I biked home with 20 pounds of vegetables in my pack last night, bundles of spinach hanging off the back like roustabouts clutching to the side of a boxcar. But that image isn’t the end of the story. I was on my way to do something I’d never done before. Cook rutabagas. Until yesterday I’d always had well-established stops in the produce section. I’d duck past the rutabagas and parsnips, evade the turnips and collard greens, head down, avoiding the unknown. That changed yesterday. A renewed curiosity pulled me toward a new recipe full of unfamiliar ingredients. And I found myself in the grocery buying rutabagas, parsnips, beets, collard greens, carrots, potatoes, onions and turnips. At home I washed and peeled them, and marveled at the new textures and smells and colors. I cried when I cut the onions. After an hour I’d made Eastern European Vegetable Stew from a Moosewood cookbook. It’s delicious, hearty and slightly sweet. But what motivated me? Getting out of an assembly-line ad agency and starting Milepost 59 has changed everything. New intentions and renewed curiosity, like those vegetable roustabouts, are holding tight to the side of the train. I feel as open, engaged and creative as ever, maybe more than ever. Here’s to trying something new. Here’s to starting Milepost 59.
Cooking Rutabagas Is Like Starting Milepost 59
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