Pascal Derrien

7 years ago · 2 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Is online friendship the same than having a potato pet? Can you build a long-lasting relationship with a potato? Can you add garlic to the gratin without being fried? These are all the fundamental and existential questions I am asking myself on this wet Irish morning (pleonasm).

Where is this going? Not sure but please bear with me a little longer as you may find answers to questions you have probably never asked yourself?

I don’t know you but the last few years I have developed a severe allergy towards expert articles, self-help gurus and other business posts. There are two main reasons for this, while attracted at first I concluded than most of them were reheated components of the same recipe and secondly, they are very often not substantiated or sanctioned by any form of research or metrics. So gradually I have stopped reading them and I now avoid them like the plague. Sorry if you are an expert it’s not you it’s me and like eye sink.

So tell me, can we make on line friends or friends on line? I suppose we can why not? that got me thinking about my own social media activity, I don’t do Twitter the social media fast food so cannot comment on that one but I do Facebook and I reckon I know or have me(e)t* 90% of the people I relate to. I am also using the secret groups and closed groups very effectively I must say, anything from boards and governance activities to sport events. LinkedIn was a very innovative concept to me when I got introduced to it and I me(e)t* many people thru it and I must say it led to some pleasant face to face interactions and genuine opportunities towards like eye sink.

beBee obviously is a different ballgame altogether and while it is still at an early junction I have not me(e)t* any of the people I relate to, now funnily enough there are tons of people I would have probably me(e)t* or make the effort to meet if they were closer to my island. But are they friends? I don’t know but for now can we settle this by saying I consider most of them as social media acquaintances and this is the way like eye sink.

Are potatoes writers? I don’t really know and I was about to say that I don’t really care but I suppose I should recognize that it’s important to some. Some write steamy stuff, others really but really want to get a skin in the game, fair to say not all are coming from one basket but a few are proposing some interesting mash ups. You know what? it does not really matter in the end if you are not Hemingway or Dostoyevsky. No need to fry yourself upside down about it, me personally I don’t really care and I write like eye sink.

By the way, have you ever met a moody potato? Yeah, I mean, the emotional state of the potato is rarely taken into consideration but one should consider that it is obviously paramount when it comes to build a long-lasting interaction. (Expert quote, please note capital E)

I am under no illusion that this post is potentially a huge pile of rubbish, so I would like to thank you for having gone that far because this is the way

Like I think


* Should be read Met but it is only because  says so


Sources

Potatoes

Photo Credit

Illusion is the matter graphics



Produced for beBee only


"
#Eye Sink #Twitter #LinkedIn #Hemingway #Facebook
Comments

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #60

#77
many thanks for the comment and share Lisa \ud83d\udc1d Gallagher 👌

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #59

#66
Couldn't agree more Pamela \ud83d\udc1d Williams, I saw this photo when I first purchased my camera and I tried so hard to duplicate it because it's so cool to look at. I wasn't successful. I will have to see if I can find the actual pics I did get and you can laugh at *one* if I can find it. Nice read, is it potato or patatoe?

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #58

I just opened my root vegetable drawer, only to find all the sweet potatoes "yammering" at me! Do you ever wonder if garlic cloves speak French? The other day I had to tell the green beans to cut the French. Lettuce ponder the advice of vegetables and think about once again becoming carnivores. Cheers!

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #57

#69
my long lost potato brother :-) at last, I thought you had been fried or cut when they got you out of the bag!!! Ken Boddie

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #56

#71
glad I made you smile I have been in the heavy stuff category lately :-) I reckon the red potatoes are the friendliest Graham\ud83d\udc1d Edwards easy to tame and easy to consume :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #55

#72
a network of live wire(d) potatoes :-) a good one Devesh

Devesh 🐝 Bhatt

7 years ago #54

Potatoes do sink.They are alive when buried and may have eyes everywhere. Possibly a largest network around. Enjoyed your post

Graham🐝 Edwards

7 years ago #53

Pascal Derrien you have made me laugh and laugh... I think I will have to get a "potato pet"; it sounds like a great companion! Thank you for my morning smile.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #52

Firthermore do eye sinks swirl clockwise or counterclockwise?

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #51

We share the exact same allergy, Pascal, to egotistic expertism and, like you, I am neither a twit nor a twitterer. That having been said I am strangely uplifted by your questions for which I have no answers and even more so by your answers for which I have, as yet, no questions. Could it be that we were brother actors in a former stage play on life, or are we merely both battle scarred by exactly dissimilar life episodes?

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #50

#67
thanks Donna-Luisa Eversley potatoes have to be washed and like to dip their heads in the sink :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #49

#64
that's normally when comments take over and make more sense to whatever I have in my head :-) Thank You Spot On Pamela \ud83d\udc1d Williams

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #48

#62
Thanks Don Kerr with all the Canucks around I have probably travelled to Canada 25 years too early :-)

don kerr

7 years ago #47

Pascal Derrien neither rubbish nor garbage my friend. As always a good twist on a conundrum posed by the potential depth of a virtual friendship and the often shallow nature on online friendship. I am fortunate to have found more of the former on this platform.

don kerr

7 years ago #46

#44
you are always welcome to share a fine pint of real beer in Canada Dean Owen

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #45

#59
thanks Pamela \ud83d\udc1d Williams well noted and don't forget the patatas :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #44

many thanks for the commen Irene Hackett to the sticky spuds then :-)

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #43

#55
I was wondering why bee's could not tag me anymore - thanks for noting that, I agree the friend-chip tag comes first :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #42

#54
indeed garbage v.s rubbish in ireland we say that garbage is a rubbish expression I even heard some parents saying to their kids that they should stop speaking ''american'' (blame Disney channel :-)) , thanks you so much for sharing that 'friend chip'' story @CityVP Manjit (btw cannot tag you because of the bee at the end of your name, move her to the middle for more firiendchip tags)

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #41

#53
It seems the potato has not only been sliced and diced here, but it has also been fried and the net result is a phrase that I actually kind of really dig "FRIEND CHIPS". That is worth the admission price alone, never mind who the capital E "Experts" are and who sets the bar on what is good on social media. I wrote the word "Rubbish" once on stuff I had thrown away, but the cleaners in the office never picked it up. I was admonished that the cleaners don't know the word "Rubbish", that I had to write the word "Garbage" and that will signal them to take it away. Culture Clash http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/05/culture-clash-trash-vs-rubbish The real question here wasn't what is rubbish and what isn't rubbish, but who is "THEM". Before I had a chance to talk to the person who did the work, some uppity office walla had already made an issue of it, and I have no time for those office walla's. At one time, "Them" was a lady called Fatima. Self-deprecation is fine, modesty is fine, if it is who we really are, and writing in the spirit of jest is not rubbish at all, and if Fatima did not know what "Rubbish" was, that is fine also - she worked over 25 years picking up people's rubbish - so I had more affinity with Fatima than I ever did with anyone who tells me how rubbish should be described to "cleaners". The only requisite that fries friendship is the oil of being human and that is why I really dig seeing the words "FRIEND CHIPS" - I am more like Fatima, for that particular phrase is new to me, and yes Fatima was a cleaner but an even better human being, the best kind of "Friend Chip".

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #40

#50
that is summing it all up nicely :-) Praveen Raj Gullepalli to all the ''friend chips''

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #39

#42
indeed Cyndi wilkins those two are wicked and I sense it is only the start, it s a bit like running with complete strangers that end up knowing more about your life than close family....once you get right of the inhibition any writing is possible... :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #38

#44
Dean Owen I think you are right and as some body wrote at the beginning of all this the affinity is online :-) Let's call it the ''friend chip''

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #37

#45
thanksDeb \ud83d\udc1d Helfrich for dropping by it feels like a X mas party with everybody around for my last post of 2016 :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #36

#46
Brian McKenzie indeed we should protect endangered species, potatoes are nice :-)

Dean Owen

7 years ago #35

We share the same allergies! I like to think that real relationships are developing here on beBee and that if ever I head out to Bali, Australia, Ireland, India, Spain, America or wherever, those relationships could be made "real" over a Bintang, Fosters, Guinness, Estrella or Bud, and of course a plate of chips.

Jim Murray

7 years ago #34

#33
My pleasure, Pascal. We're down to the short strokes now. It will be mosly l done on Monday.

Cyndi wilkins

7 years ago #33

Well if Jim Murray puts his stamp of approval on it, I would say it is worth a read;-) I have to be honest with you Pascal, I am far more open with the folks I have befriended in this social media circle than I am my closest friends and relatives...Perhaps if we ever met face to face, we would scare the hell out of each other! LOL...Love this piece...makes you really think about the dynamics of relationships...online and off...I love your writing...much like myself...it digs deeply into the emotions...not everybody likes that...makes them squirm a little...That's why I like Jesse K and Max Carter so much...They tell it like it is and hold nothing back...Courageous writing in my opinion.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #32

#36
thanks Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman indeed my light hearted take on social media :-) Nothing too serious

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #31

#37
thanks Nic the thing is I had not even planned to write this..... :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #30

#38
thanks Elizabeth Bailey ouch damn hammer I did it again :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #29

Netizens that's interesting never heard that one before :-) What do I answer to that I was thinking :-) agree with all points the personal caveat being popularity and recognition aspect which does not resonate with me, appreciation is OK otherwise I am going to end up believing in my own hype and really nobody wants that :-) :-)

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

7 years ago #28

Pascal Derrien Tell you what? This post ain't a pile of rubbish! You've unfolded your feelings and thoughts. .and labeled it with an apt theme and image. It's a manifest creativity and you've to acknowledge it. After all, social media platforms offers diverse opportunities and everyone through creative, writing endeavors are exploring ways to gain connectivity, popularity, recognition and contentment. It's a virtual world with all interaction, and the pleasant thing is that we netizens relish ourselves being in this global virtual village without borders.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #27

Oh yeah that damn met again :-) I quiet loike your approach in da cuisine Mr Jim Murray echpeichially the balance sauce pan and other tender wok expectations, thanks for dropping by I know you are in a middle in a move :-)

Jim Murray

7 years ago #26

You know Pascal, this post really was a huge pile of rubbish but you totally redeemed it by pointing that out. Just kidding. Don't want an Irish guy pissed off at me. I would say that Internet friends are more like French Fries. Some are out there on the edge and are so crispy you could chip a tooth on them.The ones in the middle a thick and meaty but need seasoning. But out of every batch you find one or two that are very much to your liking, and those are the ones you get to really know. On beBee there are maybe a dozen people I genuinely value, have met or knew before. I'm starting to understand more about where you are coming from and hopefully will add you to that list. You can't expect a whole lot from social media. I really believe that people expect too much most of the time. For them it's become an emotional crutch. I'm here because I'm a writer and as such I am also in a lot of places. It's the name of the game these days. I don't have a huge emotional attachment. It's hard to do that when 90% of it is bullshit. But the 10%...well that makes the time well wasted. Thanks for the post, It was amusing. Although your autocorrect is not your friend. (met not meet in most cases). Throw a potato at it.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #25

Thanks I did make great friends too probably more thru or indirectly via LinkedIn and within my own geographical space than this platform (for now) In the end I also think like you that we tend to forget that they (social media outlets) provide more opportunities than limitations but I suppose it is always sensible to check it's actually true every now and again :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #24

#27
the comment about back tracking our experience is very valid I have recently found a bunch of teenage friends and the reunion has been very rewarding it would not have been possible otherwise and who knows maybe some of us will end up meeting at an orange conference, many thanks for your comments about Hemingway but I am no writer so I think his legacy is safe with me :-) debasish majumder

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #23

#25
reading For Whom The Bell Tolls at the moment comrade bee Julio Angel ☺

Julio Angel 🐝Lopez Lopez

7 years ago #22

The roasted potatoes next to the firewood. Eduardo Espejo was a Republican soldier of the Spanish civil war, when he was greeted with the "health comrade" he replied "that comrade, known and thank you" But it is not bad, to know how other bees think, other hives in other countries. Regards

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #21

#17
#21 Okay, that's it, Pascal and Dr. Anani, no more vodka for me! Damnable Russian intelligence agents are lacing it with Kool-Aid these days anyway.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #20

#22
thanks for @Shubhanshu Garg appreciate the positive comment :-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #19

#20
I know Paul \ it will swallow your soul, your app and your internet connection in no time if you keep staring at it :-) oops sorry too late now .....

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #18

#11
Sarah, there is no conundrum in this. It is not in any way similar to the Liar's Paradox -- for the maxim only asserts a truth about finding meaning in EVERYTHING. Logically, since you can both see meaning in the assertion and understand it, without seeing meaning in everything or understanding nothing -- eye sink. :-) Cheers!

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #17

#11
Sarah, there isn't a conundrum in this. It is not in any way similar to the Liar's Paradox -- for the maxim only asserts a truth about finding meaning in EVERYTHING. Llogically, since you can both see meaning in the assertion and understand it, without seeing meaning in everything or understanding nothing -- eye sink. :-) Cheers!

Ali Anani

7 years ago #16

Not to be horrifying, but to warn. I read few days ago a tragic story about a family who all passed away having eaten rotten potato. It is advisable that if potatoes have dark spots to be thrown away rather than eating them and risking lives.

Harvey Lloyd

7 years ago #15

#15
Red Potato listicle hive, Potatoes are (G)rotten, the rant hive, frenchfry health hive, Boiled Potatoes hive, steamy posts, Spud Hive, cool hive. I am detecting you might be on to a whole new concept of network development.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #14

#14
thanks @Harvey Lloyd for elucidating the potato mystery in a few words, how about '' potato in a box'' a hive full of uselessl advices , the online version of the 1 Euro Shop :-)

Harvey Lloyd

7 years ago #13

Potatoes make good friends. They sit around until you need them, they have many eyes to share their visions when you do pick them up and in the end they entertain you on the side as you enjoy them with a meal. Hope i get a Mr. Potatohead for Christmas. Enjoyed the read, informative rubbish. Maybe a new group?

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #12

#9
thanks for dropping by Phil Friedman, the French side in me did not know that Descartes was a plumber in his spare time but since I read it on the internet it must true eye sink ;-)

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #11

#
many thanks Sara Jacobovici I am all for recycling and green economy :-)

Sara Jacobovici

7 years ago #10

#10
I need guidance on this one Phil Friedman. If I find meaning in your quote (and/or comment), does that mean that I don't understand it (or anything)?

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #9

#8
Sarah, I am frequently amazed to find "The Wisdom of Chung King" repeatedly relevant to social media. The following passage from the Second Scroll seems to me particularly apt, "To find meaning in everything is to understand nothing..." (Chung King, ca 650 AD) Cc: Gerald Hecht, Associate Guardian of the Scrolls of Chung King

Phil Friedman

7 years ago #8

There is a story about Descartes, which may or may not be apocryphal. Supposedly, he was giving a guest lecture at Oxford University. In an attempt to be gracious to his hosts, he decided to translate his by then world famous dictum, "Cogito ergo sum", into English. Unfortunately, Descartes suffered a lisp, and it came out, "I sink therefore I am". And being exceedingly influential at the time, incited the birth of the plumbing trade -- not to mention the Pipefitters Guild -- across the British Empire. Proving that words can fool us into believing something is actually being said -- eye sink. Cheers!

Sara Jacobovici

7 years ago #7

2 points: 1. You wrote what I wanted to say in fewer words Pascal Derrien, "I think we are building a new way of engagement which we should not be compared with the old ways of relationship building." 2. There is a saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Basically, something that one person considers worthless may be considered valuable by someone else. I value your rubbish.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #6

#4
Mark Anthony many thanks for your comments I agree with your points I think we are building a new way of engagement which we should not be compared with the old ways of relationship building :-).

Ali Anani

7 years ago #5

#5
Meshed potatoes

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #4

#3
Ali Anani you made it to the end so thank you for that and telling us how you like your potatoes

Ali Anani

7 years ago #3

The fact that I read the buzz till the end is the proof it is not pile of rubbish. That I commented it means it also captured my attention. I understand your position regarding virtual "friends" because we discussed this before. I must say that at least acceptance is there for some people. We may tell something about people from their style of writing. I dare say I have what I call friends with few people accordingly. As for your reference to beBee I feel I have developed warm relationship on this platform than others. I have no account on FB and so I can make no judgement. As for twitter I use it extensively sometimes. I did publish few presentations on the use of twitter in strategic planning and gauging sentiments. I find twitter very useful. Keep writing what you call rubbish that isn't Pascal Derrien

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #2

#1
I like that @CityVp Manjit, : -) Do not underestimate the power of a potato (by captain spud)

CityVP Manjit

7 years ago #1

Very interesting metaphor of the Ice Sink and this is a reality of online media and its daily mediated wash cycle. What I can say is that when I think of Pascal Derrien, I think of the Emerald Island. I don't see you in the same way I see Stephen, the Mad Irishman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs8QKXtCN9w but definitely a man who is the complete opposite of that. I can't answer the question in terms of friendships but I can answer it in terms of affinities. If we type the words "potato famine" it immediately links to a terrible time in Irish history http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/introduction.htm - so can a potato be a friend - maybe not but at one time it was a life-saver, the only thing that stood between survival and a million deaths.

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