Over the years Harry Chickpea has freely shared frugal recipes, advice and his own unique brand of humor with virtual strangers. Harry recently took time from his schedule to answer a few questions:
How old is Harry Chickpea?
H.C. Old enough to know better. Young enough to still care.
How did he come into existence?
H.C. As in the MCFL faq, one poster refused to try an ersatz coffee made from chickpeas. From the strength of his reaction, one might think he was about to be forced into partaking in a coffee enema. Such stridency begs a response.
More to the point, a chickpea is a Sufi allusion to the difficult student. The poet Rumi once wrote a story about a chickpea in chickpea soup that (loosely translated) kept popping to the surface and asking "am I done yet?"
Harry's been a frequent participant on MCFL. Now I see him on the Frugal Forum on Delphi. Did you start the Delphi forum? Why?
H.C. Yeah. Usenet is susceptible to trolls and people who know how to cancel other people's posts, effectively muting them. Because of my outspoken views, I was cancelbotted in this fashion. The forum was a way of both tormenting my tormentor and ensuring that if things got too bad, people could post there without worrying about trolls or canceled posts.
You don't get paid to promote frugality in others, and yet you still give freely of your time and energy. How come?
H.C. I must preface my answer that there are many many people that do this, and with varied reasons. I don't claim to be a guru. I might stand out because of my ability to think outside the normal rules, or because of my odd viewpoints and humor, or my willingness to research prior to posting. I try not to post on subjects where my knowledge isn't strong.
Often the point of one of my posts is not just the frugal tip, but the message(s) hidden underneath for those who understand them. A second point of some posts is to point out dangers or pitfalls that people might not be aware of. Usenet posters can sometimes recommend some dumb and dangerous things.
I'll have to admit to pleasure when someone posts that one of my responses made them spit coffee on their monitor. I enjoy the idea that some people like to read my posts. I don't like the idea of a following or fan club,
Go To Page: 1 2
