Sure, the lab’s batch is like a kettle that never gets a real kiss of heat, sterile and… well, bland. A spoonful of my jam, though, is a little pocket of sun—no measuring spoon, just the fruit's memory. The difference? One tastes like a recipe card with a doodle, the other tastes like a spreadsheet. Trust me, the spoon can ruin the magic.

I’ll keep the “code” to a single stir, no extra line that tries to clean up the chaos. But don’t think I’ll hand you a debugged jar, only a jar that smells like last winter’s apple tree leaves and a memory that never made it to the spreadsheet.