To me, someone who celebrates a bit more of the spectrum than most: Metal hot. Make food hot.
Non-stick means easier cleanup, but my wife seems to think cast-iron is necessary for certain things (searing a prime rib roast, for example.).
After I figure those out, then I gotta figure out gas vs. electric vs. induction vs infrared…
I guess after a few hundred years it’s time to move on from cast iron
Speak for yourself: I don’t intend to keep mine nearly as long. “Buy it for life” is not usually multiple centuries
“some say this house is haunted. I’ve lived here 450 years and have never seen a ghost.”
My big question with older cast iron is had they been used to melt lead down to make bullets? I know it’s at least an occasional concern - another reason along with the cleaning issues and having them always smoke up kitchens to happily avoid them. I would refuse one as a gift, even.
More likely to make fishing weights I would think. That concern is why I don’t have any old cast iron.