Not "ordinary", no. I prefer "simple", but with high quality, if that makes sense. I believe in value when spending money, which doesn't translate to "cheapest option". Example, I drove Honda Civics for years, because they were reliable, drove nicely enough, had plenty of room for my needs at the time, and if you bought a 1-2 year old used one, you got a really nice car at a really good price. I've remained "brand-loyal" since, and eventually graduated to the Element, until I had to replace my last E (someone ran a red light, totaled my E ), and when I went shopping for another one, I found an Acura MDX (for the uninitiated, Acura is the "upscale" version of a Honda - an MDX is a "fancy" Pilot) the same model year and mileage as the only decent used E for $2000 less, so I kind of swallowed my pride and got the Acura....$2K is $2K! Another example: for over 12 years, I worked at a well-known, well-respected bass company which will remain nameless (ha! ), and while I could afford the top-of-the-line model (and actually DID have 2 of those at one point), I ended up with the most basic version of what we built, and am completely content with the two (fretted 5, fretless 5) basses I have now. I will probably never buy another bass guitar, those two do everything I need, and neither is "flashy" - both are swamp ash bodies, no tops, satin finishes, just basic, well-made, great playing and sounding basses that will serve all of my needs for the rest of my playing years. Not "cheap" by any definition, but not the fanciest version, which I could have easily afforded. As for food, beer, coffee, etc - I prefer stuff that actually tastes good, and would rather spend more on one good something than the same amount on 10 less good somethings, i.e. I'd rather one Guinness than 10 Bud Lights; if I'm getting a hamburger, it'll be from a good place, not McGaggles; I always grind my own beans and use a French press for coffee. Not to be "snobby", but because I detect the difference in quality, and am willing to pay for it - but I'm NOT willing to pay for "cachet". So, SIMPLE, but not "ordinary" is my path.
I'm mostly the same taste. Never needed "fancy" clothes, or cars, etc. I have a 2010 Honda Element. Best car I've ever owned. I happy with a plain old p-bass. Disney World is my vacation spot of choice. I am a bit of a hotel aficionado. I have no idea why. I just love everything about them and can talk for hours about them but, obviously, rarely get a chance to (cause who the hell wants to listen?). I highly considered that as the career field I wanted. However, I hate people, and that kind of goes with the territory of running a hotel. So, I opted for a different career path. So, I can be a bit picky about hotels.. But everything else, I really don't care.
Life is too short for bad scotch, bad shoes and bad coffee. I will happily pay the $120 for my 20 year old single malt instead of the $20 12 year old paint thinner. I'm a shoe snob. I have bad feet and bad shoes HURT. I'm on my feet nearly 9 hours a day most days on a concrete surface. It's money well spent. As for coffee, I can enjoy the cheap stuff but prefer paying a bit more for a darker, cleaner coffee. I drink mine black and like a super dark roast. The bad ones can be oily and have an after taste. The good stuff is ambrosia. Other than those particulars I revel in the simple things.
I certainly wouldn't see that as shoe snobbery, but as a quality of life need. I have to wear safety boots at work, for 10 hour shifts. The ones the company issues are cheap, badly made and tend not to last long. I buy my own Doc Martens.
I'm not a fan of "ordinary" things just because they are ordinary. Some are great, but sometimes better things are just better. There seems to be a bit of this fetishizing of "ordinary" things on TB lately (P bass only, passive only, 4 strings are best, cheap basses are best, etc.). OP, I'm not saying you are doing this. But it's something that I'm noticing a lot. I like what I like, and sometimes it's snobby and sometimes it's super-ordinary. Don't get me wrong. I like P basses. But I like them more with an extra pickup. And 5 strings. And maybe even a preamp. And made by Nordstrand or Sadowsky. I like grilled burgers too. But good sushi is divine. And good coffee... is the best drug ever.
@Oddly I am a Florsheim loyalist for quality black leather ( Gallo Plain Toe ) work shoes. They are the most comfortable I've come across. I like Doc Ms too. I don't need a work boot, thank goodness.
I do see that as a "trend" now that you mention it. (Tiny houses come to mind.) Mine kind of crept up on me. I wasn't conscious of it until very recently. Oh, and here's my favorite P bass. (Note the extra string and pickup. )
I like nice stuff. Especially cars. But I eschew* overt badge status symbols. I’m comfortable driving a VW. I would feel a little self conscious driving an Audi. Probably not logical. I see quite a few college students here driving Maseratis. Can’t elaborate on that without going off the rails, but who wants a Maserati as their daily driver? I would not like it at all but that’s me. A Budweiser or even a PBR can be just as satisfying to me sometimes as an eclectic microbrew. *Word of the day?
I'm considering buying an older 'vette, that's about as woop di doo as it gets around here, otherwise I'm about as exciting as a sack of spuds. Just kind of regular-regular ya know, don't even stay up late on Saturday unless theres a gig.
I own and consume whatever I like and can afford. Since I am very good at ignoring ad-speak, I honestly often have no idea what is considered ordinary and what isn't. So I'd say the same thing I did to a dear friend who was complaining about how much "good" wine costs, when she couldn't tell the difference at all: count your blessings that you don't have expensive tastes. However, I do find you choice of things that apparently pass for beer and coffee a bit appalling! On that note, I used to play the winery circuit out here a lot. Many tasting rooms expected us to talk the talk, and the owners were more than happy to set us up with private reserve pours and bottles. And as long as that was on their nickel, we were more than happy to go along with that. At the rehearsal space it was Five Buck Chuck, which was also OK by me as long as someone else was paying. But IMHO there's usually a happy medium somewhere in between, and we all get to decide for ourselves where that may be. I am completely indifferent to cars and clothing, but in some of the sports I've played at buying beyond ordinary can literally be a life or death decision. But of course beer and coffee are way more important than that.
I find myself liking classic ordinary inner city pizza opposed to fancy multi topping this or that’s but,,,, no actually I’ve always been the opposite. I still basically am to a fault. My eye for vintage and rare hasn’t been the easiest road to travel.
Ordinary and fancy both have equal room in my life. Me and my wife both have a few indulgences that matter to us, but that also means we don't indulge in everything. But some people seem to take pride in having no indulgences, which I don't understand at all.
I hope my post didn't come across that way. It was more a realization than a choice in my case. More self analysis than self proclamation.
This thread is interesting to me. I’ve always gravitated toward “good” but not “ostentatious”, even though I’m blessed that I can often afford the latter. Ostentatious is just not me. There’s no Mrs. OldDog involved and no puppies so I can generally afford whatever I want, within reason. I’m a corner case.
No, not at all. I have a couple of family members that come across that way, and I'm not sure what causes it. But for me, it's all about balance. If everything I enjoyed was highbrow, it would lose meaning after awhile!
I have modest things mostly. I do have a nice bass. Our vehicles are better than average. Our house is nice but modest and unassuming. Clothes are pretty plain. My wife likes coffee via a French press at home, Caribeau and not Starbucks. I bought my son a $280 Giant bike instead of a $69 Target bike because with some things you get what you pay for.
