Zeen - 003

I used to love technology. As a kid, my dad worked in computers, and as a result I got really interested in that world. I’m happy that I grew up in a time before the internet was everything and everywhere, so that I was able to balance my interest in computers with interests that brought me outside and with friends.

Up until the mid aughts, I would always have considered myself someone generally excited about new technology. I liked being ‘online’; I found it useful, entertaining and educational. I enjoyed the weird humor and what I can really only describe as a specific sort of culture. Thinking back, being online from ~2002 - 2013 or so was honestly just fun.

Right now I feel like I could write a thesis on when and why the internet became worse, but to keep things concise I’ll just say the internet has pretty much sucked since around 2016. I don’t like it, it’s annoying, and we never should have made it so easy for anyone and everyone to use it. It’s changing all the time, and almost never for the better.

You know what technology has stayed consistent since before I was born? Hi-fi sound equipment. It’s evolved, but only when necessary. Dolby Atmos has come along, bluetooth is a thing, and your A/V receiver can now tune your speakers to your room…but those are all good things. There’s other stuff, but the point is this: surround sound speakers get hooked up today in the same way they did when I was born, I like that. I like that speaker amplifiers pretty much look the same now as they did back then.

Familiarity is nice. Slow progress is nice. I don’t need the latest surround sound equipment — the receiver I want is still being sold new, and it was released in 2017. I might even be cooler if I paired that receiver with some really old speakers. They might even sound better than something I’d find today. A good 5.1 setup is a good 5.1 setup , and that probably won’t change any time soon. Speaker wire is speaker wire: I never have to worry about proprietary cables or ports in this world.

I’m getting ready to wrap up, but if I’m trying to say anything, it’s this: we’re barely scratching the surface in terms of how technology as a whole can and / or will make our lives worse. I’m not a pessimist, in fact I’d actually say I’m an optimist. The reality is this stuff is progressing way faster than any of us can adjust to emotionally or mentally, and in a lot of cases we actively do things we don’t even want to for no reward (scroll mindlessly, read just the headlines, be constantly bombarded by ads, etc.).

Stop doing that. Not everything has to be the latest or greatest. Buy a ten year old Denon A/V receiver and a couple of ELAC Debut speakers. Run speaker wire between everything the same way your dad did back in ‘93. It’ll bring you the same satisfaction now as it did him then. You’ll feel like you did something, and you’ll get to enjoy the fruits of your labor immediately. When you put on a movie you liked when you were a kid or something that just came out this year, they’ll satisfy just the same.

Foxy The Food Critic

It’s tough to feel motivated this time of year. Things are colder and darker. This makes me feel lazier, which often means slowing down.

As this year comes to a close, I aspire to be more present in The Slow Down process, even if partly forced. I want to notice how my body sinks into the couch under a cozy blanket, how my jaw relaxes, how my thoughts wander and frolic away from my to-do lists. As you likely already know, avoiding my to-do list is not my strong suit. Is this because I enjoy the organization of thoughts and tasks? Or is it because this trait has been highlighted enough by others throughout my life that I now feel responsible to keep my perceived personality intact? It is hard to separate natural tendencies from that which is expected of us: a classic nature versus nurture dilemma.

Parallel to my couch comforts, there is the frenzy of the holidays. Catching the sales but watching the budget and being a full time spy as I try to figure out the perfect gifts for my loved ones. Watching as the days left in the year dissolve and trying to expand the quiet moments for just a little bit more time. The tug-of-war of “go” and “stop” in my brain feels constant lately. Maybe being caught in the middle is what leads me to exhaustion, which leads me to laziness? Full circle I suppose.

When I am able to give into The Slow Down, it leaves room for me to question things about myself: “who is this human person that I am?” As I reflect on the reality of who I am, I am often flooded with memories from my life:the ingredients that have come together to make the Sophie recipe. “What are they again?” I can hear myself wonder.

Spoiler alert: I am going to give you a lazy pasta dish recipe below. So in honor of that, here are some of my pasta related memories of note:

• When I was about 12 years old, I came home from a classic summer pool day. I was hungry, sunkissed, and smelled of chlorine. My household was a bit chaotic in those days. Mia was newly diagnosed with autism and my family was trying to find a new equilibrium. Dinner needed to be made and no one had started. Taking no time to change out of my bikini, I got to work. I filled our biggest pot(probably half my size at the time) with water and boiled it. I poured in a few boxes of Anne’s Peace Pasta (anyone else eat this growing up?), a household staple. All was going as planned until I attempted to strain the pasta. I strategically positioned the pot to avoid burning myself with the bottom of the pot. But my little arms failed me, and as I poured the boiling water into the collander, I poured it right onto my bare stomach. I burned myself so badly that I had to wear crop tops for several weeks.
• When I worked at the botanical gardens, I spent the summer teaching 3-8 year olds how to make gnocchi and tagliatelle noodles from scratch. Over and over again, I would show them how to crack an egg, mix the dough, and roll out the noodles with their teeny tiny hands. It’s weird that I cannot now remember their faces or names, but I remember their hands.
• Post-college I lived in a house with lots of rotating roommates. When my gal Lizzy lived there, we would often cook dinner together and we loved pesto pasta. Gosh, I feel like we ate this pasta every week — quinoa noodles from trader joes, pesto, sun dried tomatoes, and a poached egg on top. We would whip it up and sit on our little back deck with the twinkle lights and chat about life. I have tried to make it now, but it’s just not the same without her.
• Zach and I’s first date at Bocca Lupo: I ordered the black spaghetti. I remember feeling so happy in that cozy restaurant window. It is still one of my favorite dishes in Atlanta. He is still one of my favorite humans in Atlanta.
• My father-dad’s bolognese. While my dad has influence over many of my traits, my love for food is most certainly inherited from him. Eating in his kitchen is one of my greatest joys in life. I remember eating his bolognese one evening and feeling so fearful that I might never be able to recreate its deliciousness again. He, like me, does not use measurements while cooking, it’s always a little bit of that and a little bit of this until it feels right. So it’s pretty rare we are able to duplicate our creations with precision. I asked him to tell me how he made it and recorded him. It has never, and probably will never, turn out the same, but it is always delicious anyway.
• March 2020, you know where this is going. I had just moved into a new house in the heart of EAV. My first weekend in the house and we were told to shelter in place.It was a weird time and I remember being so bummed about not being able to utilize my home’s accessibility to nightlife, concert venues, and restaurants. I was living with my friend, Hannah, and sister, Gabri. Man did we make the most of a confusing time in the world. We would take long walks around our new neighborhood, make elaborate dinners like homemade pasta with shrimp scampi, and dine with ease. We had nowhere to be and no one else to see. While we were technically barred from so much of the world during this time, I don’t know that I ever felt as free.

In honor of this lazy and reflective state of being, I will give you access to my current laziest dinner partner. A comfy, cozy, PJ wearing pasta dish that puts lipstick on and says “I am fully dressed”— much like I do when I work from home. This recipe is so lazy that there are hardly any specific ingredients or directions, so I apologize in advance if you are the kind of person that likes the measurements. And yes, we will be eating this for dinner tonight. Feel free to join us.

Eggplant +Your Favorites Pasta

Ingredients

One Medium Eggplant, cubed

Your Favorite Pasta Noodles (I love the Seggiano tagliatelle)

Your Favorite Pasta Sauce (I love Rao’s Arrabbiata)

Your Favorite Small Onion (I like to use shallots)

Your Favorite Meat - ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork

Your Favorite Garlic - roasted, minced, sliced, diced, dried…anything will do

Your Favorite Herbs - rosemary, thyme, basil, dill, fennel, bay leaf / dried or fresh

Your Favorite “Spice” - red pepper flakes, roasted red peppers, poblanos

Your Favorite Cheese (I use pecorino or goat cheese because I am allergic to cow’s milk)

Preparation

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and cube the eggplant

Step 2: Put cubes in a large bowl and generously toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper

Step 3: Arrange the cubes on a large baking sheet and place in the oven for a little while (idk like 15 minutes-ish), turning over half way through.

Step 4: Boil water for pasta

Step 5: Slice your onions and sauté them with olive oil, then add garlic and do the same

Step 6: Add your meat and season with spices and herbs to your liking

Step 7: Make your noodles

Step 8: Combine everything, top with cheese, & eat