stories are everywhere, and they make each of us our own.
an unlimited pattern of walk cycles, painting a vague story of each person. fast for uptight, slow and shaky for old, steady for stable. complete with chosen tone of voice and equipped clothing colors of choice.
overcooked, half-baked, spicy, i like them all. a few of them leave an unforgettable flavor that i can't help but revisit. i learn the recipe to taste it again, adding my own secret sauce before sharing it with the others. it's too good not to share.
a few people who tasted the original protest, 'this is not the same as the original!' 'this is not authentic!'
why not celebrate different flavors rather than deem one as right and the the others as wrong?
isn't life just a very large game of telephone, where we pass on stories from generation to generation? flavors warping slightly as it passes on, but all just fun to share.
why not taste them all, experience them all in their beauty, and enjoy them together? figure out how these differences came to be and why they all taste slightly different. one taste is no more right than the other. they are all great in their own way.
i host a showcase of dishes of different flavors and ask people to vote on the best dish of the night.
in the preliminary votes, people are happy with the dishes that win by popular vote. but as it began to narrow down to one option, people became divided on which one is best. people from different backgrounds have different taste preferences. people take sides, convincing others to join their side in agreeing that their dish is better. they create signs and posters and music and chants to sway them over to agreeing that their dish is in fact better. people on the sidelines bet on a winner and form alliances on which taste doctrine they agree with more.
is this debate all worth fighting for? why can't they just both taste good?
after all, they are both tasty, so forcing one to be the best would only result in the other side not being happy.
i come and clear all the food. i tell everyone that this isn't a competition. i just wanted them to have a great time.
'thanks everyone for coming. i hope there's no hard feelings.'
i really hope.
for there to be a “best,” we give up so much