Many of you have heard of an increasingly popular idea known as the "Lindy Effect."
It originates from a deli in NYC called Lindy's, popular with Broadway theater people, some of whom noticed that Broadway shows that lasted, say, 100 days, could be counted to last a hundred more. If the shows lasted 200 days, they'd likely stick around for 200 more. This useful rule of thumb was dubbed the Lindy Effect.
The basic idea is this: if something has been around for a long time and still in its original form, it not only has proven utility, it is likely to be around for a lot longer. And because It's considered very safe to use or indulge in things that have been around a long time, calling something Lindy is high praise indeed. Calling something "not Lindy" implies that the thing hasn't been around long enough to accurately judge its safety. Red Bull or Monster Energy, anyone?
In Lindyspeak, the only effective judge of anything, really, is time: ideas, scientific theories, books, music, and even food traditions (not the perishable things themselves, but the ideas behind them).
Coffee, by this standard, is pretty Lindy. It's been around for about 500 years, and we still make it pretty much the same way.
Tea, on the other hand, is deep Lindy. It's been used for at least a few thousand years, and is still made just by picking the leaves and pouring water over them.
Matcha gained popularity in Japan during the Heian Period, in the early 12th century. Today, lots of commentators have called the recent rise in popularity of matcha a fad. If so, it's a thousand year fad. And it's as deep Lindy as it gets!
You could do worse than adopting a Lindy mindset around food. You'll want to stick to the lowest-on-the-foodchain areas of the grocery store: the vegetables and fruits and possibly meats. You can basically skip the rest of the store.
Anyone have anything Lindy that plays a key role in your life?
