Kitchen Notes from the Frontier of Babylon

 [Glrorious Cloud photographed by Alouicious when he was supposed to be paying attention to his Latin teacher.]

Let me be, not just your morning cup of coffee, but also your #safespace. I’m here for the wounded and troubled soul, the soul that needs #selfcare and Funeral Fish Pie.

The pie was loosely based on Nigella Lawson’s Nursery Fish Pie. I didn’t have cod or haddock or whatever. I had Tilapia. And none of it was smoked. And I accidentally used whole Allspice instead of peppercorns. But I did gently poach the fish in milk, and I did do the most glorious béchamel out of the poaching liquid, and I did not skimp on the cheese. And then, because of my enormous self discipline, I made a second smaller pie with a biscuit topping instead of potatoe. And…I don’t know how to describe it. Words fail me. It was so delicious.

If you don’t own Nigella’s Feast book I whole heartedly recommend it. Every year I promise myself I’m going to cook through the whole book and every year I fail, but maybe 2017 will be the year.

And then, as expected, the wedding cake. And of course our newly married couple didn’t come. My heart told me they wouldn’t, just like it told me Trump would definitely win. Follow your heart! No really, please don’t. I didn’t follow my heart and made the cake and suckered my friend into decorating it. Isn’t it gorgeous? In person it was stunning and I think the Shepherd’s Bowl crowd were really charmed. The cake itself had a faint lemon flavor and the icing had a delicate orange aroma. I would definitely make this cake again. It’s the first one in the cake section of the Joy of Cooking.

It seems wrong to eat so well in a week like this, but what are the alternatives? Eating gruel? Not eating at all? I suppose I should have added fasting to my prayers for the nation. What a failure I am. It’s probably my fault that we have Trump. Oh no! Wait! I didn’t vote (in the absence of a selfie you’ll have to just imagine the smug look of complete satisfaction) so it can’t possibly be my fault.

Today I’m going to finally plant out my bulbs. I didn’t fast, but I can work on my garden, as commanded in the bible. When you go to Babylon, said God, plant a garden and settle in. Don’t try to pretend that you don’t have to make the best of it. Stop your crying, in other words, put away the mourning and the sorrow and get on with the business of living.

But in Babylon? The people wondered. The place that in scripture is the personification of all evil? The place where all cruelty and evil happens? See, but but when you were back there in the Promised Land, you were evil enough that you might as well have been in Babylon, for all anyone knew. But now that you’re here in Babylon, you might find that the people are no more evil than you were and that God can still be known, and still act, and still have power. God is God wherever you are. So plant your garden and meet your neighbors. Enjoy the hanging gardens and the interesting food. It’s ok. It’s all going to be ok.