When Stereotypes Save Money: The Frugal Lesbian Kitchen
I admit it: In many ways, I am absolutely a big ol’ stereotypical lesbian. My partner and I listen to folk music. We have cats, and drink herbal tea.
I have even, at one time in my life, worn Birkenstocks. Oh, the humanity.
And for breakfast, Barb and I often sit down to bowls of yogurt and granola. The granola is frequently homemade, which means we can sweeten to our liking, and use whatever ingredients happen to be floating around in the pantry. The latest batch involved some chopped Brazil nuts and extra wheat germ.
Making your own granola is not really news, as far as I’m concerned. Lots of our friends do it. But very recently, I made my first batch of homemade yogurt. Truly, I have reached some new level of stereotypical crunchy lesbianness.
Barb and I eat a lot of yogurt, and of course it’s always the organic stuff, which drives the price of our grocery bill up. This weekend, some friends passed along an unused yogurt maker that was taking up space in their pantry. A special appliance isn’t necessary, but the machine, basically a low-temperature crockpot, does make it easier and came to us free, and I’ve been wanting to experiment with yogurt for quite some time.
I spent Monday morning scalding milk and sterilizing equipment. By Tuesday morning, we had fresh, homemade yogurt, with whole milk from a local, organic dairy. The yogurt tastes fresh and sweet, if a little runny. I might let the next batch incubate longer. (Yes, there will be a next batch.)
And of course, it cost me a fraction of the price of store-bought organic yogurt. And I think mine tasted better.
Sadly, this new activity does nothing to dispel the crunchy-lesbian stereotype, but I’ll embrace yogurt-making if it means saving a few dollars in living expenses and eating a good breakfast. Plus it’s fun.
Tell me: is there a stereotype that describes you well, for better or worse? Does it help keep money in your pocket? And does it lead to new, fun activities where you get to eat the results of your labor? That’s my favorite part.
I love making yogurt! I make mine in a glass jar with a heating pad wrapped around it, since I don’t have (and didn’t want to get) a specific appliance for it.
As for stereotypes that describe me, about the only thing I can point out is bad eyes + corrective lenses = avid reader. Not exactly groundbreaking… or edible!
Jan: Jeanine and I tend to dress alike… isn’t that stereotypical of lesbian couples? There’s this funny scene in The Break Up Notebook (a lesbian musical) where two lesbians enter the stage after they’ve been dating a week and they’re dressed exactly alike. Of course, we laughed.
But there are cost saving advantages to this quirk… as in “buy one get one free” sales. Plus, it’s no secret that I hate to shop so when Jeanine shops for herself she will often buy the same thing in a different color and size for me. So not only do I save money, but time by having Jeanine shop for me. And time = money.
The last time she did this (a pair of cargo pants from JCrew) – we both loved them so much that we went ahead and wore them at the same time. We did this a lot. Some friends would notice and point it out, by asking, “Are you wearing the same pants?” Ahh, yeah, that would be correct. Is there a stereotype for lesbians being geeks. If so, we’re all over that one!
Admire your life. Simple but full.
Your story makes me want to cook with my girl. Well,I am not good at it. But glad to try.
It’s kinda relaxation.
While we enjoy the world of fashion from afar via Project Runway and Manolo (and their intersections) for the cheesy drama and occasional stunning beauty and innovation it produces, I’m quite happy that neither of us feels compelled to follow clothing trends. This is definitely stereotypical of the crunchy lesbian, and it sure saves us money.
We keep a small garden and choose varieties that are either unavailable or expensive at the store.
Gardening can be expensive if you buy your supplies new and neatly packaged, so we also save quite a bit of money (and have more variety choices) by growing our own starts from seed instead of buying plants, mixing up our own potting soil instead of buying it pre-mixed, and advertising for pots and other materials on our local free-cycle list. We also usually have extra plants that we sell at a spring garage sale.
Peculiarly, there’s a stereotype that Asians only drink tap water (instead of soda, etc.) at restaurants. It’s good for you, it’s free, and it’s slimming – I don’t see why everyone doesn’t do it.
My partner and I met on Fridae, Asia’s largest online gay portal.
JUST LIKE MY BIG GAY BROTHER AND HIS PARTNER.
Of course, in contrast to the gay men in speedos who pick up other gay men in speedos, we wrote to each other for two years before finally meeting and getting together. I didn’t even know her name for about a year!
Thinking about it makes me mildly sheepish.
Wow, I thought at this point I really had made it all, but I never ONCE thought of making my own yogurt. Janet. . . will you teach me this special magic of yours? I need to learn.
You MADE your own yogurt? That seems so hardcore to me. As far as I think of them, dairy things like yogurt and cheese are essentially raw ingredients. That’s the form the food -starts- in! Obviously that’s not true but I am impressed nonetheless.
I bow before your yogurt-making skills!
I don’t fit the gay stereotypes very well. Although Diana Ross just popped on the soundtrack at the airport I’m stuck in, and it *did* give me a little thrill. I think I’d have made a better lesbian, some days.
sabrina – do you use a hot water bottle, or an electric heating pad? I don’t really own a heating pad, but I’d love to hear other options for making yogurt, especially since I’m already discovering that making one quart at a time just isn’t viable for the amount of yogurt we go through in a week!
LesbianLady – cooking is definitely relaxation, and I like to cook with my partner as well. And “simple but full” describes it well, I think! When you don’t have oodles of money, then paring down your needs and simplifying your leisure activities is borne of necessity. But I don’t mind, I enjoy it.
chris – If I had a yard, I’d be all over frugal gardening! Do you have any experience in windowsill gardening?
nina k. – what a strange stereotype. Is it for frugal reasons?