Condiments first, then. I read a thing on generics and brand-name loyalty the other day, the gist of which was that for most things the generic or store brand is just as good as the advertised brand, as hard as it is to convince the average consumer otherwise. I wasn't terribly surprised. With very few exceptions I'm willing to buy generic, but that's not because I'm too good to be won over by ad campaigns or anything snooty like that. It's because I'm cheap, and I admit it. I'm generally willing to give almost any generic product at least one try before I shell out for the more expensive item. There are a few time that I lose out that way, but overall not very often. Generics make sense in my brain.
Except when we get to condiments. I'm realising I'm pretty weird about condiments.
I use the same name brand ketchup I grew up with, even though I'm probably paying too much for it. Aren't other ketchups just as good? Dunno. Haven't tried them. My father currently has a different brand of mustard than my usual. He bought it for me since he doesn't generally use it. It tastes fine. Nothing wrong with it at all. Would I buy it for myself? No. It's not my brand of mustard.
Defies logic, doesn't it? Yep, and I know it.
I know it, and yet it's one of the few areas of my shopping life that I'm stubborn about. I use the same name brand worcestershire sauce that I've used for years, and if the store was out of it I'd wait until they got more rather than buy another type. Same goes for soy sauce. And hot sauce... no, wait. I take that one back. I'm willing to try other hot sauces, really. It's just that I don't go through humongous gobs of the stuff (I tend to add heat to the cooking, rather than on top afterwards) so I end up using the same bottle for a while. Buying the same one again after that is probably more reflex than anything. Point me to a different one that I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for, and I'll give it a go.
I suppose a person could say that we look for very specific tastes in our condiments, and I think that's probably true. Still, it says something for old habit that even a cheapy like me doesn't look for alternatives when it comes to the added dash of flavour, don't you think?
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And now, cards. What you see in today's pointless photo above is a package of Artist Trading Cards, otherwise known as ATCs. As you might guess, they're traded amongst artists and their friends, and occasionally also sold. They come blank, if that part wasn't obvious, and you make your own art on them. I took the picture on the keyboard just to give you an idea of the size of them.
Not terribly big, right? Shouldn't be much of a problem to do some little doodles. Then why are mine still empty?
I got this package as part of my annual Christmas habit-enabling gift card to the art store (ah yes. What would life be without enablers? In my case, less fun), and it's been sitting around unused ever since. It's not unopened -- I've felt up the different papers, yes, because that's a usual thing for me -- but it hasn't seen a hint of a pen or paint or anything.
Something about them has blocked me, I guess.
So here's the deal: tell me what to do. Suggest things. Drop me a comment or an e-mail. Or here's a thought... do you want one? Would you like me to send you an ATC for some reason? Then TELL ME. Maybe it'll help me get off my artistic arse and start doing something about these bloody cards.
As you can tell, it's starting to bug me a bit.
Ah well. If you want to help, drop me a line. If you want to do it by e-mail rather than comment, there's an address on the sidebar of the other blog. Just scroll down a bit and you'll find it.
Jeez, I hate it when my brain goes weird on things for no reason.
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