Sumac is a restaurant in an airstream in the middle of a field. And it takes a minute to get your food.
The way we live today, we don’t wait. We don’t stop. We don’t breathe deeply. And we don’t idle. Most of us aren’t in any sort of place we would want to idle anyway. Lately, I’ve been wondering,
“how did we learn it? That talent for insatiability.” – Margaret Atwood.
(keep going… there’s a playlist for you at the end of this post).
Everyone is running from place to place – especially in Tech. Trust me, I would know. Gym, office, lunch (Sweetgreen or some other expedited version of “healthy”), office, happy hour, home, kids’ soccer practice, takeout, sleep. Most of us are a little overweight, drink too much, savor too little. Our FitBits and Apple Watches count our steps and send us little firework emojis when we hit 10,000. We have meditation apps, calorie counting apps, water intake apps, apps for our menstrual cycles, apps for music to work to, sleep to, exercise to. We measure everything – so we can reduce calories, increase water, increase steps, reduce stress. Fucking sleep. There is actually a company whose slogan is “hack your metabolism.” So I ask again… where did we learn it? This talent for insatiability. This quest for ‘more.’
Everyone asks me what diet plan I use. Keto? Whole 30? Intermittent Fasting? 80/20? Everyone asks me what workout routine I follow. Cycling? Lifting? Cardio-centric? The truth is, there is no diet (nor will there ever be) and there is no routine. There is, however, a philosophy.
The philosophy is pretty simple. And you’ve found bits and pieces of it sprinkled across this blog before.
It goes something like:
This is #oneandahalfslices
Everyone is looking for something that works – something that will make them lose weight, live longer, sleep sounder, be happier…
The diet that works and the changes that matter aren’t difficult. You don’t need a nutritionist, a therapist, or a personal trainer. You need this post, your own diligent mind, your own beautiful heart, and ecosystem of supportive, motivated, divergent thinking humans to spark your curiosity in a million different directions.
For a time, it has bothered me how much we think we “need.” We need a drink because we’re stressed, a coffee because we’re tired, lunch because it’s lunchtime, a vacation because we’re overworked. Oral fixation. Immediate gratification. Lately I’ve been centering around this concept. And it is remarkable how little we do, in fact, need, especially compared to what we consume.
“Freedom (n.): To ask nothing. To expect nothing. To depend on nothing.” – Ayn Rand
My personal experience and observation is that when we live life unchecked, working as hard as we’re working, going as fast as we’re moving, we end up sprinting down a path of consumption, production, progress, and more. More of what? And why? To save? To spend? This place of progress is not always a place of growth if there is no center of gravity, sense of deliberate self, and genuine connection at the core.
“People want nothing but mirrors around them. To reflect them while they’re reflecting too … Reflections of reflections and echoes of echoes. No beginning and no end. No center and no purpose.” ― Ayn Rand
This is a mantra of the coming season. To require less. Smaller coffees, less frequent meals, maybe more steps and maybe fewer – not counted either way – but taken for the love of walking.
Remember the One Year Anniversary post? Yes, great recipes. But the season to come holds both recipes and a phase transition. From ‘supposed to’ towards authenticity. We are going to listen more and require less. Measure less and live more. You’ll find writing, exploration, deliberation, and a remarkable joie de vivre. In what we do, what we value, and how we live.
“Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe, to know what he ought to desire, and to know what he ought to do.” – St. Thomas Aquinas
The thing is, Sumac has it right. Go slow, be deliberate, do what you love, think of others, inspire, appreciate, adore, #measurelesslivemore
Now, for those who have made it this far, either out of genuine curiosity or just really wanting to get to the music, I’ve got a summer playlist for you. Because people | have created | beautiful things and we should share them.
Music and food are such things.
Bonus: Hear the Story of the Russian Cosmonaut
🛰️
It is no secret that I’m a proponent of local. Local meat, local produce, #getacsa. But what about grains? Can those be local as well? Here you’ll find several mills local to Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the Carolinas.
Three years of flavor, sprinkles, playlists, and exploration! Whoa. It’s been a ride, you guys. You know. You’ve been here. It may seem like things have been quiet of late – but not so. Here’s the best of 2023 and what we have to look forward to in 2024…
If you have never tried to make the OneandahalfSlices Argentinian Empanadas, now might just be the time! This weekend we whipped up a batch along with a simple shredded carrot, hard boiled egg, and golden raisin salad. We stayed hydrated with Yerba Mate and a variety of Fernet Branca-based cocktails.
“I am a student. And then I become the megaphone.” – Jane Fonda
If you’re a Northern Virginia resident and looking for your next day trip out to the Virginia countryside, keep reading… There are two places in particular in Northern Virginia that live into the L O C A L theme extraordinarily well – one of those two is featured here today. The purveyors of Sumac, Northern Virginia’s newest local food pop-up kitchen in Sperryville, VA, are as down to earth as the stone fruits and cherries they are serving up this summer. Sumac (follow their Insta) was born from a love of local cooking.
October has always been my favorite month (for cooking, for being). Let me tell you why.
Bravo!! I love this new season post & beliefs!!!🙌🏻🙌🏻☀️☀️☀️☀️
Thank you, Lisa! Keep cooking!
GREAT read! So relatable. I plan to save it and re-read it from time to time so that it stays fresh and clear!
Thanks for the kind words, Toni. Welcome to the journey 🙂
[…] we put on music or TV. When we’ve got a drive, we make a phone call. Where there is empty space, we fill it. Oh no, being bored was going to require much more than carving out three hours on a weekend […]