Saturday, November 19, 2011

The Name

Last night Pink Slip Jam joined forces, once again, with Christine Downs of glass art fame, for a Holiday Trunk Show, and, once again, I found myself explaining how the name of the business came to be. First of all I would like to dispel some notions:

1. No, I do not make batches of jams & chutneys wearing a "pink slip". If you have ever had molten
    sugar spatter upon your skin, it is doubtful you'd be standing at the stove in your skivvies.

2. No, I did not receive a "pink slip" from my employer. I moved to Portland & naively thought I would
    have no problem getting a good job, since I have been an RN for 15+ years & also have a teaching
    credential. Again, I emphasize the word 'naively'. I quit a job after 52 weeks of abject misery, despite
    a horrific job market ( um...what jobs??), a hiring freeze in all other local hospitals, & began my
    Portland-ization (which is to say, I now balance several jobs that don't really cut it financially).

3. No, as far as I am aware, there is no species of fruit called a "pink slip". I use fresh, local, organic
    produce, sustainably farmed, responsibly sourced, & handled with care. I use berries of all sorts
    & varieties, figs, quince, apples, pears, peaches, and gleanings from friends' gardens. I have also been
    known to beg & plead with my CA friends to send their luscious crops of Meyer lemons, blood
    oranges, & grapefruit. Not local, altho' I can tell you exactly where & how they were grown.

 
Now that we've cleared that up, I'd also like to say that Pink Slip Jam is a name that, I thought, hearkened back to a time rather similar to what we face today, which would be the Great Depression. We're not calling it that, but if you pay attention to the economy, the unemployment, & the general feelings of despair, you'll see the connection. The difference as I see it is that in the 1930's most people knew how to can, preserve, mend, make do, and it was not considered 'quaint'. It was how one lived. There is a trend toward this again, altho' often packaged as DIY. I'm glad people are re-learning some basic household skills. Pink Slip Jam takes the art of canning, creates new flavor combinations which resonate with stories, & crafts products which seem to make many people very happy. I love doing what I do, and I can assure you, after this sojourn into the creation of a small business, I will not be giving myself a "pink slip" any time soon.

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