Mixed Metaphor: The Silver Lining of Kitchen Nightmares

We've all experienced something like the following. You invite someone over, hoping to impress that person with a tasty meal. You plan, shop, and seem to have all your ducks in a row. Preparation begins and Murphy's Law rears its duck-like head: the vegetables are inexplicably infected with a mysterious mold visible only from the inside, the relevant piece of cookware has been rendered useless by all those years of careless abuse (remember: never use metal on non-stick surfaces and don't let them get too hot!). It is enough to make one resign oneself to lonely one-pot meals prepared in a Crockpot. However, there can be a silver lining to such so-called "disasters." Assuming your guest is a human being and not Gordon Ramsay such mishaps can be no less romantic than a dinner gone off without a hitch. In fact, in the grand scheme of things this is a low-stakes crisis (see previous Chef Ramsay link for caveat). It can be fun working through such episodes, and a bumpy start need not be an inauspicious sign vis-a-vis the rest of the night. A little improvising, perhaps a little assistance, and your meal can still turn out tasty. More importantly: having shared such an experience can make for an even more delightful evening and fond memories. So, don't let one apparent disaster scare you out of the kitchen. Make lemonade from these lemons (or panang chicken, as the case may be), and savor the results including the intangible ones.

Back?

Following a positive example, I have elected to deactivate my Facebook account. No, I have no profound reason for this, and no it wasn't internet drama that pushed me to amputate one of my digital limbs. I found myself asking myself "why do I have this [FB]?" too often. Finally, I practiced what I preach every semester in my Intro to Logic class and I thought seriously about the expected utility of having Facebook versus not having it, and not having it clearly won. I've no specific beef with social networking (after all, this blog is one form of that), but if you don't know why you've elected to bring some influence into your life, then chances are you don't need it and you may very well be better off without it. This is an experiment. I may decide to reactivate, but a week on the wagon and I've yet to be tempted. I am hoping that my productivity will go up as I have plugged one significant time-sink, and perhaps I will become more focused on managing my own business instead of being so concerned with so-and-so's latest status update and additions to one's photo album.

Life is good these days, relatively speaking. Yes, reading the news is soul-crushing, and following the GOP race makes me angry for yet unactualized possibilities, but taking the liberty to be a little self-consumed and evaluate life within my own sphere of influence, I can say that I'm currently content. Between achieving some level of security with my job and the introduction of new positive influences, the outlook is guardedly optimistic. Tyson and I may end up returning to Georgia together after all (though this may come at the cost of another summer with my summer teaching job). This was yesterday's big news. As with every summer, we are waiting to see what happens with his summer funding/opportunities and it may yet not work out (as it typically does not), in which case this cowboy may go it alone in that most wild of places, the Caucasus.

Spring is not far, which means more unethical grilling. For now I post a picture of my feast last night: kimchi fried rice with mushrooms served between caramelized Brussels sprouts and a beaten, fried egg.