When I sent the essay on Resilience or lack thereof out into the world I think it was a kind of desperate attempt to connect with others who feel the same. It worked! Apparently this is a world wide phenomenon. It was so helpful to hear your stories along with suggestions for coping strategies. One of the most powerful came from a high school friend who shared that she too had been struggling with melancholy (such a redolent word) and discovered the Japanese concept of mono no aware “the pathos of things”. "a Japanese idiom for the awareness of impermanence or transience of things, and both a transient gentle sadness (or wistfulness) at their passing as well as a longer, deeper gentle sadness about this state being the reality of life."
The best part was simply hearing from so many of you. So that leads me to another question. What do you want to hear from me? Please don’t say recipes, although if that’s what you want please tell me. Recipes can be a kind of tyranny for those of us whose lives revolve around some part of food reporting. Do you want cookbook reviews/roundups, me cooking from cookbooks, written Q&As with people or do you want more of my voice? Please let me know.
Upcoming Events
Pasta Grannies Night with Now Serving (LA’s Cookbook store)
Wed, November 9 at 6:30pm at The Row DTLA
I’m excited for this great night of conversation with Pasta Grannies' Vicky Bennison, famed pizzaiolo Chris Bianco and culinary producer for “The Bear” Courtney Storer. What a lineup!
Saturday, Nov 12 - In Conversation with Nigella Lawson
7:30pm at The Granada Theater in Santa Barbara
Saturday, Nov 26 - In Conversation with Nigella Lawson
7:30pm at The Barclay Theater in Irvine
Thank You
I am married to an Italian since 40 years. . I cook. I learned to cook while there and I’ve become a good cook. Left to his own devices he does not always make healthy choices and has just been diagnosed with diabetes. Not eating pasta is his biggest challenge. What about Mediterranean Diet and diabetes? And why is a meal out at a restaurant usually so difficult to digest. And what’s with Bro Alpha Male chefs compared to nurturing women chefs. How about fruit? Why isn’t it on the dessert menu? Especially here in California? Not even in Vegan restaurants! What?
Evan, one metaphor that is apt for you is the nourishing but temporary relationship we all have to food. We need it. We find pleasure and comfort and connection through it. But like everything, it is impermanent. Could we exist in this liminal place of appreciation - where, like a beautiful head of lettuce or perfectly ripe peach - we consume with voracious presence? You would have something to say on this I think.