If you say something often enough — and perhaps loudly enough — people will soon begin to buy into the idea.
Well, maybe not always. I hardly think I could win people over to “poet laureate Kim Kardashian” or “World Series champion Chicago Cubs,” no matter how many times I worked them into conversation.
Yet repetition has been a mantra of advertisers and political consultants for many decades. And for the most part it is effective. Most of us who lived through the ‘70s, for example, can still recite the ingredients of a Big Mac or belt out the Alka Seltzer jingle.
Hmm — an appropriate combination.
So when a critical mass of naysayers, of negative personalities, find their voice in a community, it’s no surprise what follows. People begin to pick things apart. They begin to gripe. They shoot down ideas for improvement without offering an alternative. They become convinced “there’s nothing to do,” even when surrounded by summer festivities. Most damaging of all, they begin to doubt the future.
It follows that excitement spreads when another, more positive set let their views be heard, over and over.
On Saturday I ventured over to Lucerne just to check out the new eatery Fresh & Bangin’. Owner — also chef — John Arslanian explained that he moved to Lake County from Los Angeles at the insistence of friends working at the hospital, who convinced the chef he would love the area.
Arslanian’s enthusiasm is genuine and infectious. He buys as much produce as he can from local farms. Once he receives a liquor license he intends to sell only Lake County wine. He raves about rival restaurants like Jimmy’s in Lakeport and The Saw Shop in Kelseyville. And Arslanian is anxious to hook up with the culinary programs at Yuba College and local high schools.
The next day I drove down to Cache Creek Winery near Clearlake Oaks and heard more of the same good news from one of the tasting room staff (forgot his name; wine may have been involved). The wines of Lake County, he informed me and everyone else in the room, are worthy of destination travel — especially if impressive restaurants continue to open.
When I peek into places like Seely’s, the farm stand in Upper Lake, Susan Feiler’s Lake County Wine Studio and the weekly markets, I see more of this spirit: jams produced from local fruits, oil from local olives, nice cheese, pickles and so on. County businesses promoting goods produced by locals, county restaurateurs relying on local flavors — this is indeed exciting stuff.
Of course, optimism that is blind to the problems of small towns and rural areas is rather pointless. But most raising a positive chorus understand the challenges. Arslanian spoke about his troubles finding reliable staff. The other guy — I should write things down — acknowledged ugly pockets and the damning statistics that cause outsiders to be wary.
None of this, however, muzzled their love of the area. They look for solutions. They reach out to others. They marvel at all the advantages and activities. They smile considering the future, despite all the issues to overcome. And that made for an uplifting weekend.
Well, until I realized just how much ironing waited back at home. Maybe if I say it enough, I can convince myself it’s all done and put away.
Yeah, that might work.
