In which I realize: I am an apologistic hedonist

I was going to post something about how my newest excuse to Neil for spending money (other than, "God hung a sign on me that said 'tempt me'") is usually: "But I spent it for you!" Case in point: sock yarn, $26, and I'll knit him one beautiful pair of socks after I get over being nervous about touching it.

Really, I realized, though, hangin' out with the so-awesome regyt, though, that it's all about me. I'm a hedonist. I bought Koigu Painter's Palette sock yarn because it was incredibly luscious, touchable and had browns in sunset colors I'd never seen before.

Earlier today, when I went with regyt to an amazing chocolate-and-coffee tasting, and I learned about things like acidity, body, fragrance, and flavor in coffee, I realized... I'm a taste slut. I love food. I adore the salad we had together, how smooth the goat-cheese was with the smoky-and-fruity balsalmic, paired with the savory tenderloin and full tomato-acid flavors. I'm sure I was drunk on the passionfruit-raspberry chocolate. For some reason, though, I am apologetic about going into spasms over things.

Some day I shall stop apologizing for being such a taste slut.

But meanwhile, I added peppermint extract to my seltzer when I got home and tasted salt on Neil's skin.

And thus are dumpster divers made

One of those things I hate is the waste of good food. Apparently, as I learned when walking a woman over to Balducci's in the rain (her umbrella died and she was old and limping, so I slowed down and walked with her there, and she was all ranty about this) -- Balducci's throws out all of its food at the end of the night -- it doesn't donate it to shelters, or bring it to the firehouse half a block away. Environmentally and just because it grates on something in my psychology, this horrifies me. One of the sad things at the food tasting tonight was the fact that some of those taste-gasmic, intense, beautifully presented chocolates were thrown out.

I'm not sure what the solution is, but clearly, we need more pressure on people to do better. It comforts me that there are people like simonbillenness who put pressure on companies to hire ethically, to not use sweatshop workers, etc. -- but the smaller wastes, the little outrages... no one talks about those.

I wonder if I could eat all of that food.

I am a dumpster-diver in the making.