Everyday, actually. Lots of them. They hover in my mind like gnats in a warm dusk. Most are fleeting. Some stick. Many don’t.
Of those that stick… I make them wait. Because some will fade. And the ones that don’t… I set aside to brew or cook.
I used to cook a lot faster than I do now. I used to treat them like produce to be used before they go limp… convinced of it’s lesser value with it’s bright crunch gone.
I stopped doing that.
Now I treat them more like spices set on the shelf awaiting to enhance a particular dish. Although I am aware that even in this shelf state there is a limited life. One can’t wait too long.
Any good dish is a blend of flavors. So, it is not just one idea that makes it. More like a cluster. There may be one or two that dominate. But it is always a cluster that makes a dish.
And when I cook… I decide. How will the aroma waft? How will it hit the tongue? How will it sit in the belly?
Time to cook again, eh?