Tuesday, November 14, 2006

An Ode to Strike Anywhere Matches



I was exiting a very old hardware store in Davis Square this morning (I lost my office key (for a second time!) and needed to have a new one made sans Hahvaad's awareness) and noticed these small cross-hatched plates screwed into the wall, about five feet off the ground. Some history-minded clerk explained that they had been there since the 40s and were there for one to light a match on. That is, as you exited the store, you'd strike your match on the cross-hatched plate, light your cigarette, and step out into the New England sun. This was undoubtedly a much needed reminder that the 1940s was truly the coolest decade of them all.


You can light strike-anywhere matches, well . . . anywhere of course. Even off the bottom of your shoe, if you're wearing wingtips, which you should be, if you're cool and it's the 1940s. Strike-anywhere matches are superior to all other flame-providing technologies, for their versatility (strike anywhere!) to their inspiring pffffttt! noise, to that satisfying little smoking wooden stick left clenched between your fingertips. Try to compete with that, Zippo! Zippo lighters are the choice of James Dean wannabes and motorcycle gangs. Strike-anywhere matches are the quintessence of elegance and functionality.

Even if you don't smoke, you should keep a large box of strike-anywhere matches in the house for (a) lighting the corn-burning stove, or (b) lighting candles, or (c) masking that dook-dook smell in the bathroom, or (d) your kids to play with. Because they can do anything. They can strike anywhere.

They may be matches, but to me they are...wait for it...matchless.

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