Friday 26 August 2022
Unconscious Disappointment
Today we trundled back home after a very pleasant two weeks by the seaside. It was a reasonable journey back up the M5, although the bank holiday traffic heading south seemed heavy. As usual it felt good to be going in the opposite direction.
This evening found me back home preparing the evening meal and for some reason I noticed our cutlery and how different it feels in the hand when compared to the cutlery in our holiday cottage. How boring to notice that you may think, as I do.
It’s not only boring for a chap to find himself noticing the feel of cutlery, but disappointing too. Presumably my unconscious mind had accustomed itself to the tactile nature of cutlery supplied in holiday cottage.
Which I suppose is okay, but when I do get a glimpse of my unconscious mind beavering away, I’d prefer it to be grappling with something interesting, profound or even a little spooky. The tactile nature of knives and forks is a very long way from any of those things and that’s disappointing. I blame the BBC.
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10 comments:
The fact that you have an unconscious mind is itself interesting, profound, and a little spooky.
Sam - it is, although if cutlery is one of its interests I don't expect much from it.
I have a favourite wooden spatula and a wooden spoon which I always use when cooking, because they feel right and we have had our cutlery all our married life of 54 years so I dislike using others as they are different. Must be my unconscious mind at work.
John - I have a wooden spoon like that although I've no idea how old it is. Certainly decades old.
I've read (somewhere) that when you pick up something and use it it becomes 'part of your body' in terms of how you interact with the world. Which makes sense. When you pick up a hammer you don't have to think about the eye/arm/hand/hammer lashup hitting a nail, your extended body 'remembers' unconsciously.
So too with favourite cutlery, spatulas, cooking spoons and knives. Using novel tools requires additional mental effort.
“ It’s not only boring for a chap to find himself noticing the feel of cutlery, but disappointing too. Presumably my unconscious mind had accustomed itself to the tactile nature of cutlery supplied in holiday cottage. ”
Oh that really must be quoted, it’s classic.
We have just discovered a wonderful kitchen tool: wooden tongs for pulling toast from the toaster without risking electrocution or burnt fingers. Will said tongs become "part of my body"?
DJ - in that sense, some implements do become an extension of your body. Badly designed things may not of course - I'm thinking of tin-openers I've battled with in the past.
James - I'm trying to forget cutlery so I can move on. Crockery next.
dearieme - that rings a bell. Years ago I saw tongs like that, thought what a good idea they were but never bought a pair. I suppose the risk of not using the tongs is that the toaster becomes part of your body.
…or your body becomes part of the toaster!
djc - yes - a scorched fingernail permanently welded to the interior.
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