"This
is the most ridiculous thing I have
ever known about! Talk about a waste of
time and money!" So saith one anonymous
pundit about Matthew Bowman's Condiment
Packet Museum, a fun and fascinating
side gig of Clearfour.com, Bowman's
ongoing, real-life art project.
Collecting
condiment packets
-- those omnipresent, tiny reminders of
all the working-class eateries you've
ever frequented -- is neither an easy
nor cheap task, and museum curator
Bowman has boldly chosen to auction off
some of his more 'exotic' packets (this
week's eBay auction is for a packet of
Korean McDonalds ketchup (we kid you
not). On the Web site (www.clearfour.com/condiment),
Bowman, 31, of Yorba Linda, Calif., has
very neatly and cleanly photographed
and categorized his 700-plus food
service gems: two pages of ketchup, one
each of mustard, mayo and BBQ sauce,
not to mention the poor step-children
of the buffet line: soy sauce, honey,
salad dressing, salt and pepper; plus
more. Sugar, however, is verboten. He
has "devised a method to remove the
contents" of some of his more senior
packets, before they get "all gross and
old", and resists the temptation to
actually eat the contents.
Bowman
is brave enough to also make shelf
space for Mint Sauce, Granulated
Peanuts, Potsticker sauce and olive oil
-- adorable little vestiges of popular
food culture, both home and abroad.
Bowman welcomes contributions of
packets from the world over -- but
please, peruse his collection first so
he won't have to de-dupe and eat any
leftovers.
One
question: Why?
Matthew
Bowman: Around 1995, as a poor college
student, I began hoarding packets in my
refrigerator. At some point, I realized
how diverse the collection had become.
As an art student, I saw the potential
for something really cool. I assumed
that someone had already come up with
the idea to collect them, but not
seeing any evidence of it on the
Internet, I started a Web page.
What
does your wife think of the Museum?
Bowman: My wife has slowly come
around to loving the Museum.
You
apparently have about 705 packets. Do
you have a goal?
Bowman: I actually now have
close to 800. My goal is to find a
place for them so I can't smell them.
What
is your most favorite condiment,
whether you own it or not?
Bowman: Sweet chilli sauce.
Sweet. Hot. Garlicky.
Brilliant.
So,
what do you have against collecting
sugar packets?
Bowman: It's been done.
Does
anyone actually use lemon juice packets
in restaurants? I've never seen anyone
use one.
Bowman: No, they don't. They
are purely for decoration.
You
seem to be a video game fan. What are
your particular passions on this
subject? Have you incorporated either
of your hobbies into a paying job?
Bowman:
I am an artist, and have sold a number
of paintings based on old-school video
games, but I would still consider these
two hobbies as just that.
Describe
briefly Clearfour.com's mission.
Bowman: To bring happiness to
the few that appreciate it.
Where
is your most favorite restaurant in the
whole world?
Bowman: Rutabegorz, in
Fullerton, Calif.
