Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Just one word

A well known upscale boutique grocery store in the heart of our city drew us in the other day. Even the farm fresh eggs go beyond the basic choice of white or brown.

So imagine you have just opened this egg carton: Which color would you reach for first? Which would you reach for last?

Why?

Any ideas?

You do know of course that each egg will taste pretty much the same, regardless of its shell color.

OK, that was an easy question.

Now for a hard one:

What is the one word that you think sums up where you live: by that I mean describes what the people think about, and are like.

In Eat, Pray, Love, the author and a friend agree that Italian town (Rome?) was thinking only one thought: SEX

New York is thinking ACHIEVE

Los Angles is thinking: SUCCESS

A student and I just spent a half hour trying to define Salt Lake City.

We finally decided the one word that describes the people and what they think is: MISSION.

To explain: The LDS came here on a mission, and send out their people on missions. The LDS and non-LDS seem acutely aware of their life mission: be it training for an Olympic event, growing a garden, raising a family, teaching, shopping, eating out...everything seems to be colored by having an individual mission in life. Not necessarily to be the best, or better, but to take on a vision and make it happen little by little.

I did a Google search, another person suggested the word "Choir"; and yes, that captured part of the musical bent of the place, the performance aspect, but ultimately even the choir sings as a mission more than for entertainment.

We decided Las Vegas would be Cupidity: a seeking of money, greed, lust.

New Orleans: Indulgent

I laughed to read that Sodoma Arizona was described as the Vatican of the New Age Movement. Perhaps a word that combines cosmic and ethereal would work; I need to think.

Here's your question: One word for your town, city, or a place you have been.

Figure out a few words, then take a look at the words in a Thesaurus to see if there is an even better word. Talk it over with some one. It really is a conversation starter.

I told the student that the one word for San Diego would be BEAUTIFUL. That is the word that people have in their mind: being beautiful, having beautiful things and experiences, staying beautiful...

We were astonished to see that was exactly the word that several others on the Internet chose for my home town.

Especially if we are talking about La Jolla specifically.

(PS: I'd grab the golden yellow egg second in from the right on the top row. I'd save the dark brown one for last, just because it is so special looking I'd like to enjoy seeing for awhile.)

6 comments:

Vee said...

This assignment is much too difficult, Miss Jill. I'd go for the brown, speckled egg in the front row toward the center. I like brown eggs because "♪brown eggs are local eggs and local eggs are fresh.♪"

My community is...

Marg said...

Some good thoughts for discussion...LaJolle...cloud and marine mist...Salt Lake City...white salt, flat as we drove that long highway....
I did not enjoy her book to say the least...I don't know why I wasted my time...there you go...Waste.
Eggs..I want farm fresh eggs...white.
You are too funny.

Vicki said...

What a great, thoughtful and clever post! My grocery store carries eggs of every color, with many shades of brown, even a chocolate brown one (organic).

Hmmm. Many words come to mind when thinking of my hometown, but the best one would be "hopeful" or "optimistic" or, using one of the thesaurus choices, "rose-colored." It's a good-sized city (3rd largest in the state), but it never grows...it's stuck because of the lack of an interstate, yet the residents see themselves as fashionable, ambitious, forward-facing, and technologically-, medically-, and socially-advanced. No matter. I'd move back there in a heart-beat! :) Now, this town I'm living in? Who knows...I don't think the residents can even figure themselves out.

Judy said...

Eggs...always white first. No reason why. Oh...I would reach for white milk before chocolate as well. Smile.

A word to describe where I live? I think I'll be back with my answer after some thought...and discussion. Interesting!

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Long Beach is.....um....well....hmmmm, this is not so easy.

The egg choosing was instant and intuitive, however. First the golden yellows, then the pale yellows, then the special brown one, last the white ones....you can have white eggs any day.

ellen b. said...

I'll go with Seattle ~ caffeinated!
I would make a scramble with one of each kind of egg :0) I like to mix things up...