Week 6: Reflections
[I started writing this post on February 4 but didn’t have time to finish. Add in some busyness and travel and here we are. Sorry for the outdated references and delay].
I hope you had an enjoyable Super Bowl Sunday experience, even if that didn’t include actually watching the game.
If you’re anything like me, the Super Bowl isn’t so much about the game or even the commercials; it’s about the snacks. I explained to my son, whose conception of holidays and important American festivities is severely lacking, that special occasions like the Super Bowl or Valentine’s Day or Christmas dinner or tax return direct deposit day are really just excuses opportunities to make what you really want to eat, despite the trouble and cost associated with its preparation. Take, for example, our Valentine’s Day dinner.
As a Times subscriber, I get access to the NY Times Cooking app and a corpus of culinary delights all in one convenient location. I cannot count the times I’ve found something to make or bake mid-spiral that wasn’t just a good distraction, but a good labor that inspired gratitude.
A mentor once told me that those who work with their minds need to rest with their hands. Fortunately for me, working with my hands in some sketchy kitchens and a food truck that was almost repo’ed by IRS agents WHILE I WAS COOKING didn’t force me to make that soul-killing shift from passion to profession, so I retained at least some small joy in working with the raw ingredients to make something delicious.
When my wife pulled a few donated steaks from the meat locker, we didn’t settle for the same old GSP and butter, heavy on the A1; Valentine’s Day permitted us an opportunity to zhuzh it up. Thus, Steak Diane.
That we value good food cooked well is what separates us from the beasts.
I’m mostly writing this digression from the usual programming because I got to deglaze the pan using brandy which meant, for at least 10 seconds, we were throwing caution to the wind and trusting our homeowner’s insurance. Was I aware when I first decided on the recipe that the use of fire and fuel was going to be an essential step in making our dinner? I did not. Was I going to back down? By no means.
One Month Reflections
I mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to write some reflections on the process of making this newsletter and establishing a consistent rhythm of writing. After scratching out a few thoughts, three questions rose to the surface that I think apply to a variety of endeavors and situations:
Is it sustainable?
Is it valuable?
Is it enjoyable?
Replacing the “it” with “writing this newsletter,“ I had a good starting point for my reflections. Seeing as reflection ought to motivate and facilitate some kind of tangible action, I’ve come up with three practical changes that I’m looking to make in future editions of this newsletter:
Eyes bigger than my stomach: I don’t consume nearly enough culture and/or entertainment to keep up the unrealistic, albeit self-imposed, quantity I set for myself in preceding posts. In a matter of just one month, I recommended nearly all of the books I read over the past three years worth recommending and the current books I’ve been able to work through on long drives and while unloading the dishwasher. The same goes for shows and movies [I can’t just recommend The Wire week after week, can I?] Going forward, the number of options will be fewer, but the menu will be better. The chef thanks you for your understanding. Which leads to my next change…
Quality over quantity: I’ll be honest. There are some real stinkers in previous newsletters because I felt obligated to meet a quota. Looking through the other posts, especially in the music recommendation section, I almost feel compelled to issue retractions…but what’s done is done. Sitting with one thing over the course of a week, or even a few months, changes your understanding and interpretation of the thing.
I read recently that William Faulkner once said, “I read [Don Quixote] every year–as some do the bible.” I have trouble imagining what kind of willpower and focus that would take, but I understand the intent. When you find that one thing you have no shame in absorbing as part of your identity because it has so profoundly altered your understanding of the human experience, you can’t help but go back to it. I’m hoping to direct you to the things that I think are worth going back to, even if just for an hour or week on an annual pilgrimage.Variety is the spice of life: One of the problems with cultural curation is there are a lot of voices out there you can listen to serving up exactly what you’re into right now. These voices have a place, especially when they’re accompanied by expertise, but as I mentioned elsewhere, I’m an aspiring generalist.
One of the founding reasons for this newsletter was to provide myself with a space to document the many artifacts I stumble across while surveying the sands of the cultural horizons. I ask, as your humble guide and site manager on this archaeological dig through literature, music, podcasts, and whatever else we find in the dirt, that you be open to reading, listening, and seeing with fresh eyes, ears, and mind.
See you next week.
Oh also, I’m changing the day this goes out to Sundays. I hope you take each catch into the week and find something to help it pass.
Ad meliora
If I put you on to something in this list, or you like what I’m sharing, tell me about it! If you like Wide Net, share it with friends or people you think would like it too.