Vinegar is not the solution
- “I don’t like eggs.. actually… I can eat only pouched eggs”, she said. Boiled — too mushy, fried — too crispy.
- “Let’s make pouched eggs, then!”, I jumped with joy.
(You see, I really like my friend, and I would have loved to share a nice breakfast with her. I also like to cook, and the prospect of pouched eggs, something I’ve never managed to make before, sounded like a great adventure.)
- “… neah”.
- “Why not?”
…
…
- “Well, there’s no vinegar”, she said.
So I had some quick fried eggs that morning, while she ate something else. While a bit sad (I would have loved to try cooking pouched eggs), I also felt quite glorious: in this time of abundance, I found something that my friend needed and didn’t have. I just had to go to the store and…
Easy, wonderful, doable.. I was so thrilled with myself! it was perfect.
But..
As you probably have already guessed, this vinegar bottle will be the saddest vinegar bottle in the world. It will sit in the kitchen cupboard for years, moving slowly towards the back of the shelf each time a more useful item will be fetched from the back, used, and placed in front. Or it will only survive until the next major cleanup, or the first de-cluttering spree. But, sadly…
How come?
Well… first of all, my friend doesn’t like vinegar. At all. (Not sure how can that be, as I ❤ ❤ ❤ it so much?!)
Second.. if I would have asked around a bit more, I would have found out that she’s not that much into cooking as I thought (or… as I do)
Even more, that she totally prefers to go out for breakfast on weekend mornings, to have coffee, food an chill.
To be spoiled a little bit by the ambiance, and pampering of being served.
So, of course NOT vinegar
But hidden beneath that vinegar line, there was the opportunity of a beautiful gift that she would have actually enjoyed: find a nice café that she did not know, that would be close enough to be comfortable, but far enough to be a mini-adventure; it would also have great cappuccino, comfy music, a casually styled look and feel…
… and pouched eggs.
Epiphany facilitated by the practical & revelatory Design Thinking workshop by DesignThinkingSociety
