DELICIOUS BATHROOM
I am in Baltimore. Arrived yesterday from the ice slicked features of Ontario to the fog enshrouded land that is this little bit of Maryland abutting the mighty Atlantic Ocean. So unfortunately I have seen not much from my perch high above the East Harbor as yet. But on the drive in I was able to recognize quickly that here is yet another city making the very best of its waterfront heritage. Well, the best if you applaud an economic model that relies on tourism and the bars, restaurants and hotels that go with it. But I would say the redevelopment has been pretty sympathetic and harkens back strongly to the sea trade origins of this city in most respects.
The brick row houses that make up the residential areas around the harbor are for the most part well preserved and give the neighbourhood a friendly and intimate vibe. The old Italian quarter is exactly what you would expect - rather like that in Boston although smaller in size. Tomorrow I plan to go walk about and take pictures.
So the big question I posed in my title today is WHY? And it relates not to Baltimore at all, although a discovery in my hotel bathroom led me to the thought. So why, I wonder, do the purveyors and manufacturers of hotel toiletries wish us to believe we are eating a healthy breakfast or late night snack? While I was opening my little box of bar soap I could not help but notice the small menu on the front. [By the way does anyone else out there wonder what happens to the millions of little soap bars that are used once and then discarded? Housekeeping staff can use only so many I would think. Is there a big soap recycling plant somewhere? If not, why not? Are they all collected and sent to third world destinations? If not, why not? Aha - Google to the rescue. There is a programme called Clean The World which recycles sterilized discarded hotel toiletries and ships them to third world destinations. I am glad to see my hotel partakes in this. cleantheworld.org]
So back to the question in hand. My soap bar box tells me that the product inside is clearly good enough to eat being comprised of, among other things, rice bran oil along with orange and tangerine extracts and palm kernel. A nice little feast if I get the munchies during the wee small hours. The body wash and body lotion are similarly endowed with a list of calorific ingredients. The shampoo and hair conditioner go one further, not only are they good enough to eat or drink yummy, they are aromatheraputic too. Who knew? And it started me thinking - are we attracted to lotions and potions that are applied to our bodies all the more if they have fruits and vegetables in their recipe? And if we are, why? Should a lanolin body moisturizing salve be worth twice or three times the price by chucking in a bit of grapefruit? Or a make up remover be more revered when laced with lime? Apparently, given the sales of these things.
But as a guy, why can’t I get an after shave with an infusion of the very rare oil from the motor of a 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 Spyder? It would give me an incredibly heightened sense of who I am, as a real person. I could live in the now and be so mindful I wouldn’t need to get out of my chair.