Not all old sayings are valid
Most of my friends have heard the expression, "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose," loosely translated, "The more things change, the more they remain the same." That appears to me to be true of politics, education, and religion but not necessarily of everyday objects. This morning, I had some tea biscuits with quince jelly on them. The jelly was ridiculously expensive because it was imported from Germany, but I really like quince and guava jellies because of having had them when I was a boy. My mother was on a very tight food budget, so I know that she wasn't buying those jellies at a premium price; that must mean that they were more readily available, made in the U.S.A., and fairly reasonable in price compared to apple, grape, and raspberry jellies in the 1940's and 1950's. That's just one example of a noticeable change that has occurred in my lifetime. Another would be the shopping environment, especially in large department stores, which used to employ enough staff to actually be visible and accessible. Just thought I'd mention the jelly thing this morning.