My wok is my key pot. I bought it in London when I was working as a barmaid in Covent Garden for 15 quid a week back in the early 70s. I was renting a bedsit in Archway and a Chinese couple lived across the landing. We had a shared stove there. The sink was in the loo downstairs. The electric meter was in my room so they developed a habit of popping in to feed it. I would be greeted with have you eaten? Within weeks, I was eating with them when I wasn't working or at college and learned from Suet-Ying how to cook in the Chinese manner. The wok went with me from bedsit to bedsit and eventually to three different houses in the Cambridge, MA area. The rule in house hunting is that I must have gas so I can use my wok.
I've been in my current house for 8 years, the previous one for 10, and yet I still have a visceral reaction to the idea of moving, having been uprooted on average every 18 months for my entire life to that point. It's made me a terrible packrat, wrapping myself in possessions so that everything is familiar even when I can't remember where the light switches are.
I love this post, the idea of cooking in a place to domesticate it is very familiar to me. Also, it makes me think of one of my favourite books, Banana Yoshimoto's The Kitchen.
Been doing lentil soups like this for years. I also like to brown pieces of chicken in a pan and add it to the stew when adding the lentils and just let is finish in the stew until it’s falling off the bone. It’s always a hit and never disappoints.
What a beautiful story about your adorable pot and the longing for things that bring pleasure including the earthy lentils in home away from home. I loved your story, and it made me miss and appreciate all my relatable stories that bubbled up while reading. Lots of love and olive oil - Angela
I love this, I can definitely relate to this feeling after living at so many different rental places. Cooking is definitely what grounds me somewhere. After all, home is where I can cook. By the way, I love this kind of lentil stew, will try your recipe soon :)
My wok is my key pot. I bought it in London when I was working as a barmaid in Covent Garden for 15 quid a week back in the early 70s. I was renting a bedsit in Archway and a Chinese couple lived across the landing. We had a shared stove there. The sink was in the loo downstairs. The electric meter was in my room so they developed a habit of popping in to feed it. I would be greeted with have you eaten? Within weeks, I was eating with them when I wasn't working or at college and learned from Suet-Ying how to cook in the Chinese manner. The wok went with me from bedsit to bedsit and eventually to three different houses in the Cambridge, MA area. The rule in house hunting is that I must have gas so I can use my wok.
I've been in my current house for 8 years, the previous one for 10, and yet I still have a visceral reaction to the idea of moving, having been uprooted on average every 18 months for my entire life to that point. It's made me a terrible packrat, wrapping myself in possessions so that everything is familiar even when I can't remember where the light switches are.
I love this post, the idea of cooking in a place to domesticate it is very familiar to me. Also, it makes me think of one of my favourite books, Banana Yoshimoto's The Kitchen.
Ooh I must read that!
Been doing lentil soups like this for years. I also like to brown pieces of chicken in a pan and add it to the stew when adding the lentils and just let is finish in the stew until it’s falling off the bone. It’s always a hit and never disappoints.
What a beautiful story about your adorable pot and the longing for things that bring pleasure including the earthy lentils in home away from home. I loved your story, and it made me miss and appreciate all my relatable stories that bubbled up while reading. Lots of love and olive oil - Angela
I love this, I can definitely relate to this feeling after living at so many different rental places. Cooking is definitely what grounds me somewhere. After all, home is where I can cook. By the way, I love this kind of lentil stew, will try your recipe soon :)