-Isms: Views on life in rural America

As I’m writing this week’s column, it’s the day prior to my birthday. I’ve got German chocolate cake, oozing with homemade coconut pecan frosting, on my mind. It’s my favorite birthday treat.

That’s why I had to laugh when an article, published by “The Conversation,” mentioned one of the latest life hacks is “treat culture.”

It’s not an entirely new idea. Consumers have been soothing their souls and rewarding small victories by purchasing treats for time immemorial.

In the past, a new piece of clothing or pair of shoes filled my treat habit, giving me a boost of self-satisfaction. Now, closests are bursting with things I forget I own. The purchase is a temporary feel-good fix, or so it seems.

University of Connecticut philosophy professor Tracy Llanera said, in an “In The Know” interview, that treat culture may have surfaced from living in a constant flux of uknown during the pandemic.

“Something about treat culture is that you’re always regularly going to get the treat ... There’s a guarantee that this small little ritual that you have every week will at least satiate something in you.”

According to “The Conversation” article’s author, Kokho Jason Sit, a senior lecturer in marketing and associate head at the University of Portsmouth, “Research shows that experiential purchases, like meals out or concert tickets, deliver greater satisfaction and happiness to consumers than products.”

In other words, it’s not the product that matters, it’s the experience and the emotions evoked.

I get it. German chocolate cake reminds me of childhood and my Larson grandparents, birthday parties and comfort food. It’s a sliver of heaven I want to hold on to.

That’s why lazy Sunday afternoon road trips to destinations unknown evoke a feeling of calm. It’s the spur-of-the-moment idea that makes me happy.

I do see how treat culture may be perceived as overindulgence. Seriously, can anyone afford the $7 iced mochaccino and $5 gourmet chocolate chip muffin on the daily? That calculates to $4,380 yearly. Even if you cut the carbs and don’t purchase a muffin, it’s a smidge more than $2,550 annually.

Can you or I afford it a few times a month, you know, as a treat? That’s doable. Plus, treats spark the feel-good center in our brains, reminding us, “Hey, you’re satisfied.”

Tomorrow, I’ll be satisfied with a slice of cake.