quality versus wallet

I have developed a new respect for the exchange of goods and services. Specifically, I have begun to really appreciate my ability as a consumer to exchange money for the product of someone else's talent. I can go to someone and say, hey, you're really good at this, can I pay you to do that for me in a fair exchange?

Obvious, right? Or not. Something's changed. I think you all know that I generally like to do it from scratch, homemade, by myself when I can. I like to make my own bread, my own pizza, ice cream, etc. And I enjoy doing these things - they are all good- but there are some days where I just want to enjoy a high quality product without having to suffer through all my experimental stages first. Sometimes getting the best 'deal' is not really the best deal.

I was thinking about this as I stopped at the store the other day, and was able to pick up a nice loaf of artisan bread, made locally, and enjoy it, thinking about all the work that went into it, and deciding that today I was going to enjoy the fruits of someone else's labor (and reward them, accordingly, by paying for it of course) instead of doing it myself and having to wait three hours to enjoy it.

This is obviously partly because I work with food all day now, and often don't even want to touch a knife or cutting board by the time I get home. I always used to prefer to save money by doing things myself, and I still do, generally. But sometimes it's worth the price of a quality product to have someone who really knows what they're doing make it for me. Sort of like how the people who buy lunch from our cafe might just get a simple soup and salad, but they're willing to pay to have someone else do the work and make it a pretty plate and provide a cozy atmosphere with festive music to listen to while they eat it. I get that. I still generally want something I can't make at home when I go out, but I'm starting to understand the big picture a little more, I think.