Reliving My Wedding (and Saag Feta)
Some people are starting to leave their houses again. In some places, the government has started to ease restrictions on what's open for business, and in all places, people are worn down and fed up with going figuratively and literally nowhere. I've started getting invitations to spend some time at least six feet apart from friends, outside, wearing masks. I don't know whether the mental health benefit of accepting these invitations outweighs the potential risk (to me and society) of COVID-19 transmission. There are no easy answers.
One of the things I've struggled with is the sameness of almost all the days since the pandemic hit. I have found that it helps to put an at-home celebration on the calendar for a few weeks away, and plan for it, and look forward to it.
In April, that celebration was Easter, when we got to see what the bunny brought, and we set up a video chat with our extended family, and dressed up and had a special meal.
And last week, that celebration was a reliving of my wedding, nine years ago.
This time, there was only one guest, who was not present at the original wedding.
It was marvelous! My small backup dancer served as an officiant for the ceremony. We ordered flowers, and cupcakes, and an extravagant dinner, from local businesses. We called our Best Man and Maid of Honor. We played the music from the big day, and looked through the photos, and watched the video of our wedding reception dance.
On the one hand, we did the re-wedding because we had nothing else to do, so why not? But on the other hand, it was a well-timed celebration of my incredible luck in being married to Pat. He is an excellent partner in keeping us afloat as we move through this awful time. Since I met him, he has been striving to make me happy. And could there be a more perfect illustration of that than his putting on his wedding tux and saying "I do" again in this absurd way that I dreamed up? I love that man.
Here's a look at the 2011 vs. 2020 celebrations:
Keeping with my philosophy of "meat as a treat," the anniversary celebration was not vegetarian. But last night I tried a new vegetarian recipe that'll keep you on track to save the planet by reducing consumption of meat: "Saag Paneer, but with Feta" (Bon Appetit).
I skipped the fresh chili in deference to my spice-phobic backup dancer, and included just a whiff of chili powder in the sauce. I also used regular rather than baby spinach because it was on sale, but you have to be seriously diligent about cleaning it if it's not triple-washed baby spinach.
It was really delicious, and easy. I'm off to heat up the leftovers for my lunch.
One of the things I've struggled with is the sameness of almost all the days since the pandemic hit. I have found that it helps to put an at-home celebration on the calendar for a few weeks away, and plan for it, and look forward to it.
In April, that celebration was Easter, when we got to see what the bunny brought, and we set up a video chat with our extended family, and dressed up and had a special meal.
 |
| Easter |
And last week, that celebration was a reliving of my wedding, nine years ago.
This time, there was only one guest, who was not present at the original wedding.
It was marvelous! My small backup dancer served as an officiant for the ceremony. We ordered flowers, and cupcakes, and an extravagant dinner, from local businesses. We called our Best Man and Maid of Honor. We played the music from the big day, and looked through the photos, and watched the video of our wedding reception dance.
On the one hand, we did the re-wedding because we had nothing else to do, so why not? But on the other hand, it was a well-timed celebration of my incredible luck in being married to Pat. He is an excellent partner in keeping us afloat as we move through this awful time. Since I met him, he has been striving to make me happy. And could there be a more perfect illustration of that than his putting on his wedding tux and saying "I do" again in this absurd way that I dreamed up? I love that man.
Here's a look at the 2011 vs. 2020 celebrations:
Keeping with my philosophy of "meat as a treat," the anniversary celebration was not vegetarian. But last night I tried a new vegetarian recipe that'll keep you on track to save the planet by reducing consumption of meat: "Saag Paneer, but with Feta" (Bon Appetit).
I skipped the fresh chili in deference to my spice-phobic backup dancer, and included just a whiff of chili powder in the sauce. I also used regular rather than baby spinach because it was on sale, but you have to be seriously diligent about cleaning it if it's not triple-washed baby spinach.
It was really delicious, and easy. I'm off to heat up the leftovers for my lunch.
Comments
Post a Comment