Reflections on the need to read things carefully (or … why I should never read and try to respond to personal emails while at work)
posted Friday, 18 April 2008
Yes, it is true, I am a FaceBook and email addict. I find myself logging in far more often that necessary, in the off chance that someone has written me, updated a status, tagged a photo, poked me… I am quite good about checking these sites quickly and then getting back to work and I (predominantly) use my lunch hour to respond to people. So, often my lunches play out as follows: Pick up a salad at “Sur le Pouce,” (I usually get the Fraicher D’hiver, a delightful mix of endives, beets, walnuts and Gruyere with a balsamic and grainy mustard sauce), saunter back to my desk, write a blog, catch up on food news, undertake necessary FaceBook duties, reply to emails and provide feedback on the various food projects I am still semi-associated with back in Canada.
Needless to say, I have to work fast (especially because I still have no home internet access).
So anyway, a funny misreading of an email this week reminded me of the importance of paying careful attention to what I am reading.
I am heading to Barcelona for the first 2 weeks of May and have been corresponding with a friend because we are planning on undertaking a few hiking adventures and culinary escapades. Anyway, he was explaining what he did for work and mentioned that he was in the process of “growing [insert the name of a crop that can be used in the production of textiles]” which he went on to explain was a specific type of business (one that has absolutely nothing to do with farming). He then stated that he hoped I was not disappointed with his current pursuits. My selective mind neglected to pick up on the industry he mentioned and I assumed he thought I was disappointed that he was farming a non-edible commodity. So, I respond that indeed I am “a HUGE fan of [said crop] for clothes and as an alternative to traditional wood products (floors and furniture), although carpenter friends tell me it is hard to work with.” I continue “we need to dedicate more productive land to growing food but we also need to find sustainable solutions for “everyday” things and from what I understand [said crop] is far more sustainable than cotton or wood harvesting when everything is taken into account (CO2 emissions, labour, nutrients take from the soil, labour, rate of growth and rejuvenation).”
Yeah… hummm…so anyway, upon re-reading the original letter, I realized the only agricultural component of his business is the name, which can (and is, effectively in his case) applicable to other ventures.
I was pretty embarrassed and had to write back and explain my rather strange departure into the world of sustainable fiber production. I am pretty one-track-minded at the moment. Luckily he is a foodie and took my farm-focused rambling with a grain of (organic, kosher, fairly traded) salt.
PS- DAIM is my new favorite chocolate bar (my colleague Mark just gave me a bite of his). It tastes like a Score bar, which reminds me of my dear friend Natalie who I just reconnected with yesterday after a couple of years of distance. La vie est belle and interconnected in funny ways.