The essence of all

 The lockdown has been in effect in one form or another for 10 months.  It’s now so much a part of life that it seems strange to watch a movie from “the before time” and see crowds, or people hugging and nobody wearing a mask- except medical staff or criminals.  I was wondering what things have changed, and which changes are likely to be permanent.  I had conversations with friends, snippets of which I recount, about this.

One friend, who is known for his traditional male outlook (cooking, except barbecue, is really for the woman to do) has perfected the art of sourdough bread making.  Now, I have been in the habit of making my own bread for a few years now, and I rarely buy bread,  but I haven’t tried making sourdough. I was amused at the upswing of sourdough bakers, and the flood of recipes, but not enough to begin feeding my own starter.  Besides, I’m not sure that my kitchen can accommodate a starter pack, when I have...

My stand mixer. It’s a lovely, “I am a real cook! Who can bake!” appliance.  At the moment, it gets walked from the cupboard to the counter a couple of times a week, but I see a reorganization upcoming.  Since I got it as a Christmas gift just before the pandemic started (and midway through chemo) I’ve used it to make several things. I feel like an authentic chef when I set it up, and I have to restrain myself sometimes, or I’d be waddling around the condo.  It’s encouraging me to dive into my collection...

of cookbooks.  My niece and I counted, and I had 78 cookbooks on my bookcase (39 Trinidadian, and the rest a mixture, ranging from the 1930s to fairly recent.) People ask me silly questions (yes, some questions are dumb and really should never escape your lips) like, “Do you use any of those books?  Why do you have so many? Why haven’t you shared with me?” (Answers: Yes, because I enjoy them and because you annoy me with stupid questions.) 🤪. More seriously, I collect Trini cookbooks, beginning with Sylvia Hunt up to Wendy Rahamut.  My most used are the Naparima (of course!  Both editions), and Wendy’s Modern Caribbean Cooking, which is delightfully creative.  But I’ve got special recipes scattered throughout the other 30+ books.  My niece allows me ONE new book per trip, but after we counted the collection last month, she’s rescinded her approval 😂 in part because I have even more in my bedroom there.😳🧐.  Anyway, with restaurants closed to in person dining (and takeout prices having almost DOUBLED, someone please explain that!) I’ve been trying various dishes.  Some are things I wanted to learn (cha sui pow, anyone?) and some, like from Don’s mother’s cookbook, had interesting notations so I had to try them. I’ve worked on some main courses, desserts, breads and pastries, and I’ve been sharing...

...with my niece by FaceTime.  Since she wasn’t able to come for the summer, we began our video cooking sessions.  She would decide what she wanted to learn, I’d have a delightful time researching recipes that could be managed by a novice, creating a full menu (appetizer, main, dessert and beverage) which could be done in under 90 minutes. We worked on meal preparation; marinades; balancing tastes and textures; learning basic techniques and what to do with leftovers (happily, there were never many of those except by design).  We covered dishes that could be easily adapted into a variety of meals, reducing the complaints of, “there’s nothing to eat!” while she learned how to make some of her favourites.  My dad is very excited with her progress and has been known to request particular items. We’re not smug, you’re smug!   Our regular video calls allow for more interaction (including things like homework help) and for relationship building with the baby niece and nephew.

I have to admit, I like the video chat paradigm.  For someone as sociable as I am, this enforced distancing is a brutal punishment. I’m not willing to risk an in person close encounter just because I miss people,  I’d rather wait until it’s safe again before I start hugging everyone.  Yes, I’m afraid of contracting this because I’m immunocompromised and I’m not in a hurry to meet God face to face.  So I’ll suffer from the isolation and give thanks for Don and Jerry, even after 10 months of seeing only them!  My boys are fabulous blessings.

When I was at university for my undergraduate in 1990/91, we talked a LOT about the “office of the future” (which is now). That office would be paperless, because everything would be on screen.  We would have reduced hours, because computers would reduce the repetitive work, so we wouldn’t need to spend 8 hours a day in the office.  We’d have more leisure time, and would spend less time in the office.And these things haven’t materialized as we thought. We still generate mountains of paper, although I think that it’s reduced somewhat (and when I was doing my undergrad, recycling wasn’t an option).  We work longer hours, and work intrudes into our leisure time.  This mass closure of offices led to an adaptation that, clearly, was all too possible.  The relative ease with which companies and the government were able to switch their staff from centralized buildings to remote work just underscores the concept that we could do better.

We also had moved our seniors into “care homes” away from families.  In some cases because they need more help than could be provided at home, sometimes because families lived far apart or because they were alone.  For years there were stories of neglect and abuse, which were largely ignored.  Stories of understaffed homes, which generated talk, and promises of improvement but little action.  The pandemic threw this into stark focus, as many deaths occurred in homes for the elderly.  The understaffing, which is now chronic and dangerous, put more people at risk.  There’s more talk, but now there’s also a brighter light on the problem.

  So perhaps we will be able to make the shift to reduced office hours and increased leisure time and improved quality of life.  Perhaps we’ll be more willing to care directly for seniors. It’s possible that these last 10 months have showed us how to prioritize things, and we’ll adapt to making our families and relationships a higher priority than consumerism or the office. Maybe we’ll pay more attention to the world, the environment and the quality of life than to making more money than we need or acquiring more stuff than we can use and we can reduce our waste?  Maybe we can take the steps we need to care for the vulnerable instead of pushing them to the periphery?  Maybe we can find the essence of life and make that the centre of our awareness?  Do you think that’s a real possibility, or am I dreaming?