When it comes to cooking, or even growing food, I believe very strongly in Chi. No, it has nothing to do with tea, and everything to do with your life force.
Okay, look. I know when someone spouts philosophy at you, you wanna run away, but c’mon! Give me a chance at least dude.
Still there? Good. Now, where was I?
Oh yeah, Chi. The Chi I speak of is denoted as “Life Force” in the Chinese culture and may be spelled Ch’i. Of course, I got that off of Wikipedia so it might be wrong.
But I digress. Again.
When you cook or grow food for someone you love, it always turns out better. It tastes better, it makes them happy, it makes people smile. That’s because you’re putting part of yourself into it. Now, obviously, I don’t mean you’re hacking off a finger and using it to flavor the dish, and if you are…seek medical attention. And don’t feed me anything.
There’s a reason people usually love Mom’s cooking above all others. She’s cooking for her family, and even if she’s dead on her feet, she loves her kids and she’s going to give them the best she’s got. Same thing with the husband who does his damndest to cook for his wife that he’s been madly in love with for 10 years. Even if he burns the steaks, something in that meal is bound to be damned good. Even if it’s just a beer that he poured from a bottle.
Still not convinced? Check this out.
Go home tonight and think off the one person you love more than anyone else in the world. Or hell, if that’s too cheesy, think of a beloved pet you’ve lost, or even a dear friend. Go over memories of the good times as you do something as simple as toss together a salad. If you want to make something a little fancier, be my guest, but keep that person in mind. If the memories are bitter sweet, don’t be afraid to let a tear fall.
I bet you sit down to one of the best meals you’ve had in a while. Leave me a comment and let me know how it turned out.
*_*_*
See that little thing up there, that fancy *_*_* ? That signifies a topic switch in my world. Just figured I’d let ya know.
No that I’ve got people thinking I’m crazy, let’s reinforce that idea! During my traipsing around the gym (yes I just said traipsing), I ran into a personal trainer who stopped to chat with Colleen and myself. Turns out, she’s getting an organic grocery delivery every other week. Like, organic veggies delivered right to her door! In the Metro area!
I had to investigate, and asked her to send me an invite. Lo and behold, an invite from Door To Door Organics So, I clicked on it and decided to check it out. Well, I got my first delivery on Friday, June 24th!
It arrived with one ice pack in a cardboard box clearly labeled. I took pictures, but a photographer I’m so very not, so please excuse the images.
So, when it arrived I was so very happy.
Door to Door Organics
I set it on the counter and made room in my fridge, because I did have two heads of lettuce in there. I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I think being concerned was valid. I’ve seen organic produce in some stores and sometimes it looks like the fertilizer is part of the product.
And by that, I mean some organic produce looks like crap!
So what would I find in my box?! ACK!!! THE SUSPENSE!!!
…Note to self: Stop being silly and open the damn box.
Hey look, STUFF!
So I take a peek inside the box and I’m actually REALLY happy with it. The lettuce looks great, and there’s a couple of zucchini in there, along with two peaches, two plums, half a pound of peas (still in pods!) and a couple other odds and ends that I can’t remember at the moment.
This is where I show that while I might love to cook, I’ve never been on a farm. The peas? You had to shuck them. And I had no concept of this. When I finally did figure it out, I steamed them with some garlic and found that I couldn’t stop smiling until well after I’d eaten the last one. What we find in the market or frozen in a bag is no substitute for fresh. Those were delish!
The peaches and the plums however were rock hard. I ate one plum, just to say I did and then left the others on the counter. And again, here’s where you can tell I don’t know everything: I had no clue the fruit would continue to ripen. I happened to pick up a peach this morning to find that it’d gone from rock hard (as in you could hurt someone with that damn thing) to surprisingly soft. On the off chance that it’d be edible, I tossed both peaches and the remaining plum into my lunch bag this morning.
When I bit into the first peach, juice ran down my chin and I was happy there was nobody in the office. I squeaked and grabbed a napkin, but was absolutely shocked at the transformation of the fruit in my hand. It was deliciously juicy and the smell was like every poetry laced sonnet to the fruit I’d ever heard. It really was that damn good.
The lettuce will be part of a Triple Berry Salad tonight with a home made raspberry dressing, and the bell pepper and carrots you can see in the image were part of a stir fry on Sunday.
So. Let’s talk price. DtD offers up what’s called a “Bitty Box”, and for me, it’s perfect. It’s $23.00 a week and they deliver to your home or office. Now, for some $23.00 is a lot to pay, but when you consider I spend that much money on produce anyway, and it’s not nearly as good at the store as what I can get in this box… You be the judge. Seriously, check out the link and see what’s on plate for this week. And if you’re not up for the weekly box? They have it bi-weekly as well, and they also offer different sizes along with allowing for substitutions. Again, if you decide to give it a shot, let me know what you thought. I love feedback!
*_*_*
I don’t just cook and eat ya know. I read too! And one of my latest fave books comes from Joe Hill and the book is called Heart Shaped Box. It starts off slow, but once the main antagonist shows up…YIKES does it get going. There isn’t so much gore in this story as there are ideas of the gore, and that is actually pretty cool.
As a side note, if you get the audio book from Audible (and I’m assuming all other formats), the narrator does an amazing job of voicing the “ghost”. Just…trust me.
*_*_*
Imagine my surprise to find out that Detroit now has a “Cool Factor” Or, ya know, maybe I already knew it. When it comes to the Motor City, people enjoy dragging us down, talking about how much crime there is, how there’s corruption everywhere and so many other things it’s not even funny. And the television media plays that up. Who cares about the small neighborhoods that band together to take care of each other? They’d rather run stories on the East Side where there’s a drive by to keep things interesting. Seldom will you see anyone outside of Detroit talking about the good things we have going.
And what are some of the good things?
Neighborhoods still hold block parties and there are places where yes, we know our neighbors. We have our own gardens and we chat across our back fences and ask how each other’s day was. Kids can run up and down the street in areas and not have to worry too much. We take care of our own, watching out for each other and checking in on our elderly neighbors without robbing them.
In other words, we’re just like your area. Yes, Detroit has it’s problems, but so does everyplace else. But we also have our good points. I’m waiting for the media to latch onto that.
But I doubt they will. The good things about Detroit would never sell as well or draw as many viewers as Kilpatrick’s latest stint after all…
Catch ya later.
