Live Happy, Live Long
© Leda Meredith
At the end of this article are two kinds of politically incorrect recipes. One is alcoholic. One is a totally fattening, totally delicious soup. Both are, in my opinion, very good for you.
On a visit with European friends last year, I felt somewhat uncomfortable around their jokes about Americans. Are we really that puritanical, that obsessive? My friends poked fun at our obsession with "just say no" to drugs, alcohol, fat, and smoking. They laughed about our 50+ hour work weeks. They sat down to a lunch of sausage or paté without flinching, washed it down with beer or wine, took a nap, and returned to work. Their skin was clearer than that of my fellow New Yorkers, the bags under their eyes non-existent, their bodies trim but not buffed to a comic book extreme. They griped about money and schedules like the rest of us, but without the haunted eyes and fidgety hands I am used to seeing.
I don't mean to generalize or glamorize the Europeans who may be reading this article. But there may be a few things to learn from them.
When I was growing up, all fats were bad, alcohol was bad, carbohydrates were fattening, and work was the excuse that could honorably get one out of any other commitment, including personal relationships. Now olive oil is good for you, red wine is good for you, complex carbohydrates should form most of our daily diet, and if you are too booked to spend time with your friends you may find yourself lonely.
This is a totally personal, unscientific observation: we know (scientifically studied and proven!) that many diseases are stress-aggravated or stress-induced. Heart disease, cold sores, psoriasis, and the common cold come to mind. So never mind the beneficial diet, never mind the inarguably essential exercise-how much disease could be prevented just by taking two hours in the middle of the day to abandon work, focus on sensory pleasure, and rest?
Let me introduce you to what my dad calls a "monkey recipe". A monkey recipe is composed of ingredients that are so good you can't go wrong when you cook with them. Here is a cream-of-anything soup designed for yum rather than supposed to.
Cream of Almost-Anything Soup
Stir over low heat for 5 minutes in a non-aluminum pot:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
Add to above and stir over low heat for 5 minutes:
2 cups rinsed greens, tough stems removed (cress, dandelion, lettuce, spinach, sorrel, etc.)
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