Ode to the Onion

Pablo Neruda

I have to share with you the most beautiful poetry of Pablo Neruda, Ode to the Onion. Neruda fans will know it and PovertyFood fans will appreciate it. Neruda himself clearly understood the concept of poverty food.

Enjoy...

Ode To The Onion by Pablo Neruda


Onion,

luminous flask,

your beauty formed

petal by petal,

crystal scales expanded you

and in the secrecy of the dark earth

your belly grew round with dew.

Under the earth

the miracle

happened

and when your clumsy

green stem appeared,

and your leaves were born

like swords

in the garden,

the earth heaped up her power

showing your naked transparency,

and as the remote sea

in lifting the breasts of Aphrodite

duplicating the magnolia,

so did the earth

make you,

onion

clear as a planet

and destined

to shine,

constant constellation,

round rose of water,

upon

the table

of the poor.

You make us cry without hurting us.

I have praised everything that exists,

but to me, onion, you are

more beautiful than a bird

of dazzling feathers,

heavenly globe, platinum goblet,

unmoving dance

of the snowy anemone

and the fragrance of the earth lives

in your crystalline nature.

The distance of food

The question of "what is enough" comes to mind more and more as I live in France. Back home, I have family who live in fabulously large homes and take vacations that are even bigger. Buying food is like a bulk purchase expedition where the smallest of packages would very likely pass for "family size" in France. Believe me, I think the American way is the best and most fruitful in all ways. Except, sometimes, I wonder to what extent we sometimes miss what food really tastes like in the ease of accessing it.

The recent volcanic eruption in Iceland reminded me oddly enough of this. It strangely brought my walk in Spain on the Camino de Santiago back to mind. How easy travel is these days vs walking the earth or travelling by boat. The 100 or so kilometers that I walked in Spain seemed and indeed was very gruelling at times. Confronting the elements, the terrain and my own limitations showed me exactly what the word "distance" meant. It was a strange and almost annoying feeling to have boarded a bus afterward, to go back to where we started to catch the train, and realize that what took us four days on foot, took us about 45 minutes by bus.

I think the same is true for food. That is to say, we forget what it takes to produce food and what consuming food really is about when it comes wrapped in plastic, artificially refrigerated and easily obtained for very little money. Again, that is preferable to struggling and starving and anyone who tells you otherwise are full of garbage. Yet, when was the last time we though about the time it takes to grow a head of lettuce? Or how that rice that only costs about a dollar a box is actually grown?  Or the egg...the humble egg...if one kept hens and cultivated them, fed them, kept them healthy, defended them against the foxes, one might have, I dare say, a bit more respect for the humble egg.

Food, like travelling, it done at top speed these days. A volcano can bring it to a screeching halt and help us to remember the meaning of time, distance and how easy we really have it these days. So, savor and appreciate your food. Take the time to remember where it comes from. How long it takes to grow and be appreciative of how easy it really is to obtain. And grow some yourself, even if just a small planter of herbs on your windowsill. You will feel much more connected and appreciative of what you have. It's a good feeling. Bon appetit!

A simple thrill

There are simple thrills in life. Today I discovered one that is simply delightful. I learned how to make cheese.

Being in France has given me a chance to explore some of these age old arts, but ones that I never ventured to try before. Growing up in the Midwest one would have thought that these kinds of skills would have been passed on. But my parents were of the space age generation. They wanted everything new and store bought and wrapped in plastic or aluminum. Plus my mother was always afraid she would somehow manage to poison all of us if she tried her hand at things like making preserves or canning. And cheese making! Forget it! Milk? Cream? Those can “turn” too easily.

But cheese making is natural and safe. There is no need to be an expert artisan cheesemaker in the hills of France to create a delicious, homemade, gourmet cheese for next to nothing. So, here is the simple recipe I used to make a batch, albeit a small one, of simple cheese.

1 Cup of whole milk
On small individual container of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste

A few coffee filters
A few deep coffee cups


All you need to do is heat the milk until a few small bubbles form, add the yogurt and stir until you have a smooth liquid consistency. Keep on heat continuing to stir. This process should take not more than 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the fresh lemon juice. Give it a couple of easy stirs and just let it sit for about 10 minutes. You should see the difference between the cheese curd and the liquid whey.

Layer several coffee filters into several cups. Pour in the curd and whey mixture. You will see it draining through the filters almost immediately. You can let this sit for about an hour. Drain. Now open the filters and find your creamy, delicious cheese! Remove the cheese from the filters and put in a small bowl. Add salt to taste and chill.

And guess what? If your budget does not allow you fresh milk, powdered milk will work too!

This will make just a small amount of simple spreadable but delicious cheese. That is the beauty of it. You only make as much as you need!

Enjoy the simple thrills! Savor life!