It’s my birthday – the first day of the rest of my life. Deep breath. Born again this day when I woke up from sleep. Deep breath. Aha – a metaphor – how do I wake up today from the sleep of illusory life? Breathe.
Woke up wondering what to make for a “special breakfast” for myself today.
My recent “organic pumpkin spice latte”?
No. I opened my farmer’s basket of vegetables, and I see a bunch of greens, dark and leafy with green stems.
OK, I am going to make a green veggie broth – drink some and save some for
other recipes that need vegetable broth.
I pull out a handful, and it looks like “ta cai” -- a favorite of mine I have eaten many times in restaurants, often combined with winter bamboo shoots -- but never cooked at home.
Put the ta cai in a pot of hot water to cook.
Put some leftover organic brown rice in a pot with more water to make rice porridge.
The most fragrant and delicate scent of the ta cai wafted up from the steam. Breathe. Smile.
It smells so beautiful!
I could have put the ta cai with the brown rice to make a soupy vegetable porridge (reminds me of my dad who loves that shanghai soupy vegetable porridge).
I take out the ta cai and chop it up, to put into the porridge.
No, I am going to eat it with my hands, while it’s steaming, while it’s hot, right off the chopping board. Breathe. Delicious!
Pour the broth into a mug, color is like pale grass. Breathe. Drink. Warm. Smile.
I notice I am not doing my usual kitchen routine. No fancy cooking technique, no added seasoning or exotic ingredients, just the naked vegetable, broth, plain porridge, and me. It’s quiet inside. Breathe. Realize I am “reinventing the wheel” meaning, going back to ground-level basics, just one-flavor food.
If I cook the porridge a long time, eventually it will turn into rice pudding consistency, a favorite dessert. But I don't feel like adding sweeteners. Breathe.
I blend the hot rice porridge into “rice pudding” and pour it into a mug. Smile. Breathe.
I want to find some raisins in my rice pudding, so I put a few in. Watch them sink.
Sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Rice pudding in a cup.
Breathe
Taste
Smile
Breathe
Nice way to birth a new day.
Smile
Woke up wondering what to make for a “special breakfast” for myself today.
My recent “organic pumpkin spice latte”?
No. I opened my farmer’s basket of vegetables, and I see a bunch of greens, dark and leafy with green stems.
OK, I am going to make a green veggie broth – drink some and save some for
other recipes that need vegetable broth.
I pull out a handful, and it looks like “ta cai” -- a favorite of mine I have eaten many times in restaurants, often combined with winter bamboo shoots -- but never cooked at home.
Put the ta cai in a pot of hot water to cook.
Put some leftover organic brown rice in a pot with more water to make rice porridge.
The most fragrant and delicate scent of the ta cai wafted up from the steam. Breathe. Smile.
It smells so beautiful!
I could have put the ta cai with the brown rice to make a soupy vegetable porridge (reminds me of my dad who loves that shanghai soupy vegetable porridge).
I take out the ta cai and chop it up, to put into the porridge.
No, I am going to eat it with my hands, while it’s steaming, while it’s hot, right off the chopping board. Breathe. Delicious!
Pour the broth into a mug, color is like pale grass. Breathe. Drink. Warm. Smile.
I notice I am not doing my usual kitchen routine. No fancy cooking technique, no added seasoning or exotic ingredients, just the naked vegetable, broth, plain porridge, and me. It’s quiet inside. Breathe. Realize I am “reinventing the wheel” meaning, going back to ground-level basics, just one-flavor food.
If I cook the porridge a long time, eventually it will turn into rice pudding consistency, a favorite dessert. But I don't feel like adding sweeteners. Breathe.
I blend the hot rice porridge into “rice pudding” and pour it into a mug. Smile. Breathe.
I want to find some raisins in my rice pudding, so I put a few in. Watch them sink.
Sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Rice pudding in a cup.
Breathe
Taste
Smile
Breathe
Nice way to birth a new day.
Smile