Kitchen Dance

(first published KC Wellness 2008)

On Sunday afternoons this past winter (this long, cold, dreary winter) my daughter Claire and I could be found cooking up some warmth and inspiration in the kitchen. Steam rising, knives clicking, voices singing we would do-si-do around one another in our kitchen dance, stirring, tasting, seasoning our bubbling pots, filled to the brim. One such afternoon, in the midst of it all my granddaughter Isabella exclaimed with realization,"I was born to be farmer!"

Well, we are not farmers. We just like to play farm folk on the weekends. I do live on a few acres and love to garden and cook and engage my grandchildren when I can (come help me pile this wood. It is fun). Still, her mother and I found this comment pretty funny coming from a savvy, city girl. But city folk or no, she responded to the age old ritual of the hearth, which makes each meal shared with loved ones, a simple yet profound celebration.

My own memories of my mother were either in the kitchen, creating sumptuous meals, or at the piano, dishing out Debussy. She came from a family of artists. And great cooks. From my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother on down to myself, my daughter and now my granddaughters, painting, playing music, writing, gardening, sewing clothes or preparing meals are all opportunities for artistic and heartfelt expression.

The home cooked meal is becoming a lost art. Racing here and there Americans have turned to empty consumption, bought on the run, eaten on the run. Fast, convenient and mindless. No fuss, no bother. It is this bother, this waste of precious time, says writer Edith Schaeffer, which brings forth the most amazing results, the worth of which, is hidden from many. Her classic book, Hidden Art, examines the opportunities for artistic expression found in ordinary tasks throughout each day. It is through giving our awareness fully to each task that we discover ongoing opportunities for conscious and authentic expression, nourishing body and soul, friends, families and community.

When creating edible art it is helpful to broaden one’s palette of ingredients. Get to know a parsnip. The wider the range of ingredients the richer the tastes. And it is better for your health. According to Chinese medicine using the five colors and flavors in each meal nourishes the organs as it pleases the senses. So get to know the many, colorful vegetables in the produce section which often baffles the nice check out lady asking the ongoing question, "...and what is this?" "Why, it’s a butternut squash. Get to know one."

Making the choice to get better acquainted with vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains also enables one to eat less meat. Meat is the most resource intensive food produced on the planet, requiring huge amounts of water, grain and land. A pound of beef requires approximately 12,000 gallons of water to produce, compared to 60 gallons used for a pound of potatoes. Most meat is full of hormones, antibiotics and pesticide residue which not only pollutes the body, but the soil, air and water as well. Eating less meat is a green move for yourself, a green move for the planet. Get to know a cabbage. It has the fiber you need, which meat lacks, to remove waste and toxins and clean up cholesterol.

Carlos Castaneda writes, "There is no emptiness in the life of a warrior. Everything is filled to the brim. Everything is filled to the brim, and everything is equal." I think the same can be said of a farmer. Even a city farmer.
Let us teach our children well. To fill pots and life to the brim.


Footnote:
Acknowledgements to Kathy Hale who choreographed a jaunty dance called Kitchen Dance back in the day at City-in-Motion....ladies and lassies dancing with bowls and spoons and do-si-dos around the stage. Good stuff!
Also....here is a recipe for a very simple dish - glazed carrots - an old time dish that can go with anything, cheap, easy, delicious.

Glazed Carrots
take a bunch of carrots, scrub or peel
slice them (I like to slice diagonally to please the eyes)
saute for a few minutes in butter or olive oil or combo (me and Julia like butter)
add either some tarragon or some fennel seed ....salt a bit and taste
squirt some lemon juice onto carrots...let it sizzle for a bit
add a dollop of maple syrup or some brown sugar
Voila!
Taste and adjust to your liking.....
Colorful, easy, yumtum goodness
Enjoy!