A twined treasure

Have you ever noticed that babies and toddlers sometimes spend more time playing with the packaging in which their presents came in than the actual presents themselves? I’m like that with the plain white boxes some bakeries use to box up their stuff. I’ve bought cookies and cannolis at my local bakery just to watch them tidy things up with a crisp tissue paper, punctuated by the extremely satisfying final touch of the baker’s twine.

There’s no pomp and circumstance about it, and seeing someone else carrying one of those boxes around the city puts a knowing smile on my face. A part of it is about witnessing the care that goes into packaging the pastries, and another is the anticipation: knowing that there’s something inside of this unassuming box, best to be eaten within hours, the mixture of butter and sugar that will melt in your mouth, thinking about it, and waiting to open the box is the pleasure.