On a recent visit to my potpourri of a YouTube feed, I found a video of actress Florence Pugh talking about the things she keeps in her handbag.
The first item she proudly displayed was a travel sized bottle of Sriracha hot sauce. Hooked to her tote with a carabiner, she carries it with her wherever she goes, because she likes her food spicy. What a charming, practical choice.
The Sriracha, like its other condiment siblings, must be credited with adding flavour and character to many a meal, despite society's collective neglect towards their whole family.
How many of us have spared a thought for those countless packets of ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce or mayonnaise we've abandoned on restaurant tables, or carelessly thrown into the bin along with used napkins and dirty cutlery?
People like Pugh - people who give condiments the spotlight they deserve - aren't all that common. But for today's thing, I found two such individuals - founders of the Condiment Packet Gallery, a crowdsourced "historical archive of flexible portion control sauce packets".Â
Thanks to this endearing archive, I learnt that margarine too, can be packed and sold as a condiment. I don't know what I am to do with this newly gained knowledge, but I do feel like a changed person.Â
If you're someone who's intrigued by the evolution of graphic design, curious about the workings of the fast food industry and fascinated by the circus of capitalism in America, give the archive a shot.Â
P.S. What hot sauce is to mac and cheese, Just One Thing is to your average day. Don't be selfish, share it with everybody.Â