On the GoGo

You have not heard much from me because I’ve been trying to fit second tier jet-setting in with doing five days worth of work in only three. The fun part is—I’ve been traveling a bit which, like cooking is something I find myself prioritizing into my life. This usually means that I sneak in long weekenders whenever possible. In fact, I started writing this in the air while considering the parallels between cooking and traveling. These are my musings:

1. Life fills up and the time (if not money) goes fast. You have to make travel happen. So, get it on the calendar (or in the budget). Once it’s there it becomes real and all the other activities fill in around it. You will not regret it. Do the same with dinner; plan on it because getting together with friends or family enriches us more than striking a few more things from our never-ending to-do lists.

2. Keep it simple except for special occasions. Doing something simple well is usually more spectacular than doing something grand. Think about it, when we plan that “trip of a lifetime” or a super involved menu there are a lot of expectations and with the bar set too high one of two things can easily happen; (a) We accept mediocrity because we have so much invested or (b) We are disappointed. Not good. Keeping it simple with travel can mean only visiting one city/neighborhood/street or not meeting up with everyone you may know in a particular place but only meeting up with the most intimate of friends. The simpler the ingredient list the more you will taste the flavor.

3. Bring only what you need, it will go further than you expect. I know someone who travels only with “outfits” and I see that as the same as shopping for exactly planned meals. Keep your packing light, preferably with a color theme so that you can mix and match your clothes. Do the same at the market, buy what interests you and then support that with other complimentary things i.e. potatoes+chives, strawberry+rhubarb, avocado+lime. Looking in your fridge or suitcase will be much easier to navigate when it’s not overflowing.

4. I will be frank about this one: airports are not fun. Some can be downright de-humanizing, so take whatever joys you can in the experience (true also for car/train/bus). For me that means remembering I can be whoever I want to be in the airport. Sometimes I am sporty chic, or dressy or flowing in a comfortable get-up but no matter what I see myself as the person that I want to be that day. Viewing myself as a character makes the whole thing a lot more fun. No matter which look I’m donning my characters all have similar traits: she talks little, is very efficient, complains little and is prepared but not overly so. My character remains calm. Before you call the headshrinker, hear me out on this one: Feeding oneself (or a family of selves) is not always fun. It can be stressful and sometimes feel a bit oppressive. However, looking at the bigger picture seems to make the effort worth pursuing. In life I believe in eating real food, the kind most often prepared at home. You may have your own mantra, just like you may have your own travel character, the basic idea is to keep in mind your greater awareness and implement it.

5. Enjoy the entire journey. For travel: Put on music while you pack, allow plenty of time, put on your headphones while walking at the airport (the first time I listened to Seam play Aloha Spirit while walking through the airport changed my perception permanently). By all means, think about food before you go (these photos are an example of what can happen if you don’t), I rarely have time to prepare something portable so stop by Zinc Café for a sandwich beautifully wrapped in white paper. The same idea, but applied to cooking: Put on music or a podcast before you even get your hands dirty, don’t fuss about time to the point that you don’t enjoy the process, have good tools (even if you only have three knives make sure they are always kept sharp). You get the idea—do whatever you can to enjoy the process.

6. Take it easy, relax and enjoy.

Now go somewhere and see someone you love (even if they are only in the kitchen).