Dan Sebagainya

I was in a grumpy mood a couple days back, and was even grumpier when Zumba didn't seem to be alleviating the irritation. What DID help, however, was when were in the middle of a song that required us to do a specific hand movement, and I accidentally hit myself in the forehead. It hurt and annoyed the shit out of me for two seconds, but then I had to concede with a rueful snort that I was getting pissy for no reason and maybe smacking myself in the head was what I needed to rise above my grumpy cloud.

I've become reacquainted with the stationary rowing machine at the gym, and for some reason, I like it very much at the moment. There is an almost meditative quality to just lightly rowing over and over again, allowing me to zone out or have my thoughts wander along as I cruise nowhere. Before finishing up my time at the gym, I find myself thinking "Oooh, let's go rowing!", as if I were donning a nice spring outfit, about to go out for a leisurely row on the lake that borders my property, instead of going on a stationary rowing machine.

You know what makes me happy? Food. My cooking leaves much to be desired, and I'd be the first to admit that that whole 'balance of taste' thing still eludes me, I still have trouble figuring out a good mix of coffee grounds, creamer and sugar to make a cup of coffee, apatah lagi balancing out the saltiness, sweetness, and sourness of a dish. Which is why I cook following recipes, rather than going with the flow and tossing in things that seem logical. But I thoroughly enjoy exploring the unfamiliar, albeit slowly. What have I learned so far on my culinary endeavors? That I really like couscous. Totally smitten. And I dig eating firm tofu as is, I snack on it as I'm cutting it up into pieces to cook. Same goes with tempeh(shout out to Kelly, the original tempeh queen! She got me hooked). Greek yoghurt is a rich and creamy as they rave, but I don't know, its tang is a bit too much for me, I think I'd choose regular plain low-fat yoghurt over it. I also now have cumin up there as one of my go-to spices. And quinoa is nice and nutty and so far my favourite way of eating is is via stir-frying it with some fish sauce and soy sauce. And soba noodles! I LOVE soba noodles!

I'd like to believe that exploring foods and cooking more has made me better appreciate food in general. I try to remind me to eat more slowly and to properly savour the food. Which I fail at sometimes, there are still moments where I gobble down, but I always regret it afterward, and I feel unsatisfied and sad over an opportunity of enjoyment lost.

Today in the kitchen I have a tub of fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes, and a loaf of ciabatta. Needless to say, I'm excited to have lunch later. What shall it be? Bruschetta? Caprese salad? No idea. But I am having it for lunch! And it shall be good! Because you can't go wrong with tomatoes and mozzarella and basil and nice crusty bread!