Returning to Food

Before I dive into today's post, I wanted to write a quick note on something that I heard on the radio today. On Studio 360 (NPR) this afternoon, there was an entire show talking about the elderly, and about how much we can learn from them. They were asking questions of some of these men and women who are well into their eighties, and they asked what kind of advice they would like to give to younger people. One elderly woman advised young people not to take everything in their life so seriously.

She said the words, "Not everything is a crisis. When you're young, you think everything is a crisis. But it's not true. As you get older, you learn that not everything is a crisis." YES. I love it. I feel like she validated the thoughts I was having just a week ago when blogging about the End of the World.

Ok... for today: As most of you know, I have had a week of intense dental activity. I have already learned my lessons about taking care of my teeth. I've been doing very well this week! And I plan to keep it up. But yes, this week has included 4 wisdom teeth extractions, a crown, and... a few fillings. (Don't shake your head at me. Each of us has our individual areas of weakness and brokenness. Yours might not be dental, but you've got areas too.)

So, for the most part this week, I have been taking it pretty easy in regards to food. Lots of jouk. Lots of soup. A couple poached eggs. And then yesterday, seared jumbo scallops on asparagus puree. And then tonight (thanks, CWang), braised short ribs, swiss chard, mashed potatoes, and frozen bread.

But today, I really wanted to return to food. Like, go and indulge in a few simple pleasures that I missed this week. Not that I eat these things every week, because I don't. I guess these were just cravings I had since I feel like I just got my mouth back after a week of quarantine.

So for lunch today... I ate a Filet-o-Fish sandwich from McDonalds. Delicious.

And tonight, on the way home from dinner, I stopped to get fro-yo with mochi topping. Delicious.

I wonder, after we move, what kinds of foods, I will be craving to eat whenever we return to the States for a visit. Right now, I'm thinking it would be an In-N-Out cheeseburger with grilled onions and fries well done. But what if it's something totally random and unexpected... like the Meat Lover's Scramble from Denny's? Or pita chips with Harry n' David onion and relish dip? Or raw broccoli with ranch dressing?

Makes me think I should cherish everything more now, since I don't know what I'll be missing until I'm missing it. This means food, sure, but probably also conveniences, simple pleasures, and then, of course... people.