Meet my dining chairs

Well, one of them anyway. They're clones of each other, so seeing one is as good as seeing both. I met these chairs at Jamba Juice. Yes, the smoothie place. John loves Jamba Juice. Me, not so much. I appreciate it, don't get me wrong, but I grew up drinking smoothies that were better than those juice-bombs. My mother made them for me all the time. What I really wanted was a milkshake, but she was always making us eat healthy substitutes. When we wanted soda, she would propose a compromise: A tiny bit of her Diet Coke mixed with a whole lot of milk. Kix instead of fruit loops. Applesauce instead of oil in cakes. Whole wheat flour instead of bleached white in cookies. Grilled chicken sandwiches instead of spicy crispy ones. I hated her for it. Now, I find myself using the same tricks, VOLUNTARILY. My cupboards are full of low-sugar, high-fiber stuff that I scarf down with relish. I make eggless, unsweetened banana bread souped-up with oat bran and crave it like it's brownies. She turned me into a health nut! But hey, I don't have diabetes or heart disease. So thanks, mom. Back to the chairs.

I spent weeks searching for them online. I looked through pages and pages of google image results using key words like "bent wood chair" or "molded wood chair." And all I got were hits of Eames designs and cane back cafe seating. And then the moment of clarity came. I realized that Jamba Juice's chairs stacked. Eureka! With "stacking" and "stackable" added to my searches I eventually hit paydirt. These are manufactured by a Canadian company called Holsag, who calls them the "Carlo Stacking" chair. And they're affordable to boot, less than a hundred dollars a pop. They come fully assembled, and are available in a couple different stains. They're sturdy and smooth, and I love them. Despite the fact that my friend Hector says they look like school chairs. Despite the fact that they will always remind me of Jamba Juice.

always, carolyn