to ride out the storm and relax, enjoy Isaac at this perfect age and live frugally without dipping deep into our savings.

As I mentally prepare for the move, I was making a checklist of all the things I will need to buy in the US to take with me to India. Let's see - my organic curly hair shampoo, my ginger-rush body cream, the branded diapers that Isaac has been using since he was born (perhaps enough to last me 6 more months - that works up to about 600 diapers!), my Apple i-touch, my Mac Book,and other such 'necessities' that I think I cannot live without. Odd, I thought, do I need all these things to make me comfortable?

Which brings me to something Tariq pointed out to me. About sixty years ago Gabriel Tarde (1843–1904), the great French sociologist, dealt with the problem of the popularization of luxuries. An industrial innovation, he pointed out, enters the market as the extravagance of an elite before it finally turns, step-by-step, into a need of each and all and is considered indispensable. What was once a luxury becomes in the course of time a necessity.