Julia Child, How Dare You!

This past weekend I went up to Metropolitan Market to pick up some ingredients and splurge on a 10 inch cast iron casserole dish that appears in 80% of Julia Child’s recipes. It was an awesome morning, Adam had brewed a pot of coffee and I drooled over recipes before settling on a chicken, mushroom cream entrée of some kind. I have been spending a fair amount of time reading the Joy of Cooking and when I realized that this pan was called for in so many dishes I thought, okay, I’ll do it. I’ll do it! And it was a good excuse to go in one of the most beautiful grocery stores I have ever laid eyes on. It’s closer to our home than Safeway and it makes me wish I hated money so I could go there any time that I needed something. They have this section you can see from the street that’s full of kitchen accessories, so I knew that this amazing French dish had to be sold in there.

Oh, and it was.

For $180.

Total bummer. I stood there holding on to my Adam-brewed coffee, dawning my favorite Patagucci vest, and considered adding it to my cart for good. I think I put it in and took it back out at least three times. I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t! I still wipe the single tear. I knew it was going to be expensive, but I wasn’t prepared to drop $200 on Sunday before 9 a.m.! Yikes. So, le sigh, I texted Adam with my sad news, grabbed us a scraper for our cast iron and settled on a hand held blender from Cuisinart.  

Which I made Buttercup soup with tonight and it was the shiz!!!

After the mature, money-saving decision was made, I continued on for another hour wandering the isles of this glorious store that has everything I have ever loved about markets and food. After a couple of cards, some yummy produce, Ginger Beer, and a couple other pieces later I may have well as spent the $200 on the pan J.

As the clerk and I giggle and exchange friendlies over the register, she grabs my Cuisinart and says to me “Oh! Have you ever had one of these before? I love mine! I use it for everything!” We continue on gabbing about all the uses it has and how I’m excited for my first and have been eyeing one for ages! She explains how it made a great wedding gift for her and again explains how much she loves it. Awesome! I decide to confess I came in for the cast iron but couldn’t pull the trigger. Now, I don’t blame her for what’s next, in fact I somewhat envy her (!), I’m merely here to tell my side of the story. She replies to me “Also a great wedding gift! We love ours and…” blah, blah list of all other wonderful kitchen accessories that anyone would love to have that came to her "for free when she got married".  You know, and “someday I can ask for it to?” Her smile was delightful. This girl truly treasured her gifts and I can’t say that I didn’t blame her!

Yes. YES! Yes, I am jealous of all you ladies with your nice things. Maybe because I think I have been to no less than 25+ weddings since I graduated college, with 8 in one summer alone. Total that up. No, don’t. Between plane tickets and hotels, don’t. Because that’s not fair to those wonderful weddings, those beautiful moments and the special memories it created. I am beyond happy and grateful to have not only been asked to be in attendance but to witness the confession of love.  I suppose I’m just stomping my foot a little bit. Over a stupid pan. But if you saw the pan, you would understand! You can cook ANYTHING in it. ANYTHING! It goes on the stove top, in the oven, in the fridge and back around again. A person would have one till the death and then it would only get passed on to their grandchildren. How freaking rad is that?!

The majority of my friends have been married for years. Some are on their second, third or even fourth child. Don’t get me wrong – I’m happier than heck and love where I’m at in life. But how fucking awesome that you guys have all got to go to the store, scan some items, and get it after the happiest day of your life. Everything in my kitchen outside the apron my wonderful mother made me for Christmas, and the cupcake stand from Melinda, is either a hand-me-down or purchased on my own. I don’t mind it, I appreciate things even more. But dammit how nice to have that cast iron pan in my life all because I got married. Until then, you can rest assured I’ll use that little Cuisinart until it’s dead. And I welcome the day that happens. I shall dip it in bronze and place it on the shelf – the first of many. All you other kitchen appliances, BEWARE. I look forward to the years of recipe domination ahead of me!

To all you lucky ladies out there, good on ya J Enjoy those kitchens and linens! I get it! However, oddly enough, I don’t know if I’ll ever do the registry thing. Who knows what the future holds. Yes, I want to be bonded to a man for the rest of my life and I have the vision of dying hand in hand entering the next life together with a whole new set of adventures ahead of us. I believe in soul mates and the reason I have never  had a childhood best friend because I was saving that space for someone special. Yes, I believe that’s in my future, but for the sake of my $180 pan rant, let one thing shine above the rest, my finger may still be naked but damn if it doesn’t look good naked.