I Hate Fancy Shops
The Mrs and I need a casserole dish. Nothing fancy. A simple, deep, probably earthenware casserole dish with a lid. We have one of that exact type back in London and it serves its purpose admirably.
There are three shops within shouting distance of the office which ought to be suitable to the task of procuring one, Sur La Table, Williams Sonoma, and Crate and Barrel. I went to the first two of these at lunchtime, and as I couldn’t find one in either location, I asked the staff, using exactly that description above.
“No” was the response in Williams Sonoma.
In Sur La Table it was; “With a lid? A casserole dish with a lid? No, we don’t have them with a lid. Well, we do, but…”
Ah yes, the ‘but’.
The ‘but’ is that rather than pay maybe $30 for a simple, no nonsense item you can slam in the oven with little care and less effort, you can of course always pay $199 (plus tax) for the smallest of the casserole dishes with a lid they stock from the over-priced, over-hyped, FUCKING Le Creuset range.
I hate Le Creuset. I can barely convey with the written word exactly how much I hate them. I hate how pointlessly heavy their stuff is. I hate how horrifyingly expensive it is. I hate that they’ve taken a position that they’ll turn something practical like ovenware into a design element. I hate how they seem to have brainwashed otherwise quite sensible people into believing that food made in a Le Creuset dish somehow must be better (because otherwise how have they persuaded these people to pay six times as much?). And I hate how shops like Sur La Table are willing to conspire with them to keep their stuff front and centre of every display and not even sell the kind of everyday goods that, god help us, ordinary people might need to buy.
Hmmm. After talking about Radio 4 last week, I begin to see a trend developing.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Go to Walgreens. You can get an uncovered glass one for $6.99. You can get a metal one with a plastic cover for the same price.
If you want a pretty, white earthenware one in the $20 - $30 price range, take the bus over to 9th and Bryant to Bed, Bath and Beyond and look for the brand “Corelle”. Or, more conveniently, the basement of Macy’s carries similar items under the brand “Martha Stewart”.
For true fun, browse the shops on Mission St. just north of the 24th/Mission BART stop.
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:16 am
I got a Le Crueset casserole dish, and it was nowhere near that expensive! Finally something in America that is more expensive than getting it in the UK ;-)
No idea if it is particularly better than other makes or not, but it certainly went down well as a gift …
December 3rd, 2008 at 8:13 am
Michelle, thank you so much for your suggestions. Much appreciated and most helpful.
Mike - cherish it - it’s the only thing that is cheaper…
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Another good option is Bed, Bath and Beyond. You know all those coupons they send you? There are several secrets to them:
- they never expire, despite what is printed on them
- you can use more than one, in face you can use 10 if you have 10
I went on Monday. My total was $240 and after $18 off for the 20% coupon and 8 of the $10 off coupons my total was about $150 with tax.
Shelly
P.S. Tell Gramsci Nicole and I saw “Hi”!
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
In fact, not in face.
December 3rd, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Also, Target carries CorningWare, which I like a lot.
Once upon a time, I got a lovely deep square casserole from W&S. On clearance. With a gift certificate. Never would have purchased it otherwise.
December 4th, 2008 at 2:51 am
You should be signing these posts off as “Angry from Tunbridge Wells”.
December 4th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Yeah, that’s kind of my worry…