Edible Voices
Editor’s note: The COVID-19 crisis has hit us all; we have been heartbroken, uplifted, unmoored. To help document the moment, Edible Jersey is sharing a few stories from our community.
EDIBLE VOICES
Pandemic Shifts
In a Crisis, Unexpected Ingredients Can Lead to New Discoveries
Editor’s Note: The COVID-19 crisis has hit us all; we have been heartbroken, uplifted, unmoored. To help document the moment, Edible Jersey is sharing stories from our community.
As a publicist for restaurants for the past 20 years, I experienced a seismic shift to my income – my clients shuttered their businesses due to the coronavirus – and an influx of a whole lot of time on my hands. There are no deadlines to meet, no calls to make, no gigs to get my clients. Even my responsibility for the household grocery shopping, a domestic chore I enjoyed as well as cooking, is no longer mine. Two past cancer surgeries that involved removal of lymph nodes resulted in lymphedema in my arm and leg leaving my immune system compromised. I am at high risk to Covid-19 virus.
My husband, Bob, dubbed himself our grocery-go guy. Ordinarily I would have protested, but with this unexpected event, I didn’t. Neither of us discussed this shift in our household responsibilities. Like two cooks on the line, one just stepped in for the other, seamlessly filling in and simply getting the dish out. Now, we tell each other to wash our hands, and neither of us gets annoyed by the frequent reminder. We exercise, read a lot and nap every day. After, I start on dinner.
My husband, Bob, dubbed himself our grocery-go guy. Ordinarily I would have protested, but with this unexpected event, I didn’t. Neither of us discussed this shift in our household responsibilities. Like two cooks on the line, one just stepped in for the other, seamlessly filling in and simply getting the dish out.
Bob, a runner, eats like a bird and is not that interested in food. In our many years together his contributions to our mealtime have been perfectly grilled hot dogs. Still, he appreciates my obsession with food and cooking, a passion I’m so nuts about that I cooked and catered for 75 guests at our wedding nine years ago. I loved every aspect of it – from planning the menu, to shopping, cooking and scheduling the event. Now I’m tackling our pandemic grocery list with the same zeal. My dinners for two weeks are planned out, my pantry and refrigerator inventoried, the grocery list broken down into departments (dairy, produce, international, baking), the number of each item needed.
For someone who never did our grocery shopping, Bob’s done an amazing job. But sometimes he makes mistakes, and sometimes the store doesn’t have the ingredients on my shopping list. This creates cooking challenges for me. It tests my skills and my ability to improvise. It is a welcome distraction from the disruption of my business and the collective sadness felt within our communities. I start searching for ways to cook with the unexpected ingredients and the lack of others. And we’ve made new discoveries.
Like the time he brought me six giant portobello mushrooms instead of six shitake mushrooms. I grilled the portobello mushrooms, red onion slices, chunks of red pepper. I topped the mushrooms with some melted mozzarella and freshly made chimichurri sauce (made from an abundance of cilantro, another happy accident) and served on grilled hamburger rolls. They were so delicious, the dish will be added to our regular dinner menu post-coronavirus.
Our days have taken on a new, slower rhythm as we read more and discover new dishes. We have discovered that our relationship is quarantine-proof. This is not a first marriage for either of us, but we both agree it’s the best. As I sit at my laptop with little to do, I look around at Bob’s paintings, creative expressions that burst from his imagination. There’s the Lincoln Tunnel, The Family and Lovers on the Beach. I ask, “How did I get so lucky?” Still, we have nowhere to go. We are in our 60s and are both high risk to Covid-19. I conclude: Life is difficult; love is powerful.
Once we get to the other side of this catastrophic event, I hope to start working for my clients again, keep my exercise routine and carve out more time to read.
And I hope Bob will agree to continue as our grocery-go guy.
The writer with her husband’s painting Lovers on the Beach in the background.
EDIBLE VOICES
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EDIBLE VOICES