I remember it vividly. I was lying on the pinkish-red, shag carpet,watching a television with a dial that you had to get up to turn. A woman in a commercial is about to burst through the living room door, carrying a tray of Rice Krispies. Before she enters the room where the husband and children sit in anticipation, she sprinkles a little flour on her face to make it look as though she has been slaving for hours. Her smile is bright, and she flashes the camera a knowing wink. The message, "tastes great and you don't even have to work for it".
The messages are subtle, but they are everywhere. Advertisers have inadvertently sold us on a cultural expectation. Cooking is a bother which nobody ought to have to endure.
It has never been my experience that cooking is a chore, for me it has always been a delight. The strong messages about how we are not supposed to enjoy anything that could be construed as work, are overwhelming at times. Christina has even been scolded by complete strangers in the elevator of our apartment complex for talking about work on a Sunday. Through the generation of voids and the desire to fill them, it seems we have forgotten how to love what we do.
Similar to selling whitening toothpaste, or eyelash lengthening medication, we have been sold our problems along with our solutions. This line of thinking was stirred in me this morning, when I went to the medicine cabinet in a sleepy daze and reached for a medication that a doctor suggested I take to help improve my calcium absorption. I read the side of the box,
"may cause blood clots, stroke, migraines, weight gain, potassium imbalances, and sudden death"
I have read it before, but somehow was desensitized to it's meaning. I reached for a glass of water. That is when the insanity of the statement hit me. Who is governing my life? Why is it so easy to accept the idea that something is wrong with my body that needs to be fixed? Would I follow the pursuit of health to the gates of sudden death?
I tossed out the medication, and began to ponder the various forces that guide my decisions. Often it is fear that causes me to grab hold of one idea or another, coupled with the desire to have an achievable goal. I could tackle a few crest white strips from time to time, and the fear of being unattractive to people is a pretty good motivator. Sometimes it is love that drives my decisions, as in, Catherine loves soups, and Everett loves lentils, Christina loves salads, and I love brown rice. This is how dinners are born.
Lentil stew
1 1/2 yellow onions, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 cups diced mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 stalks celery, diced
6 carrots, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
2 cups lentils, rinsed (various colors, if you can find them. I bought these at the farmers market)
6 cups water or vegetable stock
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp powdered ginger
a pinch of cayenne
Heat oil in the pan. Add salt and diced onions. Saute for a few min, then add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 40 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaf. Serve with crisp fried onion topping (optional).
Brown rice pilaf
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion
2 cups brown rice
3 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
Saute the onion in the olive oil with a little bit of salt. Add brown rice, and toast the rice until it releases a nutty aroma. Pour in the water, bring to a boil and reduce heat to med-low. Cook, covered, to desired texture (about as long as it takes for the lentils to be done).
1 1/2 cups diced parsley.
Mixed green chopped salad with apple and dried lime balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 avocado, cubed
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
juice from 1 lemon
1 Tbsp apple infused balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried lime
lemon zest
1 tsp french basil
salt and pepper
Whisk together and use to dress the salad. If the apple infused balsamic is not sweet enough, add a bit of honey to your dressing.
Christina's vote: "Damn good honeybunz"
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