Tenkara Forum

[dwalker]

Or the perfect Tenkara rod of dreams don't exist. Practical rods that fill many needs all in one do exist. Enjoy what is available on the streams where each model works best.

Last Oct on TenkaraTalk Jason asked Where are the Purple Cows?

Then in December he posted again about The New Sato and Rhodo Rods from TUSA.

A rather passionate back and forth followed as to whether the new rods were a Purple Cow or not. Both there and on other forums/blogs. Some thought they were, others thought they were not and some seemed rather upset that the new rods weren't exactly what their vision was and what they were expecting or wanted.

Being upset that the rods weren't their perfect vision seemed rather absurd to me or at least unnecessary. It reminded me of a compound German word a Dutch global tech rep had told me about 15 years ago. Global tech reps from the factory attract customers opinions much more than National tech reps. He was used to dealing with customers who wanted the machines to be their dream vision of the perfect machine. Customized to provide everything they imagined in their dream-machine. ( in this case cardio diagnostic imaging labs) Prompting him to tell us the story of this mythical creature. The Dutchman said the German term referred to a mythological magic cow that could provide everything you wanted or needed and keep doing it forever.

At the time I thought about making a post about it. But I could not remember the German phrase.

A local German lady couldn't think of what it would be. Today another German friend provided me the phrase I think the Dutch tech rep was thinking about. A commonly known phrase in Germany. The Dutchman's description was just slightly off making it difficult for me to rediscover it.

The new rods clearly were also not a verschlimmbessern effort from Daniel. Quite the opposite, I think.

But were they - Eierlegende Wollmilchsau rods ?

Eierlegende Wollmilchsau literally translates as Egg Laying Wool Milk Pig.

The perfect animal that can provide all needs. It generally refers to someone or something that is a Jack of All Trades that will supply you with everything you need or want. For example it might refer to a Swiss Army Knife or other versatile product or person. More narrowly as used by the Dutch tech rep, it referred to some expectation of perfection in supplying every need and want. But that doesn't exist.

A Eierlegende Wollmilchsau Tenkara rod is good in a variety of different stream situations. Taking the definition of Eierlegende Wollmilchsau as something very versatile, fulfilling many needs in one, then I think the Sato and Rhodo qualify. But if you want to define Eierlegende Wollmilchsau as something that is both versatile and fulfills the perfection in your dreams then I think you wont find one.

Here is a picture of one vision of the Eierlegende Wollmilchsau, with a little help from Photoshop.



Read the description of the above critter here:
http://blog.inkyfool.com/2013/11/eierlegende-wollmilchsau-perferct-animal.html

As you can imagine, it is a critter that can supply you with bacon or ham and eggs, plus a glass of milk and butter for your toast. Provide you will wool yarn for a sweater, socks or gloves, and lamb chops too. A leather coat or shoes and a steak or a hamburger. And ice cream after supper or cream for your coffee. If you wanted to go old school it could provide you with a bone hook and yarn and hackle to make a kebari. And it provides this all at low cost, after providing all these things he will be back in the barn yard tomorrow, ready to provide new wants of the day.

The Eierlegende Wollmilchsau appears to have emerged from a one page poem in a book published in 1959.

If we want to view the Eierlegende Wollmilchsau rod as the perfect rod of our dreams that can do everything you want in a perfect way I think you won't find one.

OTOH - if we view the Eierlegende Wollmilchsau rod as a good all round rod, that can do many things well, then I think the Sato or Rhodo rods qualify as Eierlegende Wollmilchsau rods. Good all round rods, but not perfect rods for all situations, they only exist in our minds.

There are many good Tenkara rod models, specialized ones better in one situation than another, where another rod will shine more brightly. And a few rods that while not perfect for use in all stream conditions that are good all round rods, the Eierlegende Wollmilchsau rods.

The perfect Eierlegende Wollmilchsau rod of dreams don't exist. But the practical Wierlegende Wollmilchsau rods do.

What are the other Eierlegende Wollmilchsau things in your life, are you expecting dream-time perfection or practical versatility?



D

Oh, what made me start thinking about Eierlegende Woomilchsau again? An online article I read yesterday. 10 German words English should adopt. For your entertainment, or maybe shock:

http://www.dw.de/10-german-words-english-should-adopt/g-17682295

They should have added Verschlimmbessern and Kaputtreparieren and made it 12 words.

[John @ Tenkara USA]

Wow, I really want one of those pigs.

For me, the Sato comes pretty close to the perfect all around rod for my tenkara. The only place it leaves me wanting is when I fish some of the larger rivers out here, but I can still fish them very effectively, and it's an absolute joy to fish on the smaller streams I frequent more and more these days. The other intangible I love about it is that it's fun on small fish, but still somehow has a nice backbone when I do catch a larger fish. I felt very similarly about my Ayu II, but like the option of going shorter with the Sato and like that it's lighter.

As for other areas of my life, my Subaru Forester has been a great all around car. It's dyeing now, but took me on a lot of great fishing trips. Gets respectable gas milage but can still be slept in and holds a ton of gear. I think TJ is on to something with those busses, though....

Also, I have a medium sized frying pan that I average cooking in twice a day; scrambled eggs in the morning, sautéing vegetable in the evening, etc. It's one of those super useful simple items I'd be a little lost without.

[Stan Wright]

I never saw a Purple Cow.
I hope I never see ones.
But I can tell you anyhow.
I'd rather see than be one.

[Hannes87]

Here is a picture of one vision of the Eierlegende Wollmilchsau, with a little help from Photoshop.

Hi dwalker,

I wanted to send you pn but it seems that this is not possible....

I am intrested to use your excellent picture in a presentation/speech that I will hold on a congress in the nearer future.

Would you grant me the right to use the photo in my presentation?

I would state your name in the footnote.

Thank you in advance for looking into this mater.

Best regards

Hannes

[dwalker]

Hello Hannes,

Sorry for delayed response. I had not checked this forum over the past few weeks.

I did not create that image. Some else used photoshop or similar software to create the image. I just found it with an internet search. For " Eierlegende Wollmilchsau".

I think it is this one:

https://www.traumsofas.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/wollmilchsau.jpg

Maybe some one at Traum Sofas created it. Or maybe they also borrowed it off the internet. Perhaps some boast they can create your perfect dream sofa that has every feature you can dream up.

Or after facing the same challenge as the tech support guy at my former employer faced when dealing with customers. Where there are multiple users of the same equipment, and each one of them wants the machine to have all the features they personally want, which of course is not possible. Features one person wants built in would interfere with the function another person wants built in.

Anyway, the tech support guy was from the company global headquarters in the Netherlands, and he was familiar with the mythical "die Eier legende Wollmilchsau" creature from a German fable.

He was explaining to us that when a tech support guy from the company headquarters, such as himself, shows up at a customer site, every one makes a point to talk to him and demand the company add some preferred function that the machine lacked, in their opinion. So many functions that it would not be possible to do, or only possible to do in a machine that cost 10x higher price. And they couldn't afford to buy it. It seemed to him they always wanted something unobtainable, a fantasy machine that does everything everyone could dream of, such as the Egg Laying Wool Milk Sow.

I would just use the image and not worry about it.
Or find a place in your document, to credit the website.

[you should be able to send anyone on the forum a PM if you are logged into the forum. Just click on the user name. A new window will open, where you can select "send private message". Once sent the system will sent an email notifying recipient they have a message here on the forum. If they are still active at the email address they registered when joining the forum. ]

Oh, now I see the same image, sized smaller, can also be found here:

http://ww3.cad.de/foren/ubb/uploads/Vollmer/dieLoesung.gif

Possibly on other websites too.

I think you can safely assume, it is public domain image. And have no worries about someone claiming copyright ownership.