Food porn

I was in Crows Nest this morning, which meant I had to drop into the newly relocated shop for The Essential Ingredient. Wouldn't you know it - when I used to live in the area, they were located in the inner west. Now that I have moved to the inner west, they have relocated to Crows Nest. Bastards.

I liked the old shop better. It's something to do with atmosphere. The old place was in a slightly shabby warehouse, and it gave you the feeling that you were shopping at the kind of place frequented by chefs and commercial kitchens. It was more wholesale than retail. It always gave me the feeling that I was getting a bargain, because I was shopping where the chefs shopped.

For all I know, chefs might have thought the place an awful rip-off and taken their custom elsewhere. However, it evoked that kind of shopping atmosphere.

The old place was also horribly crowded. You had to squeeze past other patrons and be careful with your elbows in case you knocked over a dozen wine glasses here and there. It was like shopping in a crowded market. The place always had atmosphere as there were lots of people bustling this way and that way trying not to bump into each other. It had a totally different feeling to say shopping in Coles. Sterile is not a word that comes to mind.

The new shop on the other hand has had the designer makeover. The old place looked totally unplanned - it was like something new came in and the owner just waved a hand and said, "Stick it over there somewhere". The new place has been planned down to the last detail. The aisles are wider. The colour scheme is all designer chic. The shelves are beautifully stocked with amazing gourmet delights. I almost bought a Salt Pig as an impulse purchase. It is the home of food porn. Vogue don't need to worry about what to photograph for the next 50 issues - you just walk into this shop and take a snap of a few things. It is that kind of place.

Today, it was also totally dead. The cash register was not humming with the sound of purchases being rung up in rapid succession. The staff wandered around with not much to do. I wonder if the place is going to survive?

I hope so, as they sell wonderful bags of vanilla sugar. We ran out recently, and I have been bereft without it. It's the best thing for making proper homemade custard, as it has lots of chopped up vanilla pod in it. The sugar is almost brown thanks to all the vanilla in it. Some people love it in their coffee. It's a great little luxury.

The thing is though, the shopping experience has gone. It's now just an expensive place to buy stuff. It's funny how the mind works.

Put it this way - when it was at the old location, I shelled out $625 for a food mixer. It felt like good value as I was buying it at a "warehouse".

At the new store, that same mixer is still $625. However, it no longer feels like a bargain as the surroundings are too plush. I wonder if they have misjudged their market. They also sell copper saucepans, which sell for about $300 and something each. If I bought one at the old shop, I'd feel like I was buying an essential item that would last me for the rest of my life. Something I could hand down in the will.

In the new shop, it would feel like an expensive piece of frippery. Something that you buy to decorate the kitchen rather than improve your custard making skills. It's utility vs food porn.

I feel like something has been lost.