10 - homemade scones
9 - cans of tuna
8 - pounds of potatoes
7 - quarts of yogurt
6 - heads of broccoli
5 - pounds of cheese (mostly cheddar, also some brie and feta and havarti)
4 - bottles of Sauvignon Blanc (well, drunk, not eaten)
3 - pounds of butter
2 - pounds of chocolate
1 - can of tom yum soup
This might be my favorite Christchurch graffiti.
I have eaten a variety of other things over the course of New Zealand’s four weeks of (ongoing) lockdown. But something about these items captures the dilemma of cooking for oneself in an unstocked kitchen only temporarily yours. I guess it’s easier to just repeat than be inventive during each fraught grocery store visit. I haven’t bought any spices; how am I consuming such vast amounts of garlic and pumpkin seeds but not moving through the eggs? I think I’ve got supplies worked out to last the remaining week. Things are about to get a little bacon-heavy, but there’s plenty of cabbage to balance it out.
It’s fun seeing friends and society in general spending time in the kitchen. Even if you’re subsisting on ramen and Spaghettios, I think it’s incredibly valuable to *daily* have your hands (er, at least a spatula) on the food you eat. And to people making anything and everything from scratch (shout out to Tom Pence!), three cheers for your efforts and enjoyment of food. Maybe instead of waiting for things to get back to normal we’ll find we like doing things differently.
It had been outrageously beautiful fall weather.
NZ buttermilk is super thick. Combine with their
wonderful cultured butter and devour delectable scones.
