The Rutting Season

I don’t know if April is truly the cruelest month. I’ve always liked this time of year, with its seasonal transitioning from winter to rejuvenation. However. It’s also a time, when, for some reason, I seem to fall into a rut. The cooking seems to get a bit routine and monotonous. I’m not finding much new in the market to pique my creativity (except for immature green garlic which is a total wow). And our soul food menu starts to feel a bit too staid and unimaginative.

What does one do to get out of these ruts?

It’s not a rhetorical question, actually. Trying to figure this out in real time.

I remember reading this article way back, about the sorts of activities one might consider as a type of counter point to your avocation. Something to take your mind and body to a different place entirely, creating better balance as well as enabling you to return to your primary occupation renewed and refreshed.

I can’t find that article.

Were we not in a long-term pandemic, I might consider visiting a few cool restaurants here in Tel Aviv. But that’s pretty much out, even as the latest lockdown seems to be over. And even so, it’s hard to find places here in this foodie capital that surprise and delight. Forays into the market are almost always inspirational. But the season right now is in transition, and the market holds very little in the way of ah-has. My tried-and-true go-to approach in these doldrums is to focus on refining a particular cooking technique: sauteeing or braising or roasting, etc. The focus here is less on any specific dish and more on the macro gestalt. And that’s probably where I’m headed, my default.

For now, though, I’m off to the boathouse to row. No space in the mind for cooking when, with every stroke, you’re trying to maintain simple balance.