"there's no hurry"

the food: home cooked

song: "Slow Down Old World" Willie Nelson

Well, SXSW 2010 is officially over. I had intentions of writing up what we saw/ate/drank/heard in detail. We truly had an amazing and memorable week. After Thursday (shorts!) my face was sunburned and smiling. Saturday night, my face was wind chapped from the cold front (aaghhh!), but still smiling. We caught up with friends and saw great music. All in all, it was a really wonderful week.

The last few days, though, I've just been enjoying my house. Being back in the noises, light, smells, and pace of my own kitchen. Chopping onions and listening to This American Life in the changing afternoon light (a method that works for me since almost every episode...happy or sad...makes me cry.)

Tonight, I gathered herbs from our window box for dinner. We had vegetable soup for our stuffed noses and sore throats (I'm telling you, this SXSW stuff is hard work). I'll spare you yet another soup recipe, but I think tonight has helped me realize why I write so much about soup. Soup might be my favorite food to cook. Each step is slow and reflective. You can almost taste it all coming together as you smell the herbs, onion, and zucchini first as you chop, then later as you add it to the pot. 

Soup is simultaneously simple and thoughtful. As I chop, I separate my vegetables into bowls based on when I'll add them to the pot. Hearty carrots and peppers in one. Delicate mushrooms and squash in the other. I contemplate when to add the garlic and if there's such a thing as "too many cloves." Even though it's just throwing a bunch of stuff into a pot, I love the process of soup. While it cooks, the house smells good and you have time to clean up your dishes. Or write. Or sip. Or all of the above. Making soup is almost as soothing as eating it.

Wow. I just wrote soup a love letter. Ira Glass is going to my head.

~eeg