Seersucker, Milk & Sugar, Summer Rain

You knew, of course, that the word "seersucker" comes to us from the Asian Hindi, and is based on the Persian expression "shir or shekar," meaning milk and sugar. Well, at least you know it now.

The milk and sugar are thought to refer to the seersucker's smooth and  "crinkled" stripes. It is the crinkle or bump that holds the fabric away from the skin, allowing air to circulate and keep us cool. The crinkle also means that ironing is not needed: always a good thing as far as we're concerned.

Will a seersucker suit keep you cool in the "new hot," daily summer temps of 93-95'F with high humidity in many areas? Honestly, no. New York City just had its hottest June since 1872, and July may also break records. All of the 10-hottest years since records have been kept have occurred since 1998. 


All the crinkle in the world can't make up for that kind of heat, and we find little solace (sorry) in our Republican friends' idea that this warming is a natural temporary event, kind of like a Trillion USD in bad mortgages.

But, we can change the accepted season for Seersucker, which used to be strictly enforced as Memorial Day to Labor Day. We say that you should feel free to wear it beginning in mid-spring, then well into warm October.

With a long season of milk and sugar, anything is possible, isn't it?

                                  ___________________________________________

Speaking of milk and sugar, we finally had some summer rain this week. Our summer intern, Lung Ta, writes....

Summer rain,

like young love:      

brief, wet,

heavenly 
                                                      
                 fall.                              

                            

                                 __________________________________________

      
  RareBurghers is a global way of life, as shown by these words from the Importance of Living by Lin Yutang....                  

"....He sees with one eye closed and with one eye opened the futility of much that goes on around him and of his own endeavors, but barely retains enough sense of reality to determine to go through with it. He is seldom disillusioned because he has no illusions, and seldom disappointed because he never had extravagant hopes. In this way his spirit is emancipated."


Sounds a bit like Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade (not to be confused with Jack), which is okay with us. Lin, we salute you as an early and true RareBurgher.

                                             ________________________________________

We end with our collage of the week....also from Asia....

                         radius                                                             2010



Ed Note: "Summer Rain" and "Radius," both copyright/2010/rareburghers. All rights reserved.