Ep. 3: The one where he hunts and gathers
One of the most prevalent dichotomies during this crisis is scarcity and abundance. Constant worry that there isn’t going to be enough, while also wanting to do right by your neighbours and not take too much. Garages filled to the roof with Purell and empty shelves with the ghosts of toilet paper past come to mind. I haven’t been to a shop since any rules were put into place. While the experience has no doubt become way more tense, it seems as though the grocery store anarchy that marked the start of all this has passed. At least, that’s what I’m told. My Heroic Max has been doing all our shopping.
He braves the wild to hunt and gather the long list of ingredients I’ve neurotically planned out. Waiting in lines among the other tense, gloved, and masked customers, all hoping to get their hands on items they too need for their week’s breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. We have no strategy in our shopping. Max isn’t grabbing all the non-perishables and instead sets his sights on fresh produce and all the essential aperitivo fixin’s. This won’t help us if things get apocalyptic. We’ll be holed up with a whole lot of oat milk, fighting over the last olives and chips, about to tuck in to a salad we tried to freeze.
Having high and specific hopes for our meals feels so necessary right now, though. Whether it was the cheddar biscuits we made to accompany an egg-y, tomato-y brunch we’ve fallen in love with, the homemade fettuccine we devoured in one sitting, or the psycho delicious banana bread we miraculously made last for a whole 6 days, food has been keeping us going in more than just the way Maslow intended. It’s something to look forward to.
Last night (and the night before) we shared deep feelings of love for the Four Bean Salad and Pickle-Brined Chicken with Fresh Za’atar we made from Dining In. Thankfully Max was able to secure all the ingredients we needed - green beans, tons of parsley, and he even got the very last chicken breasts the store had. Our very lucky chickens were supposed to be brined using buttermilk, but Alison said pickle juice was okay, we had a comically huge jar of Moishes pickle juice sitting there unused - yada yada yada - it worked real nice. This is why the recipes from this book are so perfect, especially in this situation. Alternative ingredients can easily be called off the bench and subbed in.
This one is sure to become a summer supper MVP. Zesty, fresh, and juicy as hell. We ate (taking breaks between mouthfuls to praise the tastiness) as we counterbalanced our choked back tears with our loud guffaws while watching the Schitt’s Creek series finale. As we finished our plates and the show wrapped up forever we were all too aware of good things coming to an end. Thank God for dessert, or this could have ended on a real bummer note, right?
