Why paying attention to labels in supermarkets teaches cultural history
There is a small ritual I return to whenever I want to understand a place: I go to the supermarket. Not for the convenience of shopping, but because the items on the shelves — their packaging, the fonts, the claims and the price stickers — are a curious kind of public record. Reading supermarket labels has become a hobby of sorts, a way of learning the cultural history that finds its way into everyday life. It’s surprising how much a...