Soft and clean and excitingly new

Recently, I had a conversation with my osteopath about fabric softener. OK, let's get a few things clear: yes, I have my own osteopath. His name is Aaron, and he is fabulous; he fixes my back, my neck, my knees, my wrists, my feet, my hips (apparently I'm his only patient who needs a full body adjustment EVERY SESSION). And no, I am not 70. But when I AM 70, my back will be feeling pretty good, thanks.

I don't exactly know how the fabric softener thing came up, but for some weird reason, washing detergent does seem to be something people randomly discuss. I know that one of my friends uses special detergent for her black clothes, and I know that another is allergic to most brands, except the one he now uses. Some of this I know from random conversation, some because which brand detergent you use is frequently a question on those 'get to know you' quiz emails. (By the way, I use an environmentally friendly liquid detergent, and the cheapest brand fabric softener available that is apple scented).

So yeah, we had a chat about fabric softener, and how good it makes towels feel. But more importantly, we got very excited by fabric softener because it was an adult discovery for both of us. Our parents hadn't used fabric softener when we were kids, and there was this pure thrill when we made the choice to create our own washing ritual.

There are a number of things I have discovered as an adult. Tea. Wine (and I'm getting snobbier about this by the day). That deli meat can be so much better than what they sell at Coles. Anchovies (but only the expensive ones). Pickles. INTERESTING Vegetarian food. Tofu. Chilli. Real pizza. Good Asian food (especially moving past White Person dishes, like Lemon Chicken). Even as a kid I was fussy about chocolate, but now I have very expensive taste (quality over quantity). Mustard. Hydroponic tomatoes. Expensive ice-cream (and NEVER Neapolitan).

It's funny that most things on this list are food; I am a LITTLE food focused. As I've gotten older, I've realized that we really didn't have much money when I was young. It's funny, you don't notice when you're little. But I know my parents worked really hard to look after us, and keep us happy, safe and fed. But it meant there wasn't any money for luxuries. Now I'm lucky enough to make my own choices, and spend a little more on some things, and developing my tastes in new directions not available to me as a child.

Cheese is a perfect example of this. When I was young, we bought processed, pre-sliced cheddar. I always thought the individually wrapped cheddar slices were the absolute height of luxury. Occasionally I would try a bit of brie or Camembert at an adult party, and I thought Coon was pretty good too. Now I only buy individually wrapped slices if I am looking for a childhood flashback (it normally needs to be served on saladas, with honey or vegemite). My regular cheese is a colby or a vintage cheddar (and NEVER Coon), and I regularly have a 'fancy' cheese in my fridge, but it's rarely brie. I've come to love blue cheeses (thanks to Sai for coaxing me towards Roquefort, and Lisa for living in Paris and giving me the chance to try the AMAZING range of French cheese), and I know that a soft cheese is better when it's runny. I love goat cheese, sheep cheese, even buffalo cheese. And all this from a kid who used to dream of having a Cheese Stick in her lunch box...