Sunday morning at the deli

We went for our usual coffee/newspaper/something sweet trip to Zingerman's this morning, and we thought we'd make this the "Stuff White People Like" edition of Maia's blog. So, according to one of our favorite satirical websites (thanks to Tia Jo!), here's the stuff that white people like from our Zingerman's trip:

• Expensive sandwiches
• Coffee
• The Sunday New York Times
  
• Outdoor performance clothes
• Public radio
• Barack Obama
• Breakfast places
• Farmer's markets
• Apple products

I was reading the Times (including a couple of articles about Obama) while wearing a Patagonia fleece. Zingerman's is right next to the Farmer's Market, where we got our arugula (shouldn't arugula have its own entry?) and spinach yesterday morning. Zingerman's has both expensive sandwiches AND expensive breakfast options. And, of course, we listened to NPR in the car and Brian carried his iPod Touch with him during our outing.

The aforementioned blog makes me feel like a walking stereotype, but hey, aren't we all, on some level? I know that this site has been controversial, but I think that its satire is right on target; it gets at the heart of a certain strain of "white privilege" in America, and exposes some of the class norms that white people like myself have the luxury of ignoring. It's a very class-based list of "stuff," in that I think it pertains to the liberal, highly-educated, urban or college-town white people that David Brooks wrote about in Bobos in Paradise a few years back. And when I say "class," I don't mean income level. There are many people who make just as much money as our family does but who don't fit into these parameters at all. There's a whole different list of "Stuff White People Like" for them, including riding lawn mowers, cooking Sam's Club food on granite countertops, big screen televisions, and SUVs.

We were also thinking that it would be funny to do a spin-off, a "Stuff White Babies Like" blog for Maia's age group. Here are some of the things that could be on that site:

• Soft-soled shoes
• Strollers you can't buy at Babies-R-Us
• Wishing your baby could grow up bilingual
  
• BPA-free sippy cups
• Outdoor performance clothes for babies (Maia has a Patagonia vest, naturally!)
  
• Baby sign language
• Extended breastfeeding
• Baby carriers that AREN'T the Baby Bjorn
• Environmentally friendly diapers
• Multicultural baby dolls
• BabyLegs
• Organic baby bath products
  
• Not feeding baby rice cereal, EVER!
  

In other news, the Oprah show was filming at Zingerman's while we were there this morning. One of the cameramen focused his lens on Maia's face (covered in the remnants of an expensive, dulce de leche brownie) while he panned the seating area. Maybe Maia will be one of Oprah's Favorite Things!!! A Mom can dream, right??? ;)