On “Crunchy” Things

With the way the world is currently trending, it’s pretty tough to find big things to be joyful about. Even when good things happen, it seems like the universe steps up to quickly remind you that actually, stuff is pretty shitty right now and don’t you forget it. That’s why the past year has been a really good opportunity for me to really work on appreciating the little joys in life. And, when it comes to the little things in life there are certain objects, certain phenomena, whose joyfulness comes with an inexplicable quality. That quality has a name, and that name is “crunchy”.

My incredible girlfriend introduced me to this term. A term that her sisters and best friend have used since they were little. Yes, crunchy is a word that we’re all familiar with, of course, but “crunchy” is used in ways that gives it so much more meaning and versatility. So, while cornflakes may be crunchy, they’re not usually “crunchy”. And while smoothing the frosting on a cake to a perfectly flat, even, coat is “crunchy” it isn’t particularly crunchy. 

“Crunchy” isn’t a texture as much as a feeling. You know that feeling you get when you’re cutting paper with scissors and they just start to glide? “Crunchy”. Have you ever seen a video of someone expertly raking a Zen garden (I can’t recommend this enough, it is insanely calming)? “Crunchy”. If you’ve never watched an Instagram story of person who has constructed a tiny kitchen (and I’m talking seriously tiny. Think pans the size of dimes, knife blades the size of a grain of rice) and uses said tiny kitchen to make a beautiful pasta dish that could fit into a thimble with meatballs no larger than a match head, then you’re missing out on something…you guessed it, “crunchy”. 

The more things that were pointed out to me as “crunchy”, the more I started to notice them on my own. “Crunchy” has a smoothness to it (ironically), a pleasant sound and texture. It’s orderly and clean. A time-lapse video of an enormous jigsaw puzzle being put together is “crunchy”. A perfectly round and smooth snowball is “crunchy”. An ocean wave braking in glassy, clean sections is “crunchy”. The sound and feeling of reaching your hand into a bag of marbles is ABSOLUTELY “crunchy”. 

The aspect that all these “crunchy” things have in common is their pleasantness, their easy joyfulness. There’s even an entire subreddit dedicated to things that could be called “crunchy”: r/oddlysatisfying. If you’re ever feeling anxious or unsettled or overwhelmed, I’d highly suggest taking a stroll around that page. It has never failed to sooth my mind.

Now, if you’ve gotten this far and you still don’t get “crunchy” or you think it’s dumb or pointless, that’s fine. Some people like spicy food and some don’t. Some people like cilantro and some people (like me) think it should be outlawed and shot into the sun. But, just remember: when you’re enjoying that first step into freshly fallen snow, it’s not just crunchy, it’s “crunchy”.