Day 37, April 22, 2020

Dreaming of Pickles

I suppose I'm on a culinary kick. Perhaps that's one of the side effects of a pandemic quarantine. Today I splurged and opened the little bottle of cold brew coffee I had in the fridge since the pandemic started. I originally purchased it for a meeting at the college. For some meetings, I'll go to the bookstore, or if I have time in the morning, stop at the Co-op and buy some drinks and snacks, maybe a box of pastries. This was one of the leftover drinks that didn't get chosen and it sat in my office fridge until it was time to leave and I decided to take it with me. 

My delicious coffee.

So this morning, instead of my usual black tea, I filled a tall glass with ice, made a single serving of simple syrup, mixed that with the cold brewed coffee, and topped it with slow drizzle of half and half. It was wonderful watching the hue change, and then I gave it a little twirl with a chopstick and presto, my own beautiful fancy coffee drink. I actually don't really get fancy coffee all that often, but what a pleasure it was. I'll have to do something similar more often.

Another thing I've been dreaming of is my mom's pickles. Growing up in a Korean household, there are all manner of dried and pickled things, many varieties of kimchee, radishes, sesame (perilla) leaves, and other things. For some reason, one of variety of pickle sticks out in my memory, a more common cucumber variety, but soaked in a soy sauce and vinegar brine along with a jalapeño pepper. Just the thought of it makes my mouth water, the perfect ratio of tart and spice to conjure up my mom's kitchen, and the little banchan dishes that accompanied every meal. Koreans have a lot of simple pickled vegetables, or not even really pickled, but flavored. But these are a kind of quick pickle that brings joy to my soul. It nourishes something vital, and suddenly I realize I have not had one in so very long.

Once, when the kids were still little, my mom sent us home with a jar, and for months afterwards we continually added new cucumbers to replace the ones we finished, and in that way the brine lived on, like a generations old sourdough, until it eventually disappeared.

I wonder if we miss more deeply, the things we can't have, the things from a distant past. In college, I spent a summer taking classes at Trinity College in Dublin, and on weekends I would hitchhike across the countryside pursuing Yeats poems. On the side of the road I came across a small teahouse that seemed to be built into the side of a hill. At least that's how my mind remembers it, like a hobbit hole... but more likely it was just a little cottage pressed close to a little hill. There was a little white fence out front and I had to walk through a little latched gate to get to the door. I was the only customer, having walked for the past several miles on an empty road. A woman greeted me with a little pot of tea and the very best scone I have ever eaten. It is hard for me to even describe, but it was the perfect proportion of crumbly, buttery, sweetness dotted with currants, and maybe walnuts. I don't know if I will ever encounter a scone like that one again.

In a rural saloon-like diner in Whitefish, Montana, I had the best strawberry shortcake I have ever had. I never even knew I liked strawberry shortcake before that instance, and why would a far off the beaten path place like Whitefish, Montana have the best strawberry shortcake on Earth, I have no idea. The strawberries were fresh as if they came straight off the farm. The whipped cream was home made and decadent. And the biscuit was perfect, like a confection for the gods. Why can't all desserts have such a resounding resonance. 

And closer to home, at the Alvah Stone in Montague, there used to be a dessert called the black bottom-something-pie. I can't even remember the full name, but among a whole menu of decadent foods, it was a marvel. The crust was the perfect pie shell with a hint of something like crushed Oreos, only better. I remember creamy mousse, something like that. The dessert chef ended up leaving the establishment and took her pie with her. Woe to all who never had the chance to experience such a delight.

Ah, I have to take a moment to collect myself. 

This morning, one of my daughters shared a Neruda poem, "Keeping Still." Here's an excerpt:

If we weren't so single-minded

about keeping our lives moving

and could maybe do nothing for once

a huge silence might interrupt this sadness

of never understanding ourselves,

of threatening ourselves with death;

perhaps the earth could teach us;

everything would seem dead

and then be alive.

Ah. That. I am lucky to live on this Earth where I can read a thing like that, eat a thing like a spicy pickle, drink a marvelous coffee concoction. May we all have moments of quiet, and live for many more experiences with wonderful travels, and delicious memories.

Love to you all,

Leo

Last night's Day After Patriot's Day Turkey Dinner

From Our Friends

From Yves Salomon-Fernández:

A virtual summit for arts and culture leaders committed to building equity (April 24-26th).

From the Human Rights Campaign:

Join the virtual graduation ceremony to honor the LGBTQ+ high school and college class of 2020 on May 8th at 4PM.

From David Makinster:

We are not all in the same boat, we are all in the same storm. Some boats are having a harder time staying afloat. "For many college students, online learning during coronavirus is far from a new normal."

From Tony Reiber:

In the GCC greenhouse, is the Buddha's Hand citrus which has taken 7 years to fruit! Thank you to Tony for his patience and devotion. Like our students, sometimes it takes time to witness the marvelous transformation.

Today's Online Teaching Tips:

From Harvard Business Publishing:

"10 Ways to Help Your Students Cope with the Transition to Virtual Learning" I particularly like, give voice to the trauma of what is happening, recognize the psychological impact of screen-only learning, and trust your students.

From Anne Wiley:

One resource I found helpful was attending webinars by ACUE.  How to use zoom, how to do micro lectures, how to encourage reading.  You can find all five videos of their professional development  at: https://acue.org/online-teaching-toolkit/