September marks the beginning of Buy Nothing Month for Michael and I. Literally, of course, it would be difficult to actually buy nothing for an entire month - we need gas, food, and we have to pay our bills. I suppose we could subsist on canned chili and spaghetti from a jar for an entire month, but I am adamant about eating fresh vegetables and fruits daily, so that's definitely out of the question.
As this month starts, I am thinking about just how significant food is in my life. This weekend I have cooked tostadas with home-made tortillas, linguini with a lemony parmesan and olive oil sauce, fresh tomato salad, and, tonight, pizza. Ahhh, pizza. I adore it hot from the oven, topped with melted mozzarella di bufala and sweet summer tomatoes, with a sprinkling of freshly torn basil and rivulets of olive oil drizzling along the bubbly, charred crust. Home cooked pizza, for me, is the stuff of which dreams are made. Tonight Michael and I savored it with Belgian beer and an arugula and radicchio salad on the porch as the sun sank behind the trees.
The thing is, I would probably never make pizza if I had no one with whom to share it. In college I first made pizza in the dorm one day, passing out slices to anyone in the lounge who was willing. I love to cook, but not solely for myself. Somehow cooking is the one thing I can turn to when I want to encourage a friend, thank my parents, or give Michael something to look forward to after a difficult night at work.
Today I took the tostadas to a friend's place for lunch. At the mention of Buy Nothing Month she mentioned how, she, too, had been thinking about ways to save and still find time for friends, thinking that perhaps a monthly spaghetti dinner would be one way to do this. Food is so often the means to stay connected, regardless of social standing. It's comforting to think that I've had some of the best food of my life right here in my own home or the homes of family or friends, tonight's pizza being no exception. Best, as always, when served with good company.
1 comment:
Buy Nothing Month! What a fabulous idea. Seems like a good way to eat up dry and canned goods in the pantry and enjoy the things we already have. bravo, ruta. Is this going to be an annual occurance?
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