The generic apple cider made me angry. Not total Greek rage, but I was definitely frustrated. The cider was watery, tasted like nothing, and had simmered on the stove for hours without turning into anything better.

I also felt upset on behalf of all the people involved in producing the cider — all the suffering that led to such disgusting brown liquid. Maybe it was the pandemic. Supply chain bottlenecks. Labor shortages. Insultingly low pay. Illness. Burnout.

That cider tasted like failure. Pure, unmitigated failure. So I vowed to try again.