This week, I did something out of turn.
I took a box of KD from my pantry shelf that just sat there for months, thinking I'd take a break from my kitchen antics.
Keep it simple - no fuss, no fancy presentation. Just chow down on the memory!
Nostalgia can give a sensory vacation. Those wistful youthful days of McCain's french fries laid out on an oven pan or a small pot of buttery Kraft Dinner quickly assembled on the stovetop. My mind has catalogued the orange bliss sensation.
Now, with so many years of no KD , I was ready to be swept up in the taste recall.
First forkful and I spat it out !!!
What was this concoction?
I went to the kitchen and stared at this revised box of KD with its modernized graphics boldly stating "original". I felt cheated...even fooled.
No way! That was not the taste I remembered. It was nowhere near the original.
Now you may say that time has lapsed and I am out of touch with my senses. I am of the baby boomer generation which came with many Saturday mornings watching cartoons and tv commercials.
I would sing along in unison and want my next bowl of
Frosted Flakes because they were gggggreat !!! Remember "Uh-oh, spaghetti O's ?"
In the lure of product purchase, companies use the word original as an indication of adherence to an authentic origin. It encourages the consumer to believe a product had a beginning that was so good, it had to be preserved and packaged, brought to you for such a time as now.
But change is inevitable...the food that I think will bring back familiar taste sensations often dissapoints. For e.g., Hershey's chocolate, Kit Kat, Alphabits, etc. all have different recipes now than the one they began with, and I am sure you noticed.
What we are left with is the one word that masks it all - original. Such an alluring word that can prompt us to buy in even 50 years later!
Look at the tomfoolery of success...
Social media platforms beckon us to be original, one of a kind celebrities peaking to influencer status. The glowing accolades and followers are confirmation of our eminent stardom. We have arrived as our authentic, original selves!
But the clock keeps on ticking, and in turn, another originator comes along. You are trumped, your followers deplete, and the cycle continues. Just like the KD box, you might consider adding the word original to remind your audience who started this. But it may also be true that there is nothing new under the sun.
Being truly original, I believe, is anything that originates from you. It's in the doing, and you can't box that or stamp a graphic on it.
Today, there is a plethora of generic art that is accessible, and convincing. Yes, it's original in the creating, but lost in the making. It skips slow processes and often requires a projector or app filter to decide things for you. You spill paint, move it around, let it dry and presto! you have, original art. But there are thousands doing the same thing.
In my 30 plus years of painting, I have been asked occassionally to replicate another artist's creation. It's an uncomfortable request, and the result would not only be an insult to the original artist but also unoriginal all around.
Though I do consider myself an art machine for replication, my pursuit of being original leans heavy on the effort and integrity I give to any painting. Time, skill, engagement, process, etc. are all part of a seasoned practice that always seeks new ways of self expression. All my senses get involved in the making, and the output feels validated as something original. For me, the origins of my first paintings at artschool in 1986-87 feel the most original in my nostalgia recall.
So when your looking for something original, there's some thought that goes into finding it. Don't just trust a word stamped on a box. Test and see if it's true!
It's a guarantee now that I won't be buying a box of KD anytime soon, unless I spot an original box at an antique flea market in my travels.
I'll shelf it for the vintage memory.
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