The Algorithm Got Me Again
The algorithm got me! Again! This time, it isn’t convincing me to buy some unnecessary shirt, gadget, or cooking item. It’s just plain cooking.
It started about two weeks ago when I decided to make sauerkraut. I’ve made it before, but I looked up the recipe again, and apparently that’s all it took. I made a batch, and it’s been fermenting in a crock on the kitchen counter for the past two weeks.
However, that little bit of research was all the algorithm needed. My Instagram feed has since been inundated with videos of people making other easy things at home. Butter. Yogurt. Mozzarella. Lots of dairy-heavy projects that apparently require very little effort. So, naturally, they’ve got me.
This coming week I’m going to make all three. Why buy butter, yogurt, and mozzarella at the grocery store when I can spend my time making them myself? I’m not sure there’s any real economic advantage here, but that’s never stopped me before.
After that, I’ve got tamales on the agenda, along with prepping some Spam musubi. I’ll be starting work the following week, so I figure I should get a little cooking done ahead of time.
And then there’s the next phase of this developing obsession. Instagram has started serving me videos from various homesteader types. You know the people. They seem to live on a farm, make everything from scratch, preserve their own food, and probably haven’t bought anything at a grocery store since 2014.
I can see canning in my future. I’ll make one last trip to the farmers market before the season ends and start pickling everything in sight. Cucumbers, peppers, whatever looks good. I’m not entirely sure where I’ll put all these jars, but that’s a problem for another day.
It’s interesting how the algorithm works. Usually, it figures out exactly what unnecessary item I’d like to buy next. This time, it has figured out that I’d like to spend my free time making things I could easily purchase.
Maybe that’s progress. Or maybe I’ve just found a more labor-intensive way to be influenced by Instagram. Either way, if you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen. Apparently, I’m a homesteader now.
