01.raw-milk · Food & Drink
Raw Milk
Bespoke
Dodging the FDA on principle.
Broke
The cow is right there.
Nobody in between trusts an udder.
Vol. I · The Compendium
The difference is branding.
An ever-growing catalog of identical lives across 10 categories. On the left, the ultra-rich. On the right, the very poor. The middle class pays retail for the confusion.
Bespokevs.BrokeNew lots added weekly.
Category 01
Food & Drink
The pantry is a class marker. Same plate, different price tag.
01.organ-meat · Food & Drink
Organ Meat
Bespoke
Nose-to-tail tasting menu.
Broke
That was the part you could afford.
Middle class eats boneless skinless chicken breast and feels nothing.
01.whole-animal · Food & Drink
Whole Animal Butchery
Bespoke
Homesteading influencer with a $600 knife roll.
Broke
That is simply how meat works.
The middle class buys shrink-wrapped tenderloin.
01.tiny-portions · Food & Drink
Tiny Portions
Bespoke
Twelve-course degustation.
Broke
You are rationing.
One comes with a wine pairing.
01.fasting · Food & Drink
Intermittent Fasting
Bespoke
On a 16:8 protocol.
Broke
The food ran out at 8.
Both skipped breakfast. One has an app for it.
01.bone-broth · Food & Drink
Bone Broth
Bespoke
Healing your gut for $14 a cup.
Broke
Making the bones stretch a third day.
The bones do not know the difference.
01.rainwater · Food & Drink
Rainwater
Bespoke
A $40,000 catchment system to escape the grid.
Broke
The grid never came.
Both drink the sky.
01.garden · Food & Drink
Growing Your Own Vegetables
Bespoke
A kitchen garden and a consultant.
Broke
A field and no choice.
The middle class has a gift card to Whole Foods.
01.sourdough · Food & Drink
Wild Sourdough Starter
Bespoke
Cultivated as an artisan hobby.
Broke
There was no store yeast.
One starter has a name. The other has a job.
01.seasonal · Food & Drink
Eating Seasonal and Local
Bespoke
It is a philosophy.
Broke
It is a fact.
Middle class eats Chilean grapes in January and feels vaguely guilty.
01.no-fridge · Food & Drink
No Refrigerator
Bespoke
Shopping fresh daily like a European.
Broke
The electricity has opinions.
Neither of you owns condiments from 2019.
01.foraging · Food & Drink
Foraging Mushrooms
Bespoke
On a guided mycology retreat.
Broke
That is dinner.
Same forest. One paid $400.
Category 02
Home & Living
The same roof, floor and light. One is a philosophy, one is a fact.
02.compost-toilet · Home & Living
The Composting Toilet
Bespoke
An eco-architecture statement.
Broke
The sewage line never arrived.
Either way, guests have questions.
02.off-grid · Home & Living
Off the Grid
Bespoke
One of them left the grid.
Broke
The grid left the other.
They meet in exactly the same place.
02.dirt-floor · Home & Living
Dirt Floors
Bespoke
In Architectural Digest it is called rammed earth.
Broke
In the village it is the floor.
It is the same floor.
02.one-room · Home & Living
One Room
Bespoke
An open floor plan.
Broke
Just poverty with better lighting.
Middle class has three cramped rooms.
02.no-ac · Home & Living
No Air Conditioning
Bespoke
Commissioned a passive cooling design.
Broke
A window and hope.
Both talk about cross-breeze like family.
02.candles · Home & Living
Candlelit Evenings
Bespoke
It is ambiance.
Broke
It is the power company.
Same glow. One chose it.
02.pallet-furniture · Home & Living
Pallet Furniture
Bespoke
Reclaimed industrial design.
Broke
Crates.
The word reclaimed is doing $2,000 of work.
02.thatched-roof · Home & Living
The Thatched Roof
Bespoke
A $2,000-a-night eco-lodge.
Broke
It is the roof.
The rain sounds identical on both.
02.outdoor-kitchen · Home & Living
The Outdoor Kitchen
Bespoke
An entertaining space.
Broke
The kitchen has always been outside.
Both cook better than people with islands.
02.well-water · Home & Living
Well Water
Bespoke
A private artesian well on the label.
Broke
The well.
One of them is $9 a bottle.
02.no-address · Home & Living
No Street Address
Bespoke
You live on a private island.
Broke
You live where the map ignores.
Neither of you can get a pizza delivered.
Category 03
Clothing & Appearance
The same shirt. One is a uniform, one is the outfit.
03.same-outfit · Clothing & Appearance
The Same Outfit Every Day
Bespoke
On a billionaire it is a uniform.
Broke
On a poor man it is the outfit.
It is the same shirt.
03.patched-clothes · Clothing & Appearance
Patched Clothes
Bespoke
Japanese boro fashion.
Broke
Your mother is good with a needle.
One patch costs $300. The other saved $300.
03.ripped-jeans · Clothing & Appearance
Ripped Jeans
Bespoke
Distressed by an artisan.
Broke
Distressed by your life.
Middle class buys new and pretends.
03.weathered-skin · Clothing & Appearance
Weathered Skin
Bespoke
A yacht tan.
Broke
A field tan.
Dermatologists cannot tell them apart.
03.long-hair · Clothing & Appearance
The Long Hair and Beard
Bespoke
A founder who has transcended grooming.
Broke
The barber costs money.
Both look like prophets.
03.second-hand · Clothing & Appearance
Second-Hand Everything
Bespoke
Curated vintage.
Broke
Hand-me-downs.
Middle class buys new and loses the receipt on purpose.
Category 04
Money & Work
Empty pockets, no boss, and no idea what things cost. Twice.
04.no-salary · Money & Work
No Salary
Bespoke
You live off assets.
Broke
You live off luck.
Neither of you has had a performance review.
04.no-cash · Money & Work
Never Carrying Cash
Bespoke
Someone handles it.
Broke
There is nothing to handle.
Both walk out with total peace.
04.prices · Money & Work
Not Knowing What Things Cost
Bespoke
You never look at prices.
Broke
You never get close enough to look.
Middle class knows the cost of everything.
04.bartering · Money & Work
Bartering
Bespoke
Trading equity for advisory work.
Broke
Trading eggs for a roof repair.
Same transaction. Different lawyers.
04.no-bank · Money & Work
No Bank Account
Bespoke
You have a family office.
Broke
The bank was never interested.
Both technically unbanked. Only one gets called that.
04.no-tax · Money & Work
No Income Tax
Bespoke
The good accountants.
Broke
Below the threshold.
The middle class exists to file.
04.working-whenever · Money & Work
Working When You Feel Like It
Bespoke
Financial freedom.
Broke
Day labor.
Only one was excited about it.
04.family-business · Money & Work
Kids in the Family Business
Bespoke
Succession planning.
Broke
Child labor.
The middle calls it a summer internship.
04.debt · Money & Work
Debt
Bespoke
Leverage.
Broke
Survival.
For the middle class, a monthly personality trait.
Category 05
Body & Health
Cold water, no doctor, all sun. Optimization meets circumstance.
05.home-birth · Body & Health
Home Birth
Bespoke
A birthing suite and a doula team.
Broke
The hospital is far.
Both babies arrive the same way.
05.breastfeeding · Body & Health
Breastfeeding for Years
Bespoke
Attachment parenting.
Broke
Formula costs money.
Same result. Only one wrote a Medium post.
05.no-doctor · Body & Health
Never Seeing a Doctor
Bespoke
The doctor comes to you.
Broke
You cannot come to the doctor.
Middle class is in the waiting room.
05.cold-shower · Body & Health
Cold Showers
Bespoke
A Wim Hof protocol.
Broke
There is no water heater.
Same gasp. One counts breaths.
05.walking · Body & Health
Walking Everywhere
Bespoke
Closing your rings.
Broke
The bus costs money.
Ten thousand steps is either a goal or a commute.
05.leanness · Body & Health
Extreme Leanness
Bespoke
Ozempic and a trainer.
Broke
Scarcity.
Middle class is the only overweight demographic.
05.sun-exposure · Body & Health
All-Day Sun Exposure
Bespoke
Vitamin D optimization.
Broke
The job is outside.
Same sun. One tracks it in an app.
Category 06
Children & Education
Unschooled, unsupervised, learning by chore. Called two different things.
06.homeschool · Children & Education
Homeschooling
Bespoke
An unschooling philosophy.
Broke
There is no school nearby.
Both kids learn fractions from a parent improvising.
06.no-screens · Children & Education
No Screens
Bespoke
A Waldorf policy.
Broke
There are no screens.
The childhood electricity forgot.
06.unsupervised · Children & Education
Kids Running Unsupervised
Bespoke
Free-range parenting.
Broke
Everyone is working.
Same freedom. One version has a philosophy attached.
06.multigenerational · Children & Education
The Multi-Generational Household
Bespoke
A family compound.
Broke
One roof is all there is.
Grandma lives with you either way.
06.chores · Children & Education
Learning Through Chores
Bespoke
Practical life.
Broke
Tuesday.
Tuition for the first one is $30,000.
06.no-activities · Children & Education
No Organized Activities
Bespoke
Protecting childhood wonder.
Broke
There is no Kumon within 200 miles.
Both kids stare at clouds. Only one set of parents brags.
06.slaughter · Children & Education
A Kid Who Can Slaughter and Prepare an Animal
Bespoke
Ranch heritage.
Broke
Dinner.
Either way, more competent than every adult at your office.
Category 07
Transport
Never in traffic. Someone else is driving, or nobody is.
07.no-car · Transport
Not Owning a Car
Bespoke
You have a driver.
Broke
You have a bus pass.
The middle class is alone in traffic.
07.horses · Transport
Riding Horses
Bespoke
An equestrian estate.
Broke
Transport.
One horse has a therapist.
07.private-jet · Transport
Never Flying Commercial
Bespoke
You fly private.
Broke
You hitchhike.
Both have avoided the TSA their entire lives.
07.boats · Transport
A Life on Boats
Bespoke
A yacht.
Broke
A fishing skiff.
Both smell like the sea and distrust land people.
07.boarding-last · Transport
Boarding Minutes Before Departure
Bespoke
The private terminal.
Broke
Standby.
Both walk straight on.
Category 08
Time & Leisure
No alarm, no calendar, no shift. The day just happens.
08.no-day · Time & Leisure
Not Knowing What Day It Is
Bespoke
Permanent vacation.
Broke
Every day is the same.
The calendar is a middle-class technology.
08.fishing · Time & Leisure
Fishing Constantly
Bespoke
Sport.
Broke
Dinner.
Same fish. One gets released.
08.hunting · Time & Leisure
Hunting
Bespoke
A driven pheasant shoot.
Broke
Dinner.
One requires tweed.
08.nap · Time & Leisure
The Midday Nap
Bespoke
Poolside.
Broke
Nothing to be late for.
Same nap. One is called recovery.
08.no-alarm · Time & Leisure
No Alarm Clock
Bespoke
Retired at 40.
Broke
No shift to make.
Both wake with the sun.
08.bonfires · Time & Leisure
Bonfires
Bespoke
A fire pit gathering.
Broke
Heat and light.
Same fire. One has Adirondack chairs.
08.moonshine · Time & Leisure
Making Your Own Alcohol
Bespoke
A small-batch nano-distillery.
Broke
The shed.
Same jug. One comes with tasting notes.
08.live-music · Time & Leisure
Live Music at Home Every Night
Bespoke
The family Steinway.
Broke
The family drum.
Both houses are louder and happier than yours.
Category 10
Technology
The dumb phone, the silent retreat, the absent signal. Same peace.
10.dumb-phone · Technology
The Dumb Phone
Bespoke
A digital detox.
Broke
That is the phone.
Both are more present than everyone they know.
10.no-social · Technology
No Social Media
Bespoke
Privacy is the last luxury.
Broke
Data costs money.
Middle class is posting through it.
10.unreachable · Technology
Unreachable for Days
Bespoke
A silent retreat.
Broke
No signal.
Both return with the same glow.
10.no-internet · Technology
No Home Internet
Bespoke
Intentional.
Broke
Unavailable.
The kids in both houses can hold a conversation.
Social & Legal
No line, no ID, no lawyer. Everyone knows your name either way.
No ID
Everyone knows who you are.
No one is checking.
The middle class carries three forms.
Never Waiting in Line
Someone handles it.
The line is the whole day and rushing is pointless.
Middle class is refreshing a queue app.
Guards and Gates
The compound.
The neighborhood watchman paid in bread.
Same job. One has a lanyard.
Everyone Knows Your Name
You are famous.
The village is small.
Anonymity is a middle-class purchase.
Settling Disputes Without Courts
Binding arbitration.
The elder under the tree.
The elder is faster.
Marrying Within a Small Circle
Dynastic.
The village.
Both weddings feature families that have known each other for a century.
The Cash Wedding
Envelopes at a society wedding.
The envelopes ARE the wedding.
Same tradition. Different tax treatment.