On Watermelon Salad and the Aged
Maybe it is just certain octogenarians I have run into, but most of them do two things: talk about their health, and talk about the weather. And now that I have moved to New York, a place that actually has weather and seasons, I find myself doing the same thing (at least the weather part). I mentioned before that it is HOT, but besides the heat there is the humidity, the sort of humidity that makes you want to run back indoors, to your small, air-conditioned apartment, peel off your sticky clothes, and take a cool shower. I'm from California, I mean: What is humidity anyways?And so I have joined the ranks of those people, the one's that talk ad nauseum about the weather, and to me, it is endlessly fascinating. We are mostly unpacked, a household's worth of goods transplanted from California to New York. Newsprint packing has been scrubbed off pots and pans, baking sheets unearthed, knives carefully unwrapped, and what is the first thing that I "cook?" Watermelon salad, because it is so damn hot.
Now I did turn on the stove to make a sweet-tart balsamic reduction, but I am afraid dear readers that is where the cooking started and stopped. By simmering the balsamic vinegar on the stove, a deep, syrupy concoction is made, turning even the cheapest of condiments into a rich elixir that is meant to be savored. And that is it, some fresh, fragrant basil is torn into bite-sized pieces, cubes of crisp watermelon, a little salt to bring out the juice, a grinding of pepper, and there you have it.The basil and watermelon are surprisingly similar, perfumey yet delicate, and the balsamic reduction mediates the salad with its pungency. It was perfect, light, summery, and crisp, just the remedy for this fragile, weather-weary transplant. Don't get me wrong. I look forward to actually having seasons, but I will admit, it is going to take some getting used to. Maybe next summer, the heat won't even affect me, and you may just be reading about some thick, hearty stew I have cooked in August... Somehow I doubt it.
4 Comments:
Ever since I moved to England from the sunshine state that is Queensland, Australia, I have been absolutely fascinated by weather! Never have I been so engrossed by what the winds and the isobars are doing... so I know where you're coming from... Comes with adapting to the culture I guess...
I'm right there with you bonnie...with my move to England came a check on the changing weather...
being from the East Coast (not too far from NYC), I feel for you and your new weather...don't worry, you'll miss the heat soon when it starts to pour down snow & sleet!
thick, hearty stew in august? hmm. i'll believe it when i read about it. i've been trying to justify chili for the last three weeks, and simply can't do it.
and i'm just about to the point where i'm looking forward to that first crisp fall morning. just about. apples are coming in, and it's getting me in that fall pie mood.
for now, i'll be happy to try this watermelon salad. excepting the melon, i happen to have everything for it already. imagine that.
I've lived in the Bay Area for more than 10 years and I'm STILL talking about the weather! Not good, I guess.
Anyway, I'm sort of your opposite: I moved from the east coast and am always wondering what happened to the seasons out here and how one is expected to live properly without them. No snow, rain all winter, cold summers. And some people say the Bay Area has the best weather in the country?!
I think it's all just what you're used to/grew up in that determines how affected you are by it all, and how much time you end up spending going on and on about the weather.
Anyway, I love New York (the Bay Area too, in case my rant on the weather made it seem otherwise) and can't wait to read about your adventures there, and best of all about what you eat and cook in your new environment.
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