a short explanation

Most people either have blog names that are self-explanatory, or they make a point of elaborating on them in the first post or two as a way of introduction. I guess I forgot to do that. Not like it’s especially profound or anything, but it does mean something to me, so I’ll write about it a little.

My kitchen counter is the center of my life. I feel most comfortable there. Growing up, it’s where my mom and I would talk through the events of our days; her with a glass of wine and me usually hovered over a big bowl of ice cream. By extension of those many nights, I’ve come to associate standing at my kitchen counter with the daily release of everything outside of “home”, of putting away work or school and having a few hours in my own element.

Now, it’s where I pour a glass of wine and open my mail after I’ve carried out my daily ritual of standing in front of the open refrigerator pondering what I can eat at that very moment that won’t ruin my appetite for dinner. I am forever standing in front of my open fridge. Sometimes I don’t even remember walking there, and yet there I am, reaching for the hummus.

It’s where I prepare my meals and sort my thoughts. Repetitive tasks like chopping and dicing are oddly therapeutic, and give my brain time to breathe and think about things I’ve put out of mind during the day. I can mindlessly cut up tomatoes and remember to pick up my dry cleaning or wish my friend a happy birthday. The steps to a recipe and my random thoughts intertwine in a stream of consciousness. Mince shallots and sauté in olive oil for two minutes, I wonder if it will be warm enough to run outside tomorrow, then add garlic.

And there are few things more rewarding to me than preparing a good meal, whether it’s the twentieth time I’ve made an old favorite or the first time I’ve truly gotten a new dish right. I look forward to lazy weekends when I can spend hours in the kitchen, perched at the counter with no time constraints.

It’s also where I invariably end up standing in the presence of company. I like to look out over it to the rest of my apartment and watch people making themselves at home, kind of like how my dog Bernie used to regularly sit at the top of the stairs and preside over the house. It’s my spot.

And it’s the first place I look when I can’t find something, because chances are I’ve recently left it there. Something else I am forever doing is losing things, especially keys and metro cards. So, in short, this blog is a reflection of thoughts I’ve had and things I’ve made while standing at the counter, or in some cases, in front of the fridge. And that's pretty much it.