Hello readers. The Pleasure Report will be on break until the new year. May your holidays be filled with delights. See you in 2022.
A few years ago, my friend Cynthia slipped on the ice and bruised some ribs. When she sent out an email asking friends for help, I signed up to shop with her and carry her bags home. I had no idea the lesson I would be getting on the pleasure of shopping.
Cynthia and I met up at our local organic market in the East Village. She was in a lot of pain but as we walked through the aisles she lit up. She held up a chocolate bar and described the crunch of the cacao and told me about how the company was collaborating with indigenous communities. She waxed poetic about the way a soap left her skin feeling fresh. She had an outright crush on the flax seed yogurt. Until that moment, I had thought of shopping— especially grocery shopping— as a task to be done as efficiently as possible, all while trying to mitigate the toll on the environment and my bank account It never occurred to me that it was not only okay to revel in the pleasure of shopping but that it was really fun to do so.
Since many of us are making holiday purchases, I called Cynthia to ask her about how she thinks about pleasure and products.
TPR: I’m trying to remember which exact products we were looking at.
Cynthia Greenawalt: One of the reasons I love that store is their commitment to carry things that are out of the ordinary. I was so excited that they carried that flax seed yogurt and that the owner remembered me. I was dragging you around, like, “Oh, look! Someone created something that goes against the mainstream and figured out a new recipe for yogurt.” I want to celebrate the people who made it.
TPR: You made me think about the passion that goes into a product and the fact that there are actual humans behind every choice made to bring a product to market.
Cynthia: The fact that a company even exists to produce something that’s different makes me want to know who those people are because this is their stand in the world.
TPR: What are some products that you're loving right now?
Cynthia: I’m dairy-free and I have been a vegan for 27 years so, right now my favorite thing is Ripple. I went through all the non-dairy milk products and then I found Ripple. What is so powerful is that it’s made from peas and it binds better than the other non-dairy milk, so it's one of the best to cook with. When I make a milkshake, it’s so rich and creamy. Blueberry pancakes with it are amazing. It's a very special invention.
I introduced it to my Dad and he convinced the supermarket to carry it. So there is an example of the ripple effect, literally.
Another thing is I’m loving is Qi’a, which is creamy coconut oatmeal. I’m not a cook but I’ve fallen in love with making this. You can make it as overnight oats and it’s so yummy. It’s 1/2 c Ripple, a couple of scoops of yogurt, and then stir it around, chop up some strawberries and you stick it in the fridge with a glass top and it’s unbelievable. It’s like a dessert and it’s vegan and gluten-free.
TPR: You are very beguiling when you talk about products.
Cynthia: I love when the ordinary becomes extraordinary. To me, that’s what pleasure is, that feeling of being illuminated, or turned on when there is a new way of seeing something. The ordinary thing called shopping is an amazement to me.
FROM THE INSTITUTE OF PLEASURE STUDIES
I asked readers over in The Pleasure Report Facebook Group about some of their favorite products. Please add your own in the comments!
TPR readers are loving: coconut oil (for shrimp scampi, oil pulling, and popcorn), frankincense, felted wool slippers, mason jars, closet organizers, turntables, teapots, fabrics, a handmade triple drone flute, Wyze outdoor cameras for photographing backyard wildlife, and Bluetooth earbuds from Skullcandy that attach behind the head wire with magnets so you don’t lose them.
Perhaps inspired by my recent post, Poop is a Prayer, several readers contributed some bathroom favorites:
Who Gives a Crap Toilet Paper, which gives 50% of profits to ensure everyone has access to clean water and a toilet within our lifetime. Fizz for your Bizz are glitter hearts with essential oils that you drop into your toilet and one reader makes Good By Dirty Butthole soap, a whole-body cold-process soap mindfully made in New York with love.
Warmth is clearly on people’s minds.
Reader Sarah Kirby is finding pleasure in lined waterproof sneaker booties with elastic instead of laces “so you can just shimmy your feet into them.” Another reader loves Merrell Encore Ice Clogs,“I will wear them nonstop from about September through June each year. They are warm and dry and very comfortable.” There were two recommendations for fleece-lined leggings from *gulp* Amazon. This one and this one. I love the Solo Stove fire pit and another reader is pleasurably sitting with her dog in front of her refurbished Jotul wood stove. For some extra heat, one reader recommends this obsidian wand and I’ll add my favorite Uberlube.
Here are some shops you can feel good about buying from:
Thistle Farms offers safe housing, healthcare, counseling, and employment, and they make some gorgeous gifts. Uncommon Goods is run by my friend Dave Blotsky, one of the most ethical entrepreneurs out there. Able challenges the culture of the fashion industry by creating transformative opportunities for women. I take a lot of pleasure buying from sellers on Etsy.
What about you, dear reader??? Drop us a line about where you are shopping and what you are loving.