state of flow

many hands, lighter load

Do you ever get so into something that you can’t stop? For me recently, it’s been crochet and embroidery. I got a few beginner kits as part of my ill-fated attempt to do The Artist’s Way this year, as one of the prescribed artist’s dates. Instead, I just got so hooked onto fabric arts that I stopped reading the book and have been making little crafts instead. If you think this week’s newsletter is a little all over the place, you can blame the crafting — was literally unable to tear myself away from making my crochet llama until 10:22 p.m., when I finally conceded that if I didn’t start writing something, there would be nothing!

Anyways! This week’s newsletter is running on fumes for reasons beyond my crochet addiction. I’ve had a run of weeks where I’ve been a mix of out of town and busy on the weeknights, and so I’ve caved to ordering takeout much more than usual, or just piecing together strange combinations of freezer and pantry bits and bobs into some semblance of a meal. Hard to write about cooking when you’re not doing that much of it!

I have instead been living up to my resolution for more low-stakes hosting. I want my place to feel like a space where everyone comes together for things we might default to doing on our own because it seems like something no one would say yes to, like waking up at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday to watch the Olympic men’s hockey game.

Don’t talk to me about the game. As a Canadian, I can’t get into it.

But before that overtime goal and everything since, I was having a blast. My partner picked up breakfast tacos from a neighborhood joint, friends brought over pastries and cookies, and I made coffee and orange juice. It was so easy to come together for something we might have all just done alone, and I want to be the kind of person who makes these moments happen more easily.

I had a moment of hesitation before asking people to come over. What if I’m the only one who likes hockey? What if it’s too early? What if people think I’m too eager? I’m so glad I pushed through.

My other hosting endeavor this week was pretty similar. Something I would have done on my own, but that I thought might be nice if I had friends over, even if asking made me anxious. I had decided to make zongzi, which are these Chinese sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. They’re the kind of thing where if you do the prep to make one, you might as well make a million, and I figured, why not have people over and fire up the assembly line?

Turns out, it’s kind of hard to teach people something you barely understand. It takes so much dexterity and spatial thinking to turn two bamboo leaves into a cone, to fill that cone with rice and sausage and taro, and finally, to close it off with kitchen twine so it doesn’t spill. Despite my terrible demos, everyone else managed to make somewhere between two zongzi to twenty zongzi before switching to eating the ones that came out of the first batch and just chatting.

But somewhere, I found my groove. The cones formed without thinking, I managed to close them with one hand, and soon the pile of finished wraps kept growing. People asked me if I needed help, but I told them I had genuinely reached a flow state. Whenever I finished tying one off with twine, I had a nearly obsessive urge to begin the next one. I probably should be jailed for the number of times I used the phrase flow state that night. In the end, I think we collectively made at least 100, stuffed haphazardly into to-go containers for friends and into ziploc bags taking over my freezer. And even if most of them were a product of my flow state, the work just felt lighter with my people around me.

xx,

Annie

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caution, work zone

Please enjoy this photo of my kitchen mid-flow state, and this list of foods that I think you should make with a big group of friends, no matter how well you think you can execute the recipe or how socially anxious you feel sending the invite.

• Zongzi — of course. I used this recipe from Woks of Life, more or less. I also like adding taro. Cut into 1-inch cubes and boil for two to three minutes. Let cool before using as a stuffing item.

• Dumplings — the classic friend-gathering event. I think its worth making your own dumpling wraps, especially with a stand-mixer, but store-bought is fine!

• Tamales — someone teach me? I would love to make these.

• Pierogi — ugh, wow, I had an addiction to these when I lived in Pittsburgh. Have never made, would love to try.

Possibly no newsletter next week! I’m going on my first real ski trip of the season — takes on lodge food incoming, just give me grace if I get too into the mountains to type up my thoughts.