Tennessee Living

About the Author - Dan Batey

Dan Batey is communications specialist for Tennessee Farm Bureau Insurance and can be reached at .

A few years ago I wrote an article on how they make skillets over at the Lodge Cast Iron Cookware foundry in South Pittsburg. One of the things they told me is that they were going to have to start “seasoning” the skillets before they left the factory, because people either would not or could not do the job themselves, which caused sales to suffer.

In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, seasoning a cast-iron skillet involves oiling it up, bringing it to a high temperature, then letting it cool slowly. Then your cornbread will pop right out.

Lodge was compelled to offer pre-seasoned skillets to keep pace in a world of Teflon. Try finding anything but nonstick cookware any place other than a serious cooking store.

Some people will try to tell you nonstick cookware is intended to lessen the need for grease, butter and oil, but, in my observation, those pots are a sure sign of someone who lacks appreciation for proper stovetop skills.

Nonstick pots and pans are just one example of inventions that are intended to make life easier but actually just dumb us down.

Spell-checks on computers are handy, but they aren’t much help if you don’t know the difference between “allude” and “elude.”

And if a man doesn’t have enough sense to know when to turn his headlights on without an automatic sensor, does he really need to be out driving around after dark?

Speaking of cars, a friend of mine bought his son a fancy new SUV with a buzzer to let him know when he was about to back into something. All the device did was train the boy not to look where he was going, and sure enough, his daddy had to pay the deductible when the alarm quit working.

Another automotive convenience that renders lots of folks brainless is the cruise control. How many times have you seen two cars traveling door-handle-to-door-handle for miles because both of them have their cruise set at the same speed and are blissfully unaware of each other?

Recently there was an article in The Atlantic magazine in which a British writer argued that America’s jumble of traffic signs, intended to make us safer, actually has the opposite effect. He says Americans are trained to look for speed limit signs (and scope the bushes for the police) instead of looking at the road and making sound judgments based on actual driving conditions.

The gizmo makers and sign posters may want to rob us of our good common sense, but we can take a stand. Everyone should know how not to weld an egg to a skillet. (By the way, Charlie says it only takes a drop or two of oil, and don’t put the egg in until the skillet is hot enough.)

Out on the road, don’t rely too much on artificial intelligence. Look over your shoulder when you’re backing up. Understand why bridges freeze before the roadway. Know when to cut off the cruise control. And in a howling rainstorm, the sign may say “Speed Limit 70,” but that doesn’t make it a good idea.

You’ll be happier and live longer, and your insurance company will thank you, too. 

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Magazine:
Tennessee Home & Farm, Summer 2010 Edition Edition

Headline:
Seasoning Ourselves

Summary:
Take a stand against losing your common sense.

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