10 Albums for 1 Cent!
Over the last several weeks we've been engaged in an experiment. We were introduced to Home Chef by my sister-in-law, one of those meal services where you get shipped a box of ingredients to create a meal. For the cost of a nice night out at a mid-priced dining establishment, we get three nights of meals. Despite its slightly pyramid scheme feel (
if you want a $30 coupon for a first trial, let me know), and the lingering resonances of the old Columbia House 10 albums for a penny postcards that counted on the ambivalence of thousands of pre-teens to never bother to cancel the subscription and thus harnessing an entire generation of parents into paying off the debts garnered from the early vestiges of a vinyl collection.
If I remember correctly, my first order contained Santana, Simon and Garfunkel, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Sheena Easton, The Talking Heads, Huey Lewis and The News, The Stray Cats, a Chipmunks album for my brother, the J. Geils Band, and maybe The Police? I was eclectic even then.
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Embellished Ramen
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Anyway, our modern permutation of the Columbia Record Club brought this week a parmesan crusted chicken with a balsamic vignette salad, Baja fish tacos, and spinach and artichoke chicken flatbread. None of these meals are anything I would ordinarily cook in my kitchen, but despite that, in general, our meals have been pretty good, to quite good, but with a definite lean towards cheese and saltiness. It is very much like an average American has moved into my kitchen and taken over the menu selection. I've never used so little garlic in my entire adult life.
But it is also refreshing. After 134 days of mostly eating at home except for the occasional takeout meal, I've exhausted my natural go-to meals. I don't think I can have another tofu, squash, mixed vegetable stir-fry for a long time. Even my marinated grilled chicken feels tired and wanting. I was reading an article someone wrote about decision fatigue, and that is one of the wonderful things about the meal in a box idea, it really simplifies the question of what is for dinner! I finished work around 6:30 tonight and realized it was my turn to cook. While I have aspirations of planning meals days in advance and procuring all the ingredients I might need on Sunday, when we usually go to the grocery store, that rarely happens, and when it does happen, it is typically for one meal cooked on Sunday night.
This was never an issue in the pre-pandemic world. I used to stop at the grocery store almost every evening on the way home from work. If I had an idea for something for dinner, I'd look up what ingredients I needed, and if I couldn't think of anything, I would sometimes just wander the aisles until I got inspired. Even that was a relatively new phenomenon... the post parenting foraging for food. When the kids were home, it was imperative to have all the staples and deep reserves. But, post-kids-at-home-parenting, pre-pandemic, I tended to just buy what we would eat in a day or two.
Of course, all that changed once the pandemic hit. Like everyone else, I suddenly bought five pound bags of potatoes, most of which sprouted. I bought a stockpile of split pea soup, a large emergency rations supply of miso soup, large multi-packs of ramen, beans (so many beans), and of course, toilet paper, when we could find it. I even seriously considered installing one of those fancy Asian bidets with the robot spray functions, but one of the cats seems to use the toilet as a fountain and scuffs up the toilet seat with her claws, so I have put off that idea... for now.
What all this stockpiling did, at first was engender a whole new embracing of the Instant Pot that my brother got me for Christmas one year. I was making chili, shredded chicken, split pea soup (yeah, I know, I had the cans too), and what ever else I could put in the instant pot. But then what settled in was a weariness. One of my fears of COVID-19 is the threat of losing my sense of taste and smell, but even without the symptoms of disease, I started feeling those effects and suddenly I couldn't stomach the thought of more fried tofu. Even my attempts to perfect the perfect spare ribs recipe became an exercise in tolerance. How many ribs can one person eat anyway?
So, for the time being, Home Chef has become our pandemic partner. And while not every meal is an instant hit, and it isn't really a substitute for the great restaurants of the Pioneer Valley, and there is all the trash and recycling of the packaging, at least for now, it is one of those things that make life a little more tolerable and a little less anxious. It is like training wheels for someone who is on the path to becoming more planned out with their meals.
I was just struck with the memory of chef's class in high school. It is very much like chef's class in high school, where between English and history, I went down to the home economics wing and made spaghetti sauce, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and other such staples that I probably have never made since. But I always enjoyed the class, and it was great to go to my next class carrying a warm cinnamon roll in my pocket.
Well, I hope we all have our own version of Home Chef in our lives somewhere. Whether that is letting Spotify choose your music, following the path of Audible's latest selections, or just following the most recent recommendations for Netflix viewing. It is ok, sometimes, to follow the simpler path. I also recognize that is a privilege, something Donaldo Macedo in the forward to the 50th anniversary edition of Pedagogy of the Oppressed would lambast as a figment of the neo-liberal fantasy. And so it is with a little embarrassment that tomorrow I will eat my Baja fish tacos.
Peace and be well,
Leo
From Our Friends:
From Mass Humanities:
Mass Humanities 2020 Support Grants: Deadline Aug. 10
The culture, knowledge, critical perspectives and civic potential of people within marginalized communities are at greatest risk during the COVID-19 crisis. This summer, Mass Humanities will offer operating support grants of up to $5000 to organizations that have primarily served these communities, engaging them with humanities-based programs such as community story collection and conversations; discussions of books, art, media, music or history; civic conversations; cultural heritage; or programs that teach foundational humanities skills like ESOL or understanding citizenship.
The application opens on July 22 and closes August 10, 2020. Organizations are eligible if they are a Massachusetts non-profit organization with annual operating expenses below $3 million, meet the description of serving a marginalized community through humanities activities, and are not a government agency, university or department, library, school, pre-school, or political, advocacy or religious organization. Current grantees are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to organizations with operating expenses under $300,000 and organizations that collaborate with the community they serve. The application is fairly short and easy to complete. Funds must be spent by June 15, 2021, and a brief final report is due on Sept. 1, 2021.
Read the grant guidelines and sample application here. They are available in English and Spanish. We hope you will consider applying for, or sharing, this opportunity.
Have questions? Email grants@masshumanities.org
Today's Online Teaching Tips:
From EducationAdminWebAdvisor:
Tips for Preparing for and Teaching Your Live Online Video Class Lesson Friday, July 31 3:30 PM Eastern; 2:30 PM Central; 1:30 PM Mountain; 12:30 PM Pacific Veteran educator Dr. Robert Hill will show you how to prepare live online lessons infused with the best instructional practices. You will learn how to ensure that your students will get the most from your online synchronous instruction. Please join us! | | |
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