Nice hat. Ooh, that looks delicious.What a pretty dress.

Well, what’s nice for some people is not so nice for others. That mohawk haircut? Maybe cool on your six year old grandson, but awful on you. This week we focused on taste and how what looks good to one person may not look so good to another. First is the case of the jaunty hat. Who would even use the word “jaunty” these days. Only an old person. And John and I. I say the “and” part to emphasize that we are most definitely NOT old people. We just observe and write about them. Is that clear?

For me, my dad always wore hats so I associated hats with old guys. When you’re a kid, your dad is always an old guy. Fedoras, golf hats, snap-brim Irish newsboy hats, Al’s ridiculous tam o’ shanter and the ubiquitous baseball cap. Just as an aside, basketball teams and football teams and soccer teams never used to have baseball caps, only baseball teams had them. At any rate, my dad wore hats. He was also bald, and I have inherited that wonderful trait. As my skin doctor said to me as he was scraping off a melanoma, “Wear a hat. Anytime you’re outside. Even if it’s cloudy.” I told him, I do wear a hat, always.” And he replied, “Well you didn't wear them enough as a kid.” As John and I wrestled with the end of this comic, I said, “In no way is this stupid tam o’ shanter hat jaunty!” And he shot back, “Yeah, but it sure is ugly.” Case closed.

Which brings us around to mushroom sliders, which isn’t really about mushroom sliders at all. It’s about sharing. When we see friends, it’s often to go out to dinner with them. You pick a restaurant because you like the food there. Invariably, there is someone who thinks it’d be fun to share. Let me tell you, I don't think it’s fun to share and I’m pretty sure John agrees. Let me rephrase that. If I order the plant-based burger and side salad because I know that’s the right thing to do, and you go for the burger with fries because that’s what you want, then I’m all about sharing. I’ll share your fries and your cheeseburger without hesitation and pass the ketchup please? Also if you want more of my plant-based burger and side salad, knock yourself out. But to me, sharing doesn’t necessarily mean caring. It means eating more of something you don’t want and less of something you do. And then there’s this. If you say, “Why don’t you guys share amongst yourselves, I’m having the (fill in the blank),” you sound like a selfish jerk. After 71 years on this planet, I decided I am okay with being a selfish jerk, as long as I get the fried chicken. And by the way, do you mind if I take a taste of your linguini with white clam sauce?

That’s it for now and we’ll see you next week with two new ones, and before you know it, it’ll be Thanksgiving. Enjoy the weekend,

Andy and John