Smooth

Last night I went to a fall cocktail pairing at the neighborhood restaurant around the corner. This is the second dinner they’ve hosted. The first one, I was there for the beverages, and this one for the food. I appreciate the balance of a cocktail, the effort to harmonize ingredients and create a swallow that is...smooth.

I don’t make many cocktails, but I do think about this as I cook, of course. Samin Norat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat comes to mind. I wonder what parts of a life these elements might resemble and if they together might result one that feels smooth.

Salt might be the feel of a bath or shower, the folding of your towels, taking out the trash, honoring your citizen duties and commitments.

Fat is love, of course. The wave from your neighbor. The tenderness of your love’s gaze, the snuggles of your littles (all species). Even recognizing the distress of a stranger and that you can ease it with an offering. Grease me, exalted ones.

Acid is brightness, the light, the open-eyes, the awareness that comes as we go. What an essential element. We feel a little numb when it is not there. A little dull. It can rescue a thing, many things.

Heat, well, that is the source. It is you. Your breathe. Your experiences. Your stories. You are the artist, chef, barista, writer, architect of these elements. Does your life need more salt, more fat, more acid, more of you?

You are free to make any adjustment you need today so that your life tastes delicious to you. So that it is what you crave to eat today.