An interesting post on Gimundo about “Why a Vacation will make you happier than a new car” has got me thinking. It states that spending your money on experiences (like travel and meals out) will make you happier than spending it on possessions (cars, gadgets, etc.).

We sometimes buy objects like computers and phones that we think we keep us better connected with other people. But they are expensive, they break, get lost and otherwise can cause us more hassle than we want. We want memories, fun, and meaning but that can get lost in the pursuit of the right “thing” to bring ease, comfort, and let’s face it – coolness.

Food memories can be especially vivid – from the smell of the green beans served in your grade school cafeteria to the first (and maybe only) time you tried brains. Sometimes our kids can’t remember what we bought them last year for their birthday, but they recount with detail the time we brought barbecue home and ate it picnic style on their bedroom floor. Or the rough decision of choosing between pina coladas or strawberry daiquiris on vacation. Robert and I had an amazing meal on a rooftop restaurant with friends in Zanzibar in which I can’t even remember what we ate. And yet I wouldn’t trade that experience, and the ability to relish in the memory of it, for anything – even a cute, convertible Mini Cooper.

Maybe it’s another case of “Food is People”.