I've been confronted with a dilemma. Basically it's this: do I buy a crimping iron or a food processor? Okay I realize that I am comparing apples and oranges in contemplating this question but these are the two appliances I've been dreaming about recently.

To date, my big purchases over the last year and a half were an iron and a hairdryer.  I've thought about buying some real wine glasses but frankly what's the point if you can drink wine equally well out of a water glass? Moreover, I've been trying to live more simply--with fewer things now that I am living abroad but it's not always easy.

Then the nagging question surfaced: crimping iron or food processor?

I know, I know. This is a strange decision to be confronted with but of course there's a story behind it. <!--more-->

This weekend I was looking up a number of recipes for a "nacho competición" some of the international teachers at school are holding on May 5th--Cinco de Mayo. Most of the different recipes make quick work of the chopping and blending with a food processor.  Then I started dreaming of <a href="http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/03/hummus-two-ways/">homemade hummus</a>, soups and other dishes which would be so much easier and so much more fun with a food processor. I mean I could even <a href="http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/04/small-batch-peanut-butter/">make my own peanut butter</a> if I wanted to.

By 9am on Saturday, I had determined that I was going to buy a food processor. I mean, clearly, I need one. But it's thinking like this that made me say: whoa, Carolyn slow things down a little bit.

So instead I went downtown, had a coffee at Memento (rather than Colours and Flavours. See <a href="http://karolinkabulgaria.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/good-bye-colours-flavours/">yesterday's post</a> for more info on that) and then I bought a few new spring time tops and a skirt.  While I was pretending to finish re-reading the Heart of Darkness for school at Memento, I was actually busy checking out everyone's new spring styles.

This was the moment I realized: I need a crimping iron.  Yes, everyone it seems is rocking the crimp. But unlike the '80s this time around it's selective crimping. There's a lot of crimping around the roots to add volume at the top but in many cases it looks like the crimping is even being hidden slightly by hair that has been hairsprayed in place over the crimped sections. Yes, it's pretty serious. If you will, it's edgy-modern crimping.

I have for the record decided to forgo the other big look I saw on Saturday: shorts and nylons. I saw more of this look on Saturday than I ever needed to see and spring is just getting started. Oh dear.I thought: edit, edit edit. You girls don't need the nylons so take them off.

And this sole idea brings me full circle. To need. It made me realize that I probably don't <em>need</em> either the food processor or the crimping iron.  So I am going to make the nachos the old fashioned way with my cutting board and a knife. I figure this will give me a chance to really think through whether or not I need a food processor.  As for the crimping iron? While I do kind of want one, it seems a bit much.