Cooking my Life (In a Nutshell)

I'm still alive, just having trouble getting back to real life. I know...I just kind of left everyone hanging.

I just came back from an ethereal two week stay at Green Gulch Zen Center , working full time as a Benji (assistant to the head monk), washing and bussing dishes three times a day, composting rotting remains in triple digit weather. All this, to be able to attend Edward Espe Browns "How to Cook your Life" workshop.

After all those 5AM Zazen (meditation) sessions, sore muscles, undesirable decomposing odors in triple digit weather...it was worth it. I learned to "wash the rice, when I washed rice, to cut the carrots while I cut the carrots and to stir the soup when I stirred the soup"....I learned to be even more mindful of food.

But if it wasn't for the freshly baked bread of the day--that I still had to cut the slices off the loaf of-- still warm from the oven, jagged, crisped crust and sensually soft interior, along with the daily soup and gourmet vegetarian dinners I had every day, 3 times a day...I don't know if I would of lasted.

Anyways, I will post on the following as soon as I have any sort of chance.

1) The filming and joining of the "Bizarre Foods" show at my house and rest of L.A.

2) My soon to be published book in the works on how food saved--or ruined--my life (I know, I know!)

3) The MILK OPEN HOUSE EVENT (tender, cloud like corn bread made with local corn and stuffed with little raspberry preserves and whole corn kernels, blended green teas with thick, tart cream dollop)

Be patient...

Green Gulch Zen Mountain Center
39171 Tassajara Road
Carmel Valley , CA 93924