My daughter is napping on the couch. She had a half day and studying for her midterms is taking its' toll. I wander into the kitchen, into a mess.
It is inevitable that food work its' way into this blog. Food is my business and everything I do leads back to it, somehow. I am not sure how much and how soon all of that will come out. I like my anonymity. I think it allows me to write without worrying about the consequences, but maybe that is unrealistic.
I turn Netflix on and find an old Anthony Bourdain tv show. It may be his first. The way the shots are spliced together seems Miami Vice-like. Bourdain looks thin and young. As he speaks you can tell he is trying to find his voice.
The kitchen needs to be cleaned, but I also need to eat. I do a little of both. In my mind, I think about making sure that my daughter assumes some of the responsibility for the mess she has left behind. But, I clean. There is also this need to take care of her. I want her to sleep. I know how hard she works; she needs the sleep. It is a balance.
Food is about life. Cooking is about caring. Now, I know that sometimes it is just about shoving something down your throat to make your stomach stop growling. Other times though, cooking is about showing love. When you prepare food, you are giving up your time and your knowledge. You are sharing a secret. The secret of time, and texture, and temperature.
Bourdain is shopping for fish in Tokyo. He talks about the amount of time that goes into producing food in Japan. It seems to be a revelation to the chef. Ahh tv.
I eat leftovers and put dishes in the dishwasher. Right now I need to stop my stomach from growling, but I eye my rice cooker and think about later. Later, I will spend some time with that thing.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Jan 25, 2017: Painting and Feasting
I have wanted this blog for a long time. I want to have a place to share my ideas and thoughts and be creative. Writing is much like painting. I am sure that is not an original statement, but I think about it a lot. Words have such power. Words tell stories, and transfer ideas, and evoke emotions. Little words and big extravagant words work together to weave, and coat, and cover.
Wanting to have a blog and being able to actually carry it out are two different things. It is tough to think about your ideas being broadcast into the ether. There is the inevitable possibility that they will be slashed apart and burned before your eyes. The task of organizing your thoughts so that what ends up typed up matches what was running through your head is a difficult and thankless task. Why anyone would write, I have no idea.
I think it's like going to the gym. The pain is somehow pleasant.
The possibility that someone will like what you turn out is always there. It is to feed the ego, it is to feed the soul. It is to answer questions and to learn about the world. Any of us can sit down and type something, but to click post is to invite the world to join in.
Perhaps writing is to paint a picture, but to post to a blog is to throw a dinner party. You invite the world and sit back. Once it goes out there, the guests file in. They find their seats, they sample the prose, contemplate the ideas.
Some look up, satisfied.
Some beg for more, others, throw their plates against the wall and storm out.
Feast with me. Perhaps the menu will satisfy.
Wanting to have a blog and being able to actually carry it out are two different things. It is tough to think about your ideas being broadcast into the ether. There is the inevitable possibility that they will be slashed apart and burned before your eyes. The task of organizing your thoughts so that what ends up typed up matches what was running through your head is a difficult and thankless task. Why anyone would write, I have no idea.
I think it's like going to the gym. The pain is somehow pleasant.
The possibility that someone will like what you turn out is always there. It is to feed the ego, it is to feed the soul. It is to answer questions and to learn about the world. Any of us can sit down and type something, but to click post is to invite the world to join in.
Perhaps writing is to paint a picture, but to post to a blog is to throw a dinner party. You invite the world and sit back. Once it goes out there, the guests file in. They find their seats, they sample the prose, contemplate the ideas.
Some look up, satisfied.
Some beg for more, others, throw their plates against the wall and storm out.
Feast with me. Perhaps the menu will satisfy.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Jan 23, 2017: Snowflakes and Tyrants
It has been a while since I posted.
The world has changed a bit. I think we all feel a little different.
If you are happy about the new President, you feel empowered and courageous, victorious.
If you are not happy about the new President, you feel lost, and confused, and betrayed.
I would consider myself in the second category.
There are so many things to discuss. So many points of view to be examined. My first thought is to lash out and attack the people and ideas presented. I want to break down their arguments and direct them to the "facts". What we are learning, what we should have known, is that the "facts" don't actually matter. Today we are operating in a world of feelings.
While the conservatives call anyone who questions the new administration and new policies snowflakes, the White House Press Secretary gets up in front of the podium and talks about how demoralizing it is to have every statement questioned. The irony.
It is pretty clear that I am not going to solve any problems on this blog. I am not going to run for office or leave the country, but I think that I want to be involved in the discussion. I think that we need a discussion. Perhaps someone who does not agree with me will read what I write and engage in the discussion; instead of just lashing out. I am going to try not to lash out as well.
We are all just here for a moment. The best that we can hope for is to leave the place a little better than what we found.
The world has changed a bit. I think we all feel a little different.
If you are happy about the new President, you feel empowered and courageous, victorious.
If you are not happy about the new President, you feel lost, and confused, and betrayed.
I would consider myself in the second category.
There are so many things to discuss. So many points of view to be examined. My first thought is to lash out and attack the people and ideas presented. I want to break down their arguments and direct them to the "facts". What we are learning, what we should have known, is that the "facts" don't actually matter. Today we are operating in a world of feelings.
While the conservatives call anyone who questions the new administration and new policies snowflakes, the White House Press Secretary gets up in front of the podium and talks about how demoralizing it is to have every statement questioned. The irony.
It is pretty clear that I am not going to solve any problems on this blog. I am not going to run for office or leave the country, but I think that I want to be involved in the discussion. I think that we need a discussion. Perhaps someone who does not agree with me will read what I write and engage in the discussion; instead of just lashing out. I am going to try not to lash out as well.
We are all just here for a moment. The best that we can hope for is to leave the place a little better than what we found.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)