# The J. Peterman Catalog is Awesome. That is All There is to it. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2009, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366 "2009-09-24T13:49:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/21 "2009-09-24T20:10:01Z")
$20 is expensive for a t-shirt? In what world? ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/22 "2009-09-24T21:43:11Z")
> [@simster](#): > > When I first saw the Sienfeld stuff, I remember getting pretty pissed about it, and I still fault it as the primary reason they went thru the trouble they did - well, that and over expanding into the retail market. I always wanted to tell John - “you can’t sell a mystery if you make fun of it on national telivision every week.” Now, come on! I should think the Seinfeld stuff would have brought attention to the catalog, even if they were poking fun at it. I’m sure John P. is a nice guy, and the clothes in the catalog look lovely, and it’s fun to read. But “you can’t sell a mystery if you make fun of it on national television every week”??? What’s the mystery? The descriptions are HILARIOUS, so over the top, who could possibly take such pretentiousness seriously? (or is that what you mean, people would think it was a made up humor publication, and not an actual mail order catalog? I’m confused.) As I mentioned above, I lack an Elizabeth Taylor type aunt with a villa in Europe where I could lounge about in a J. Peterman muu-muu, that is laughable. But I would order it to lounge around a middle class house if I thought it was pretty and gotta-have-it. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/23 "2009-09-24T22:21:52Z")
i love the catalog and even the clothes. i bought outfits from peterman before the seinfeld stuff and still wear them. they have really worn well. i do miss the old banana republic. those catalogs were fun, and the wares were interesting and non cookie cutter. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/24 "2009-09-25T02:47:35Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Now, come on! I should think the Seinfeld stuff would have brought attention to the catalog, even if they were poking fun at it. I’m sure John P. is a nice guy, and the clothes in the catalog look lovely, and it’s fun to read. But “you can’t sell a mystery if you make fun of it on national television every week”??? What’s the mystery? The descriptions are HILARIOUS, so over the top, who could possibly take such pretentiousness seriously? (or is that what you mean, people would think it was a made up humor publication, and not an actual mail order catalog? I’m confused.) As I mentioned above, I lack an Elizabeth Taylor type aunt with a villa in Europe where I could lounge about in a J. Peterman muu-muu, that is laughable. But I would order it to lounge around a middle class house if I thought it was pretty and gotta-have-it. While I agree that the stories themselves were campy and over the top - it doesnt take away that part of the marketing was selling the idea, the romance, the mystery - something that other catalogues have long forgotten. Poking fun at it erodes that mystery/romance, makes people realize its “just antohter catalogue selling overpriced stuff that isnt all that differerent” and people start getting the catalogue JUST to read it and think its part of the sienfeld world - and not real at all. Again, it was just the thought I had - not worth debating. [QUOTE=Freudian Slit] $20 is expensive for a t-shirt? In what world? [/QUOTE] In the world where I can get them 3 for $10 at walmart, with pockets no less. Funy thing is, thats the same price it was (IIRC) back in 93/94 when I worked there - making the memory of it seem that much more expensive at the time. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/25 "2009-09-25T03:18:33Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > You’re not the only one. > > Next, someone will tell me there really is a New York Yankees baseball team. J.Peterman is real? WTF? I suppose you’re going to tell me there _really is_ a Soup Nazi? Honestly, I had no idea there was a J. Peterman. Apparently, the irony in all of this is that _you really can_ buy a Pirate shirt from J. Peterman. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/26 "2009-09-25T03:19:56Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > J.Peterman is real? WTF? I suppose you’re going to tell me there _really is_ a Soup Nazi? Not sure if this is a whoosh…[but yes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Yeganeh#Fame_via_Seinfeld). ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/27 "2009-09-25T03:49:00Z")
J.Peterman is real? WTF? Next, I suppose, you’re going to tell me Monk’s is a real diner in NYC? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/28 "2009-09-25T04:05:43Z")
Well, the exterior is Tom’s in NYC and it’s basically based on Tom’s. It’s on the tour that Kenny Kramer gives. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/29 "2009-09-25T04:11:50Z")
For that you’re on your own. I have my own OCD episodes and, though it’s not impossible, all it takes is a sanitary suggestion and a joint is off the menu. Being better medicated than him, eggs that were over easy, but with the whites congealed, is worth the risk. Tonight they were poached nearly hard and Sunday they were still loose. I may be crazy but I’m still unwilling to rile She Who Does Most of the Cooking. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/30 "2009-09-25T04:16:38Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Well, the exterior is Tom’s in NYC and it’s basically based on Tom’s. It’s on the tour that Kenny Kramer gives. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/31 "2009-09-25T04:19:53Z")
> [@simster](#): > > He bought a fairly large farm just outside of Paris Ky because he wanted to do farming stuff - remembered him talking fondly of it, fixing up the old tractors he had, etc. Ah yes. There is nothing like seeing a sage and yellow antique John Deere tractor glistening in the Kentucky bluegrass against the fiery burn of the sun. Real men live for this…getting back to nature and…supporting their family based on ingenuity alone. The tractor won’t start but the prize stallions have to be taken care of and nothing else matters. I am desperate so I whip out my bottle of injection fluid and shoot it straight into the engine much like a lone soldier would when trapped in one of the lesser republics under heavy enemy fire. It starts right away and I drive off. Mission accomplished…once again. It certainly won’t be the last. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/32 "2009-09-25T04:29:48Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Ah yes. > > There is nothing like seeing a sage and yellow antique John Deere tractor glistening in the Kentucky bluegrass against the fiery burn of the sun. Real men live for this…getting back to nature and…supporting their family based on ingenuity alone. The tractor won’t start but the prize stallions have to be taken care of and nothing else matters. I am desperate so I whip out my bottle of injection fluid and shoot it straight into the engine much like a lone soldier would when trapped in one of the lesser republics under heavy enemy fire. It starts right away and I drive off. Mission accomplished…once again. It certainly won’t be the last. 😃 :D: 😃 Now THERE’S mystery and romance for you! Mr. Sali’s cousin is a farmer but the only thing he ever said about his tractor was “fucker crapped out on me halfway through the alfalfa”. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/33 "2009-09-25T05:38:31Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > For that you’re on your own. I have my own OCD episodes and, though it’s not impossible, all it takes is a sanitary suggestion and a joint is off the menu. Being better medicated than him, eggs that were over easy, but with the whites congealed, is worth the risk. Tonight they were poached nearly hard and Sunday they were still loose. > > **I may be crazy** but I’m still unwilling to rile She Who Does Most of the Cooking. (bolding mine) I hope you take this in the spirit it’s intended, but in this–the incorrect–thread, you really _do_ sound crazy! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/34 "2009-09-25T05:53:40Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > For that you’re on your own. I have my own OCD episodes and, though it’s not impossible, all it takes is a sanitary suggestion and a joint is off the menu. Being better medicated than him, eggs that were over easy, but with the whites congealed, is worth the risk. Tonight they were poached nearly hard and Sunday they were still loose. > > I may be crazy but I’m still unwilling to rile She Who Does Most of the Cooking. “And that’s when I recalled the way the Kalihari bushmen cook ostrich eggs in the embers of a campfire, and realized I had to offer…the !Kung Egg Poacher. Color: Graphite or Taupe.” ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/35 "2009-09-25T12:29:06Z")
😃 > [@Shagnasty](#): > > Ah yes. > > There is nothing like seeing a sage and yellow antique John Deere tractor glistening in the Kentucky bluegrass against the fiery burn of the sun. Real men live for this…getting back to nature and…supporting their family based on ingenuity alone. The tractor won’t start but the prize stallions have to be taken care of and nothing else matters. I am desperate so I whip out my bottle of injection fluid and shoot it straight into the engine much like a lone soldier would when trapped in one of the lesser republics under heavy enemy fire. It starts right away and I drive off. Mission accomplished…once again. It certainly won’t be the last. 😃 Welll done - ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/36 "2009-09-25T12:44:41Z")
> [@The J. Peterman Catalog](#): > > They broke down the residue by gas chromatography. > Identified its fingerprint through spectro-photometry. Why am I hearing Tom Lehrer singing this? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/37 "2009-09-26T09:33:25Z")
> [@simster](#): > > 😃 > > 😃 Welll done - Thanks. If you run into John Peterman again at the local Kroger, tell him you have someone that do that style of writing if every he has quits or dies. I would love to do it and I have that same sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366/38 "2009-09-26T12:15:48Z")
I didn’t know that J Peterman was still around. The writing in the catalogs is awesome. Wrapping up nostolgia for what the common man will never have and wishing for what can never be. I think I shall re-subscribe to their catalog. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-j-peterman-catalog-is-awesome-that-is-all-there-is-to-it/511366.md?page=1)