A Crowning Touch
February 21, 2014
For years I have worn caps whenever I bake, cook, or teach. I feel cleaner when my head is covered. By now I have a pile of these caps many of which I have picked up in markets in cities like Jerusalem and Bangkok.
I began that practice a decade ago.
My son Philippe was sent by the State Department to the U.S. embassy in Sri Lanka and I went to visit him. Among the sights he wanted me to see was a remarkable store called Barefoot, filled with colorful crafts.
I bought two hats and my collection began.
It occurred to me late last year that we might buy these caps for Bread Furst and so when Philippe paid a brief visit to Columbo in the middle of last year, he asked at the store. But he was told that the caps had been discontinued a number of years before.
In December I wrote an email to the store asking if they might be made again. I immodestly sent a photo of myself.
I received almost immediately a warm response from Srianthi Constantine, Barefoot’s export manager, : “We were delighted to receive your photograph, and in short cannot possibly say ‘no’ to you.”
So the caps are now being made for us and will be shipped next month in time for our opening. We ordered enough so that if you admire them too we’ll be able to sell you one.
Did you ever see Tony Kushner’s play “Homebody Kabul”? The first act tells the story of a woman who found caps like these in an Afghan store in Los Angeles…
*From:* Bread Furst [mailto:comment-reply@wordpress.com] *Sent:* Friday, February 21, 2014 6:24 PM *To:* marion.nestle@nyu.edu *Subject:* [New post] A Crowning Touch
Mark Furstenberg posted: ” For years I have worn caps whenever I bake, cook, or teach. I feel cleaner when my head is covered. By now I have a pile of these caps many of which I have picked up in markets in cities like Jerusalem and Bangkok. I began that practice a decade ag”
Thank you, Marion. I have not seen it I am sorry to say.
As a follow up, I love the fact you sent a picture with your request and they decided to start making them again.
One would think that seeing my photo would have convinced them that they had been right to discontinue making the caps.