I started collecting sugar packets on my first trip to Paris, France. It is custom in France to receive a beautifully wrapped sugar cube when you purchase a coffee of any sort. I don’t use sugar in my coffee; but I saved the cubes because of how beautiful they are.
From then on, (Spring of 1995), I have collected sugar packets.
Friends have brought me back packets of sugar from their travels and I have been fortunate enough to do a bit of traveling myself. I have packets from as far away as Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, and Australia; most of Europe is represented in my collection and many of the United States.
It is interesting to see how we all rely on sugar to sweeten our drinks, as our ancestors have over many centuries.
But, it is also interesting to see in a different way something that we all use, maybe without thinking about it, or how much.
I am amazed at the beauty of our diversity , that is at the same time a unifying ingredient.
Photo by Shannon Fagan
