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Beauty...simply.


The Bormioli Rocco Fido Glass Canning Jar. Simply made, seemingly anachronistic, perfectly engineered.

It's a great symbol of quality that balances efficiency, economy, and function in a sublime manner.

I get wound up over strange things, I admit. But stick with me...

In the aisles of mass-produced plastic crap, the Fido stands out. Whatever you are storing, you care about it. You want it sealed in an air tight manner. You trust glass as the perfect medium to neither impart nor allow entry from outside tastes (ever tasted ice that tastes like garlic....that's infused from the fridge....think of food products that work similarly).

Spices, some a minor investment, find these little homes perfect for their overall demeanor.

A marinara made with real San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic deserve to be stored in a Fido.

Now...you may be wondering my point. Go to your pantry. Look in. Is there any foodstuff there that you would deem worthy of the Fido? Eliminate any and all foods with High-Fructose Corn Syrup. Did you buy it in the "middle aisles"? Well, 9 in 10 chance it is not Fido worthy.

Buy it at WalMart?...chances are the plastic storage options over on Aisle 12 will handle your needs.

It's funny that our food no longer really needs or seems at balance with the Fido. To store food in one of these gems, the food must be equal in quality to the jar itself. Honestly, could you see yourself putting Cocoa Puffs in one of the big Fidos? If you can't, you probably understand what I'm getting at.

Our cultural drift from quality, where artisan, as a word, even needs to exist (as everything is mass produced crap), where we commoditize that which fuels our body, is so short on food that needs the Fido and it's sealing ability as to be telling. If a food doesn't spoil easy it's not food....but what about honey that never spoils and food that uses spoilage (pickles, kimchi, anything that ferments) as its method of preserving??....OK, that's the exception that makes the rule....and it's oh so at home in a Fido in its finished form.

The Fido is a symbol, a metaphor, a reminder of when consumption comes out of balance or not. Be on the lookout for anything you consume (and not just food/drink)....anything.

Sometimes you can tell a book by it's cover, a food by it's packaging, and a culture based on it's lack of these things. Food for thought.

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