Culinary Conundrum

I think it's safe to assume that all our loyal readers have, at one time or another, shopped for a gift from a wedding registry. And, in reviewing the selections on all those registries, have you ever seen one without a KitchenAid stand mixer? Me neither. In fact, I really think it should be added to the standard "So, you're getting married?" line of questioning:

"So, you're getting married?"

"And when is the big day?"

"And where are you having it?"

"Have you found THE dress?"

"And for what color KitchenAid will you register?"

And therein lies the source of our current culinary conundrum. The age-old question: what color will your KitchenAid be? What could possibly be more definitive of our lives together? Okay fine. Wedding vows, and then the color of our KitchenAid. But it's still right up there! These suckers last forever, so you have to LOVE the color you buy, and you have to promise yourself that you will still love it in 30 years.

So we find ourselves in a quandry. What color mixer will enter into this lifetime partnership with us? Though I am almost always the first to default for something colorful over something plain, I initially answered this question in the most practical way possible:

White. It's classic. It goes with everything. It will disappear into any kitchen decor we ever dream up. And you just can't get sick of white. White was the practical choice. I even talked SoundGuy into it long enough to zap it with the scanner at Target.

But the more I think about it, the less enthusiastic I've become about boring old white. (And, in fairness, SoundGuy has been against it all along). Why would we choose white when these things come in the most delicious colors? I'd hate to mosey out to the kitchen for my morning coffee only to be confronted with the fact that, when given the opportunity to be interesting, I chose to be boring. ACK! Thirty years with a boring mixer? Perish the thought! I'd sooner beat my cake mixes by hand. *swoon*

So we've entered into the delicate process of discerning what color suits us best. It's created some pretty interesting conversations with our married pals, and I think it's safe to say that there is a story (and an act of compromise) behind everyone's mixer. It's been a hot topic among my grad school friends lately as Nikki & Henry made the big purchase (Blue Willow) - to the point that the girls' KitchenAid colors have become their handles. Example: "Dear Blue Willow, Granite here! Just checking in to see if you have heard from Pistachio about Erik's job offer..."
You can see why it's super-important for us to get this figured out. I'm still "Nicole" in these emails. That's almost as boring as being the girl who chose the white mixer.

Loyal readers, we need your help! We've narrowed the pool to four colors, but we're stuck at an impass and can't make up our minds.

SoundGuy has weighed in as an advocate for Granite:
The more this thing starts to resemble a power-tool, the more he likes it. If we choose Granite, I'm pretty sure my husband will grunt at it every time he walks through the kitchen. It already happens when we pass a lifted 4x4 on the hiway, but that's a story for another time.

We both like the Empire Red:

It's so classic! And red is my most favorite color. Our current microwave happens to be red, and the coffee pot we have on our registry is a little bit red as well, so there's a "matchy-matchy" arguement to be made for the red.

And then there's Cobalt:
Also a classic, yes? It doesn't really go with anything we have, but it's just a nice color. And what's wrong with a nice cobalt mixer jumping out at you from amongst the decor?

And, finally, there's this quirky Ice Blue:
I'm really drawn to it's retro feel and the "I don't match a darn thing" quality that comes along with it. But will I always feel that way? Over the course of 30 years it will go from retro to "so last year" to "they make nice quilted cozies to cover those, ya know" to "remember when I used to bake" to "hip" and back to "charmingly retro" all over again. I don't know if I can endure it.

Weigh in, friends! Cast a vote for your favorite. While you're at it, tell us what color your mixer is and why. Those are usually pretty good stories ;)