Are you crunchy?
I mean, it’s weird to ask anyone that, like they’re a bag of granola or something. It sounds a little insulting, but also…full of fiber?
Dry clumps of nut and oat clusters get stuck in your teeth, and they’re definitely not as tasty as the chocolate bits. Everyone wishes for more chocolate in the mix. Nobody really wants more granola.
Crunchy probably smells like barnyard or something outdoorsy. Did you shudder from an imagined combo of patchouli, armpits/feet, and weed on a hot day?
Understandably, most people think of crunchy as in granola – but only in the context of hikers, hippies, too-busy-no-time-for-sit-down-breakfasts, and afternoon acai bowls.
But what if being crunchy was a good thing? What if it could be a compliment?
Like how your mom knitted you a plush, warm sweater. She made it only after she learned to spin and dye the wool herself. It was a sweater 5 years in the making, maybe 10, if you count the time she spent daydreaming it into reality.
“I’m so glad you’re crunchy, Mom! I love my new sweater.”
Or when your partner made a meal with insight on each ingredient – raw milk cheese sourced for creaminess and beneficial enzymes, a sour kick from fermented veggies to aid digestion, and a fatty grass-fed roast that transformed years of sun and grass into nourishment.
“Babe, I love your crunchy food. I can’t eat at those bougie restaurants anymore, their cooking just can’t compare to yours.”
Isn’t it about time that crunchy is cool? Again! Or…for the first time?
Actually…crunchy has its roots in ancient traditions and wisdom that have always been there. The hippies and old-timers among us have known it all along.
Our grandparents and great-grandparents did crunchy things every day, but without that label. Crunchy was for carrots. Organic food was known as food. Raw milk was just milk. Play time was time to play, and not for screen time. And on and on.
Only recently has it come into the awareness of a larger, more mainstream population.
And to be fair, not every tradition still has value in present-day life. Ancient civilizations used mercury for skin diseases and syphilis, but no one wants those treatments again. And yet, how many of us have one (or two, or five) mercury amalgam fillings or crowns?
Old doesn’t mean better. New doesn’t mean better. Better means better. It’s up to each of us to learn what’s best for us. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for any issue. This is true for any aspect in our life.
I realize how lucky we are to even examine the details of our health, food, home, and environment. But I think that wanting to build a healthier, more robust, self-sufficient, and thrifty version of ourselves is a noble and achievable goal. We can all better, and it’s always a good time to try.
Once you define your goals, it becomes easier to stand by a difficult decision. Each choice either brings us closer or further from them. Because it’s too easy to find yourself where you didn’t intend to be.
There was that time I said to myself, “self, just be normal again” and so I spent time at my former favorite craft store. Years ago, I spent endless hours wandering the aisles, scooping up acrylic yarn, printed fabrics, and deeply discounted home décor.
But this time, I spent the rest of the day trying to detox from a gnarly formaldehyde hangover. It wasn’t a good deal, despite the coupons I got to use.
Some of us eat nose to tail frequently.
Some of us want to eat nose-to-tail once in a while.
Some of us are wondering, isn’t the meat between the nose and tail?
Some of us aren’t sure what noses and tails have to do with food.
There is no award for Crunchiest Human Ever. We always evolve and learn as we go. Being crunchy is a state of mind, a way of living, and a lifelong adventure. There’s no right or wrong way, there’s just different ways.
Even though there is no precise destination, we are all crunchy travelers. Let’s enjoy this journey together.