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As a child, your brain tries to find common links between actions, events, and items, especially those you cannot have. There were the "good" dishes that you only brought out when guests were over. Or maybe some really nice clothes you only wore on specific holidays.
And sometimes, you thought something was fancy that was super basic.
A writer for The Late Show, Ariel Dumas, asked Twitter about that very instance.
Ok what was the thing you thought was VERY fancy as a kid that turned out not to be? I thought Jägermeister was fo… https://t.co/PfWXatiUVq— Ariel Dumas (@Ariel Dumas) 1547134706.0
Everything is more special, when sipped out of a special glass.
It's something you maybe forgot about until this very article, but there's bound to be something you thought as a kid was more special than it turned out to be.
And through the eyes of a child, it's pretty easy to see how these things might feel "fancy."
Post office boxes. The town where my grandparents lived was quite small and had the original brass-fronted PO boxes… https://t.co/HODUxc3WUJ— Meguey - BbirdOf%^*!Happiness (@Meguey - BbirdOf%^*!Happiness) 1547502797.0
The theater. I grew up poor, My dad's parents, a pair of education administrators who had worked hard, came from a… https://t.co/PSx2eulAkB— joeypaulanaya (@joeypaulanaya) 1547233662.0
What if you could only eat a few mini marshmallows at a time? Would that be enough to make them seem elusive and extra special?
Mini marshmallows. We were allowed 2 or 3 in a hot chocolate and only at our grandparents' house. The first time… https://t.co/YjWFhgXxXF— Eileen 🦕 (@Eileen 🦕) 1547519687.0
Bring out the "special" olive oil or the specialty gourmet meat and cheese gift boxes.
People who kept bottles of olive oil with fruits, herbs & veggies crammed in the bottle. Gift boxes w meats, chees… https://t.co/9ee6sI5Eay— Pvt. Widget & Pvt. Gizmo🇺🇸 (@Pvt. Widget & Pvt. Gizmo🇺🇸) 1547219905.0
Chocolate you got to eat only rarely as a kid can maintain its special allure, even when as a grown-up you can buy all the Toblerone you want.
After reading this amazing thread for a while, it hit me: Toblerone. Dad used to bring it from his work trips abroa… https://t.co/o002jqrx4W— Ele Kuru (@Ele Kuru) 1547475254.0
The tweet has received thousands of responses from comments and quote retweets. Everyone seems to have something they thought was only for special occasions or the rich and famous. Most of it is food, but not everything. There's mention of bidets, piñatas, and holiday editions of Barbie.
Popular Twitter personalities have weighed in with their own "fancy" childhoods.
Guess those Pantene Pro-V commercials did their job!
@ArielDumas Any name brand shampoo or conditioner but especially Pantene proV. My dad refused to buy brand name toi… https://t.co/yhOBGxuafG— Siobhan Thompson (@Siobhan Thompson) 1547260234.0
@ArielDumas I dreamt one day I'd have a freezer full of this stuff https://t.co/cWuKF4OSDo— Ashley C. Ford (@Ashley C. Ford) 1547137364.0
@ArielDumas chinese food. any chinese food.— amy brown (@amy brown) 1547239022.0
Who can stop drooling over the memory of those one-use treats?
@ArielDumas These. Because my grandma would only buy them to make that one whipped cream cake on the box (which is… https://t.co/efgE983CWO— Andy Richter (@Andy Richter) 1547170511.0
@ArielDumas The Gap— Mara “Get Rid of the Nazis” Wilson (@Mara “Get Rid of the Nazis” Wilson) 1547247089.0
The question is a reminder of how our perception of the world around us changes over time. Humans are creatures of pattern recognition. When we only see something once a year, or are denied it entirely, we think there must be a special reason.
Sometimes it's for our own good, like in the case of Lunchables, with their high salt content. Others are due to our lack of interaction with the item or place, like alcohols and specific fast food places.
However, there were a number of recurring responses that make one wonder how so many people had the same experience.
In high school, my art class went on an overnight trip to the Big City. I excitedly called my mom and said, "Ohmygo… https://t.co/77h8NaXZFO— Darcie Little Badger (@Darcie Little Badger) 1547282630.0
Shhh... don't tell anyone, but you can get Andes mints any time you want now.
@ArielDumas https://t.co/YGWM3jKQHX— David Slavick (@David Slavick) 1547137646.0
Well, can't blame them for this one. At least, Crown Royal whiskeylooks fancy.
Crown Royal. Still have a deck of cards from childhood in a CR bag. Fun memory: was home sick from school, and de… https://t.co/MdCDKuStbd— ninhilista (@ninhilista) 1547343442.0
Do you remember those Grey Poupon commercials where the guy in the fancy limo conveniently happened to have a car of the dijon treat?
Grey Poupon. I am still too intimidated to try it, so the legend lives! https://t.co/rby764SUw1— Sarah Kendzior (@Sarah Kendzior) 1547173120.0
In the end, a trip down memory lane for the once and future "fancy" is a good way to think of what's in your life today.