I am in the midst of what I can only describe as a funk of nostalgia.
Today marks the last day of O-bon, the annual Buddhist tradition of commemorating one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during O-bon, our ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit us. Growing up in Japan, this annual week-long celebration was something that I was certainly aware of but I liked putting on my yukata and visiting the local temple for dancing and street food, rather than dwelling on the fact that my forefathers were inspecting me.
As those of you who read this menu preview weekly are probably too well aware, I really enjoy observing the birds in the feeder outside my bedroom window. I recently fell down the Internet rabbit hole while researching a bird that I could not identify, and came across a scientifically dubious article about Northern cardinals, which mentioned that it is popularly believed that they are one form in which the souls of the departed manifest themselves to the living.
While I consider visiting angels outrageous codswallop, both O-bon and cardinals in the feeder are rather comforting conceits if one has dearly departed whom one misses dearly. Reading the folktale certainly has had the effect of making me think of those I miss every time a cardinal lands on the bird feeder. I haven’t gone so far as to assign the visiting birds names corresponding to my dead, but there are three in particular whose visits have caused me to remember anecdotes and details of loved ones. A fourth one crashed into the bay window the other day and knocked the wind out of itself – none of my dead were that clumsy in real life.
Woodpeckers have started to appear in the bird feeder, tomatoes and blueberries are no longer quite so juicy, the maple leaves have gotten a shade darker, and our beautiful Cape hydrangeas are definitely past their prime -- still beautiful, but flower heads drying to translucent bronze on the branch. The days are getting a tiny bit shorter and, in between the debates on the topic of back to school or online learning, we have started to discuss the date at which we must return to Manhattan. Summer is dying and autumn is coming.
On a less depressing note, highlights of this week’s cooking will include:
Surf and Turf: Wagyu Filet Mignon and Diver Scallops with Thyme- Brown Butter
Chinese Red Cabbage and Carrot Salad
Ginger Pickled Brussels Sprouts
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