September152009
9/15/09 - Salmon & Homemade Gnocchi.
Plated by my mother.
For one of the projects I launched at Workshop, I did some research on naked mole rats. When asked why these ugly-cute animals don’t have much hair, the National Zoo responds:
The underground tunnels they live in have a fairly constant temperature and humidity. If naked mole rats need to get warm, they huddle together. They don’t have to waste energy growing hair.
As I read this, I was immediately reminded of an account that had caught my eye in The Creative Habit:
Philip Roth…was a model of late-life rejuvenation, having produced in his sixties four remarkable novels in a row… Roth had pared his life down to the minimum number of moving parts. Near his desk he kept two small signs, one reading “Stay Put”, the other “No optional Striving” - reminders to avoid the temptation of anything other than the… essentials.
***
No unnecessary struggles.
Only essential striving.
- I ask this of myself from the beginning of each day.
To honor the naked mole rat spirit, I made gnocchi at the Bitbit Cafe during my apprentice hours. Those clever underground dwellers are known to dine
on tubers.
