My grandmother kept everything. Old photographs, seldom used kitchen utensils, the instruction manuals and warranty information for every appliance she ever owned – she did not get rid of anything. It feels wrong to characterize it as hoarding because it was so organized, but that’s what it was.
After she passed away, my father took it upon himself to catalog her “inventory”, unearthing in the process some neat old kitsch and historical footnotes.
The most interesting by far, however, was a wine list and menu my grandmother took (because of course she did) from a dinner she had at The Four Seasons in 1976. I know this dinner took place in 1976 (May 20, to be exact) because she notated it on the menu.
Organized.
This list is a fascinating encapsulation of what wines were en vogue in the same year that Apple Computer Company was founded. Take a look:
Look at these – 1970 Petrus for $60/bottle, 1973 Domaine Romanee-Conti La Tache for $75 or 1967 (or 1970) Yquem for $29?!? Even accounting for inflation, there are so many prices in here that are absurd by today’s standards.
I seldom understood my grandmother’s reluctance to let things go while she was alive and jokingly told her as much on several occasions; after receiving this posthumous gift, I’m elated to know that she did not care.
Free Run 