The summary: 

The point of this mini manifesto is to set the stage for more posts on things I consider cool, and in keeping with the Tessin Rinpoche aesthetic.  To keep it interesting, I will try to focus on things that are not currently particularly popular.  And I will try to be a tiny bit disciplined about logic, reason, and research. 

Is this whole endeavor sort of silly and presumptuous?  Sure.  But the serious goodness of TR’s cocktails aside, the whole blog is an exercise in silliness, so you won’t find a lot of apologies here. 

Lively/unserious commentary and debate always welcome.

Sometimes – unfortunately not often enough – it’s possible for one thing to simultaneously possess/embody:

1. Style
2. Tradition (in the best sense of the word)
3. Function
4. General conscientiousness (e.g., to be healthy, thrifty, locally-made, green – in the environmental sense…. not necessarily all of these at once… 1 or 2 may be enough). 

I try to keep a sharp eye out for anything that fits this description.  When something fits into all of these categories, it’s only a matter of time (though admittedly, sometimes a very long time) until it becomes popular in a more mainstream sense.

I’d say home mixology itself is a good example.  It has some inherent style (if you think drinks look pretty and that there’s graciousness in the act of serving them).  It certainly has tradition.  It is very functional – customized drinks for yourself and your favorite people, in the comfort of your (or their) home!  And it’s even thrifty.  No wonder the hobby is enjoying a resurgence.

For the purposes of brevity and ease of communication, I call anything and everything that I believe possesses all of these qualities, whether it’s currently popular or not: “cool.”  In my book, this is very high praise.

If something is EE-cool, the good news is that it doesn’t really matter to me whether it’s actually popular or not.  If it isn’t popular, who cares?  I think it’s cool in its own right, and if/when it’s “discovered,” I’ll feel I was ahead of the time.  If it is popular, who cares?  I still think it’s cool in it’s own right, it will probably stay popular for a while, and eventually it will probably become popular again (see previous point). 

(In case you’re wondering, Bertessa and I usually, but do not always, agree on what’s cool.  In general, he thinks anything very popular/branded becomes, almost by definition, uncool… whereas I don’t hold this against something.  Example: Louis Vuitton Damier canvas.  I, on the other hand, think he gives function too much weight relative to aesthetic appeal.  Sometimes function is enough to justify something, but it doesn’t make it cool.  Example: Crocs.)

A few months ago, I wrote about potpourri, which I think is cool.  But there are other examples, which have enjoyed varying degrees of popular resurgence (currently or previously).  Whether we own these things or not, I’m a big fan of all of all of the things the below.  Not everyone is.  But as explained, it doesn’t really matter to me. 

 Basic examples, in no particular order: 

Dutch bicycles

 Obviously beautiful, useful for getting around, healthy – if you ride carefully – and environmentally responsible.  Sadly, not too affordable in the USA.

Awesome.  Almost enough to motivate me to dress up and ride to work…

 …or maybe we can leave that to Bertessa.

Barbour coats

Stylish (especially if you’re tromping around the grounds of a Scottish castle, in mind or body), a wardrobe classic for outdoor hobbies since the 1910s, warm, waterproof, long-lasting, and relatively thrifty – esp. considering the long-lasting part.  

The classic – waxed cotton 

Great vintage poster, circa 1920s?

 Props to Barbour for having the good sense to feature a Border Terrier on their homepage.

But we will not be outdone, even if it requires resorting to poor-quality Blackberry photos from last winter.

(And few Tessin posts are complete without fitting in at least a couple pet photos.)

 Dahlia models her very own Barbour, with some snowmen in Central Park.

For the record, clothes for dogs don’t qualify as cool.  They’re just cute.

Dahlia on the move.

Picardie glasses

So nice to look at, traditionally used in many charming cafes and restaurants, stackable, very easy to hold, very difficult to break, very inexpensive. 

 So great!

 Wine in a Picardie glass at an outdoor cafe – so cool.