My baking soda is almost done. This is something people rarely get to say about a box of baking soda unless they are in the elementary school science industry. I wanted to give it some praise as both gratitude, and an example of how to not take everything you learn at face value.
I first bought baking soda when a friend at work made fun of me for buying store-bought cookies with the frequency I did (about 3-4 boxes a week). He figured if I was eating that many cookies I should at least go through the effort of making homemade ones. He may have had a secondary message about not eating 3-4 boxes a week, but my brain latched on to the part about homemade cookies. When I was growing up, my Mom used to make homemade cookies all the time, and they were indeed better than store-bought, so I figured it was worth a try. I found a recipe and got to work.
The recipe I found was selected for only requiring 1 egg, because at that time I didn’t eat eggs so I didn’t want to buy a lot of them. It required both baking powder, and baking soda, so I picked both of them up on the grocery trip.
The cookies were a smashing success, and I still make them to this day. And I still make them with the same baking soda.
When I bought that baking soda, there was a note on the box that told me to write a date on it a few months in the future so I knew when to replace it. I know this because 3 years later I accidentally checked the date and realized I was incredibly far past it. The cookies have not reduced in quality in any noticeable way. This is now six years in, and we’re almost to the bottom of the box and it is still going strong.
I think this exposes a bit of a cash grab on the baking soda manufacturer’s front, but I also think it illustrates something it took me a while to learn. Society has a lot of things it wants to tell you, and a lot of “best practices” to follow. I would say a large portion of these are just wrong, or at least not explained well.
Most products in society are created to convince people there is a need for them – few are conceived to solve a problem people already complain about. This means you get stuff like fabric softener. Some people swear by it, but people washed clothes without it for generations. It can’t actually be that essential to the process.
I like a policy of via negativa when it comes to my routines and habits. Just because society has presented you the ability to do something, doesn’t mean you should do it. Try not doing it for a while just to see what happens. Take washing your hair with shampoo – for a long time I removed it from my habits because I didn’t see a difference in outcomes. Then when I stopped using an absurd amount of styling product in my hair, I realized not washing it left it greasier than I would like it, so I added shampoo back in. Try to find whatever mix of techniques actually provides you value.
I’ll be sad to see my baking soda go, but I can definitely say it was worth the money, and definitely worth ignoring its own recommendation to get rid of it prematurely. Thanks old pal. You were delicious.
Peace out.
Magehat's Interesting Things 
Are you sure the replacement date recommendation isn’t meant for its alternate usage as an odor absorber rather than is baking properties? Either way, I agree with the point you’ve made – also, thanks for the April blog-a-thon, its been a great read so far!
You’re welcome, loyal reader! My girlfriend agrees with you that the date is meant for the odor absorber, but I note in my defense that the place on the box where you are supposed to write the date says nothing about that usage, and just says “Change every 30 Days – use a new box each month for fresher tasting food”.