Extravagance

Cheapness has its pleasures, not the least of which is a feeling of virtue.  Read the chapter “Economy” from Thoreau’s Walden.  All those existentialists could be insufferable at times. I was influenced by old Henry at a tender age, and living modestly is one of my favorite ways to show off. 

At the tired vegetable cart in Shaw’s I met one of the prominent ladies of the town who expressed embarrassment to be caught buying softening grapefruit.  I have a different attitude.  I come from a line of old Yankees who were proud of living below their means.  “A fool and his money are soon parted,” they liked to say.        

I’m embarrassed by luxury, but that doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally indulge.  If you’re stingier than you need to be, you can afford to splurge.  For her birthday in early December, I bought Annette a case of Veuve Clicquot Champagne.  I shopped for the best price I admit, but it wasn’t cheap.  It was a present for her, but we’ll drink it together and when I walk past the yellow box in my cellar, I smile. 

I understand that the house wine at Buckingham Palace is Château Lafite Rothschild. I had a bottle of that once in my life – not the whole bottle; I shared it with Annette and two other people.  It exploded my conception of what wine can be.  I’ll probably never experience it again.  A check of the internet reveals that 750ml of the 1982 vintage may be had from Wally’s Wine and Sprits for $3,999.99.  I got my bottle a long time ago for a good deal less.  It had been cellared for some years, but not twenty-nine.  When it came to pleasure, it beat scoring a package of dirt-caked carrots for 85¢.

The thing about Royalty is they can’t splurge.  If they want to wash down a cheese sandwich, they have the footman open a bottle of Lafite.  They’ll remember it about as well as you do your last Coke.  Even if they drink the 1870 vintage, available from MorrellWine.com for $15,000.00 a bottle, they won’t check it off their bucket list.

But I can splurge.  On Valentine’s Day Annette and I plan to get a couple of lobsters and chill a bottle of French Champagne.  We might top it off with something sweet, but we haven’t yet decided what that will be.