I have noticed a trend in my generation, no one has hutches. You know, those old things that keep china you get when you are married – and who even has china anymore? Well, I do. I got it for my wedding 7 years ago and I can honestly say, I have never eaten off it once, not one time. I don’t even know exactly where it is, somewhere at my parents house in Big Bear. So is this just a random observation? I don’t think it is, I think it is saying something about our generation and how we are different from our parents. When our parents got married they settled down, bought houses (who can afford that anymore?) and used things like china, they had “colors.” I was asked so many times what my “colors” were going to be when I got married and to this day I still don’t know, I would call my “colors” and eclectic variety of random dishes and keepsakes that I was able to afford buying and haven’t broken in our 17 moves. I think there is more of a trend in mobility and being transient, a little college here, a little college there, a few years here, a few years there and when you live that way you never really set up house, you just acquire and get rid of furniture as disposable items from IKEA. I know very few people in my generation that have furniture that actually cost something of value and they try to keep nice. I hope to one day eat on my china, but given the chance I to go back I would have not registered for the china but for a trip somewhere exotic and I think most others my age would say the same if asked that question- a shift in priorities (good, bad or indifferent) formed by us and on us by forces in the economy, housing market and the ever increasing ability to be mobile for cheap. So to all my fellow same agers- keep traveling and enjoying being the hutchless generation.
