The Rituals of Victuals

I’ve set up this website for a number of reasons. One is to be a source for recipes and inspiration for dads (and others) who like to cook. The other is to help me remember what I’ve eaten for breakfast (and lunch and dinner).

There’s a New Yorker cartoon by Bob Mankoff that shows a lone diner at a restaurant saying to the server, “Waiter, I’d like to order, unless I’ve eaten, in which case bring me the check” (you can see the drawing here). I’m not quite that bad—I always know when I’m hungry—but I identify with the absent-mindedness, and it leaves me feeling hollow.

So it was with the eagerness of a high-school-English student discovering Fitzgerald that grabbed onto a passing colleague’s comment the other day. I was at the coffee station at work, and I saw an odd sight for that stark office setting: a fancy immersion blender. I was keen to strike up a conversation with its operator, having once written a paean to the device.

I asked him what he was doing with it. He was frothing his milk for his coffee. He explained his methodology (froth first, then microwave) and, perhaps feeling self-conscious about the equipment, added a quip. “It’s important to ritualize your drug habit, because otherwise it wouldn’t be sacred.”

I don’t know about drug habits, but I’m all for making the everyday bit more sacred. I’m hoping the ritual of writing about my adventures in the kitchen sanctifies the experience. And that provides an inspiration for others.