Old things versus new things
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
May 25, 2019 2:59pm CST
My parents kept many old things instead of replacing them with newer or modern things. When one of my classmates visited me she saw our rotary phone in the hall. She looked and it and said: "What is that?" Me: "It is our phone" My classmate: "No, I don't believe you. Phones don't look that way" 
When it happened there were no cell phones yet, but most people didn't use rotary phones anymore. They used push-button phones instead. My parents kept their old rotary phones. They didn't think that it was necessary to replace them since they still worked.
Another time my cousin's wife wanted to boil some water and she asked my mother if she could use her electric kettle. My mother: "I don't have an electric kettle. You can use my whistle kettle instead" My cousin's wife thought she was joking. My mother showed her the whistle kettle and she finally understood that it wasn't joke. She had only seen a whistle kettle on photos
When it happened there were no cell phones yet, but most people didn't use rotary phones anymore. They used push-button phones instead. My parents kept their old rotary phones. They didn't think that it was necessary to replace them since they still worked.
Another time my cousin's wife wanted to boil some water and she asked my mother if she could use her electric kettle. My mother: "I don't have an electric kettle. You can use my whistle kettle instead" My cousin's wife thought she was joking. My mother showed her the whistle kettle and she finally understood that it wasn't joke. She had only seen a whistle kettle on photos 11 people like this
10 responses
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 19
Many old things can still be used. Sometimes they are even better than the things we can buy today. I have many old things in my home, I have new things as well. I combine old and new things.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
26 May 19
Yes, they were fun to use. I haven't seen one in person for years, but I still see them in old movies sometimes. The ones my parents had were grey, and my great-grandfather had a black rotary phone. His phone was older than the one my parents had.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 May 19
@Torunn I also think that most of them were grey. When I was a child almost everyone had grey phones. The only black phone I saw was my great-grandfather's phone.
1 person likes this
@Torunn (8607)
• Norway
26 May 19
@Porcospino We had a grey one when I was a child. I think maybe all were grey for a while, at least I can't remember any other colours.
But then I've never been very good at noticing things like that (colours and design)
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
26 May 19
As a gift, we gave my parents a nice set of dishes. It went in the cupboard and they never used it.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
26 May 19
@Porcospino The best gift that my parents really appreciated was when I visited and enjoyed eating their food. 
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 May 19
@1hopefulman That is the best gift of all, much better than material things. My mother feels the same way.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
26 May 19
My great-grandfather used to do the same when my grandmother gave him something. He put it away and never actually used it. Some things are meant to be used and it is sad when they just end up in the cupboard.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 19
My cell phone is 6 years old, but it still works perfectly, and I don't want a new one as long as it works. When my ex and I moved in together I got an electric kettle and microwave oven for the first time. When I lived alone I didn't have those things. Today I use them.
You mentioned your stereo. I still have some of my casette tapes. One of my friends used to joke about it and he told me to donate them to historical museum. I am keeping them. I sold the vinyls, but I wish I hadn't.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 May 19
@TheHorse I had a lot of vinyls in the past, mostly rock and some classical music. I still remember the first one I bought. It was Depeche Mode (in the 80s)
@TheHorse (220068)
• Walnut Creek, California
26 May 19
@Porcospino I still have my vinyl, as well as an AR ES-1 turntable (Shure cartridge). I'm actually listening to some Bach organ music right now on an older DG recording.
1 person likes this
@MistyckMoon (935)
• United States
25 May 19
It's so funny how technology has increased so much and so fast that today's youth have no idea that so many things they seem old fashion isn't really that old. Heck... I remember how I felt like I was up with the times when I got my first pager... we called them beepers. I really thought I was moving up with the times when I got a pager that you can actually send a text message to. ROTFL! That was before cell phones became a thing.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 19
I have never had a pager, but I remember the first cell phones. The first one I had couldn't write text messages. I was only able to call and receive calls. My second cell phone was able to write text messages, but it was an incredibly slow process. It took me ages to write a sentence, but at that time I thought that it was fantastic
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
26 May 19
My parents always said that there is no reason to replace things as long as they still work. My classmate was suprised to see our rotary phone, because they weren't common at that time.
@kareemadivina (1230)
• Philippines
25 May 19
Older people seems to have that habit of collecting and hoarding things.We are still using a whistle kettle at home; and they are still using an an old TV set with a bumpy back until I replaced it with a bigger flat-screen TV which they appreciated for now.
We just need to introduce newer things at a time to them.They will appreciate it when they are used to it.They are still keeping our old TVs though.Perhaps they value the things more than us because they earned it in a harder ways.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 19
The things you wrote about the old tv reminds of my grandmother. She had a black and white tv, and my uncle often asked her if she wanted a color tv instead. She said no. One day her black and white tv broke down and she had to get a new tv. This time she got a color tv, and when she had had it for a few days she loved and it and she never wanted to go back to black and white.
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
25 May 19
It is amazing how some people do not know of the vintage items.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 19
Yes, sometimes they don't know what it is or how it works. Some time ago my some friends and their children visited our home and one the children saw my casette tapes and asked me what it was.
@wolfgirl569 (107859)
• Marion, Ohio
25 May 19
If something still works I see no reason to get rid of it.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 19
I agree. My cell phone is old, but is still works perfectly. I don't need the newest things when the other things still work. My laptop is also old and I keep it as long as it works.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 May 19
I love them too. Yes, they reminds of us a different time. I still have some of the things I used when I was a teenager and I like to visit the second hand stores. Some of them sell things that I remember from my childhood.
1 person likes this
