By Bill Melver
My wife and I just returned from South East Asia, visiting Viet Nam, Cambodia and Thailand. We departed on February 25, just as the COVID – 19 thing was breaking out. We seriously considered cancelling but we would have lost several thousand dollars in deposit so we threw caution to the wind and went. It was a great trip, meeting our every expectation and now we are back, safely home to the chaos facing our nation. So now what – oh, what to do, what to do.
Obviously, with so many places and activities being shut down or cancelled, most of us have free time on our hands. So, I put on my thinking cap and came up with a few suggestions. The first focus is to think of things to do around the house. I’m sure most of us have small projects that have been put off, due to our busy normal schedules – now here’s the perfect opportunity to tend to those things. Some of the things on my list are organizing stacks of mail and catching up on filing and throwing away stuff, organizing my basement and doing some touch up painting around doorways and high traffic areas around the house. Sounds mundane and not very exciting – perhaps that’s the reason, these necessary tasks have been pushed to the back burner but if you set your mind to it, it will pay dividend in time savings in the future. Have you ever noticed how much time you spend, looking for a key letter or document or even a special can of spray paint. I know I run into this all the time.
So, let’s shift into something a bit more exciting and perhaps rewarding. I love to cook, mainly because I love to eat. That was one of the driving factors that took us to SE Asia. I used to love watching Anthony Bordain on CNN, as he travelled the world, trying new, exotic dishes. One thing in particular was the Viet Namese Pho (the locals pronounce it Fer and not FO). Anyway, it was simply an amazing experience, freshly made as we watched, and eaten mostly for breakfast by the locals but we love it for lunch and dinner. We are eager to try a recipe at home and hope we can recreate this phenomenal dish. If you’re interested, there are many versions on Google. The key is a rich beef bone broth, dash of star anise and fish sauce, and of course lots of fresh vegetables – bean sprouts, Bok Choy, etc.
Maybe you don’t find yourself very comfortable in the kitchen – what a wonderful time to take up cooking as a new hobby. It’s pretty simple, once you get over the initial apprehension of handling different kinds of food ingredients. Once you get hooked or get over that apprehension, you will find yourself creating and finding new techniques that embellishes your personal skills, i.e. I have my own favorite way of chopping onions. And as the COVID – 19 thing keeps folks away from restaurant, what a wonderful way to try and replicate some of those favorite dishes at home. Italian is one of my favorite and I have two favorites – pasta with bolanese sauce and pasta vongole (clams). Former is quite tedious and takes a long time to make, while the latter is quite simple and easy. Again, fresh ingredients are the key. Ant these recipes are readily available on Google. Also, one of the simplest Italian item is the pizza. Yeah, yeah, it’s pretty painless to pick up the phone and have one delivered but there’s nothing more satisfying than build your own. If you’re adventurous enough, you might start with just a pre-made crust or make your own. Perhaps you’re adventurous enough to “throw one”, as they do on commercials. Then spread a sauce of your liking – lots of different versions are available or perhaps, again, make your own, starting with tomato sauce, then finally piling on your favorite topping. It’s a great way to spend some quality time with your kids, too.
Still not convinced about cooking, perhaps you have a green thumb that you didn’t know you had. Mr. groundhog predicted an early spring and I think he was right. We see new shoots of flowers popping up, every day. We always like to plan a vegetable garden of tomatoes, cucumbers, various peppers, zucchini. Now is the time to start planning such a garden. The enjoyment is in the planning phase and the expectations those plans will eventually reward you with. Again, some research is always helpful. Simple “To Do” books are readily available with many tips on how to prepare the soil, pros and cons on seeds versus plants – we’ve tried both and for the novice, we definitely recommend spending a little more money and go with plants.
These are just a couple of tips that I suggest. Perhaps there’s a book you’ve always wanted to read or a subject you’ve been curious about or some other hobby, perhaps sewing or knitting. Whatever strikes your fancy, this COVID – 19 thing has created an opportunity for each of us to spend a few quality moments, by ourselves to contemplate, how best to spend some extra time, we didn’t have before.
“Bill Melver is an interesting local personality, having founded the Akron Life & Leisure Magazine in 2002, ran for mayor of Akron in 2015 and now an aspiring author with his first book “A American Samurai: Born to Righteousness”, with an expected release date of May 1. One of our book reviewer is currently reviewing an advance review copy so stay tuned. You can also learn more about Bill on his website www.BillMelver.com
