Pandemic Reflection

Thanks for the Memories, COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world-wide population was under quarantine.  Since I couldn’t leave the house, I took the opportunity to clean, organize, and read, many of the things I had put off due to lack of time.  Now time was what I had.

As I was cleaning out one of my bookcases, the shelf with cookbooks caught my eye.  I sat down to peruse them.  What can be tossed and what can be kept? Just because a recipe is a yellowed, aged newspaper clipping from 50 years ago doesn’t mean that its dish isn’t still tasty.  Does it?

What’s this?  A 20-year-old letter.

Should I write to Connie and tell her I found her letter?  I saved it because she included a recipe in the middle.  I remember I really didn’t want the recipe; I was just being polite when I requested it.  I don’t think I ever made the meal.  She probably doesn’t remember who I am.  She might have moved and the address isn’t valid anymore.  What if she’s dead?

I tossed the letter away.

Look at this!  It’s a mimeographed booklet of recipes from the 1970’s. It cost $ 1.50!  I wasn’t even married then!  Yes, I remember buying this from my sister.  I see the names of 3 of her children.  They contributed some recipes.  Well, I can’t throw this away.

Ugh! What’s this?  Gross! ------ a dead hornet.

Now here are a lot of newspaper clippings from the Boston Globe. I used to read a column called “Confidential Chat,” regularly. It was full of helpful hints, advice, and recipes.  They were too yellow, folded too tight, the print was too small, and I have too many recipes.  Out, along with the hornet.

Remember the bread machine? Look, 5 books of bread machine recipes.  I think I gave the bread machine away. Well, I don’t need these cookbooks, anymore.

And here’s a binder of Microwave Times. Yes, I remember taking an “adult ed” course at the high school, when microwaves first came out.  I used to do a lot of cooking in the microwave.  I even made a turkey in it, also a pineapple upside-down cake. Now, I only use the microwave to heat up leftovers.  I’m keeping these and resolving to make some of these recipes.

It looks like I found what to make for dinner tonight, “Splendor in the Grass.” This recipe is from Dave Maynard. Remember him? A disc jockey on WBZ radio. Everyone in my family loved “Splendor in the Grass.”  It’s a relatively easy microwave recipe: sliced carrots on the bottom., chicken breast on top, covered with spinach, that’s it. The meal was decorated with sliced carrots.  That’s why it’s called “Splendor in the Grass.” The spinach is the grass, the carrots are the flowers, and the chicken is the splendor.

Well, I’ve wasted an entire morning gleaning through this one shelf.  And I’m still not finished.

Enough.

It’s noon and I’m still in my pajamas. 

Enough is enough.