Well, the April rains that was supposed to bring flowers were a bit late but here it is, June 1, and nature didn’t disappoint, as our gardens have suddenly come to life – and not just the flowers but our vegetable seedlings. Bursting with shoots and new leaves every day. I continue to be amazed at the miracle of nature, how a tiny seed can germinate, then shoot up tiny sprouts, piercing the earth, then small leaves begin to appear and before long, grow into a real plant, followed by blossoms that eventually grow into a small fruit and before long, whala, a real tomato or cucumber or a pepper. Sometimes, it takes an event like the Covid 19 pandemic to make us stop and reflect on things like the miracle of nature that continue to bring all good things to life.
In the news, I keep reading about all the negatives. The few positives seem to come from those brave Americans, the doctors and healthcare workers, the grocery clerks and other store attendants in public and the public services workers – the garbage collectors, the meter readers and especially the postal workers. Yesterday, I sat out on my porch just so I could say Hi to my new mail delivery person. I met him for the first time – his name is Mike, and even though we couldn’t shake hands, I was pleased to learn that he had recently been made a full-time carrier and was now assigned the route, which includes our address. For all these people, producing positive results into our community, I thank them, every night in my prayers. And for all, I only have one suggestion – No matter what the problem, you can always choose to part of the problem or part of the solution – its your choice. I hope you will all choose to be a part of the solution and wear a mask, when you go out.
So what’s for dinner – well I decided sushi. We often do the family style, which means “make your own”. What this consist of is a large bowl of sushi rice (cooked Japanese white rice, preferably sushi grade, flavored with rice vinegar and sugar, a mixture often called sushi-su), accompanied with a plate of variety of sushi condiments – slices of raw fish – tuna, salmon, tilapia, sea bass – whatever happens to be available at your favorite fish market (Mustardseed in Fairlawn carries many if these items), slices of avocado, crab meat (we use the fake stuff, sometimes called Krab or imitation crab – California roll is made up of sliced avocado and crab meat), slices of cucumber, etc. In other words, whatever you might order, when you go out to a sushi restaurant. Then we each make our own, in a hand roll. This requires the sheets of nori (dried seaweed) to be cut into four square pieces, placing one square in the palm of you hand, then spreading a layer of the sushi rice, then whatever condiment you prefer, then rolling this into a cone shaped hand roll, dip into the soy and wasabi mixture and enjoy! Pretty simple and about one third the cost of the restaurant experience. Try it, you will like it – especially the savings to your wallet.
Bill Melver
Akron, Ohio
Did you miss any previous This Too Shall Pass? See them all here.
“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 “An American Samurai: Born to Righteousness”, will be released soon. You can also learn more about Bill on his website www.BillMelver.com
