success

Post 65: #Coronavirus and a global perspective…

on skills we’ve developed or improved.

We’re sharing our experiences, thoughts, and uncensored opinions during lockdown, quarantine, and self-isolation. For some of us, it’s DAY 65.

If at first you don’t succeed, redefine success

RafifJ, #Malaga, #Spain

Let me tell you a true story. Once, when I was about 9, I baked a cake on my own and set it on the counter to cool. The family dog, Boots, managed to jump high enough to grab it. That’s it. I mean, literally that’s it – Boots didn’t even eat it. The cake was THAT awful.

While I don’t think that incident scarred me for life, I must say that cooking and baking have never, ever been on my priority list. Throughout the years, I’ve gotten away with ordering takeout or delivery, dining out, or – and this is the best – getting others to cook for me. “Others” have included friends, family members, my ex-husband, and my kids.

[Another true story: I once hosted a dinner party and couldn’t order the food, so I ended up serving my guests Pop Tarts and cereal.]

With the lockdown in Malaga, going out was no longer an option. The number of carryout places was severely limited. Delivery was pretty limited, too, and outrageously expensive.

So I started to make a few simple things. Adam made helpful comments like “too much salt” and “would it be okay if I microwaved this?” But I didn’t give up. Once I mastered basic dinner recipes, I quickly moved on to baking.

My first disaster was when the blueberries in my mutant blueberry muffin/cake exploded in the oven. But I kept trying.

Since my encounter with the blueberries, I have been baking something every day. I’m happy to say I have finally conquered crumpets and vanquished biscuits. Tomorrow I’ll move on to the subjugation of scones. And I’ve spent way more on flour and baking supplies than if I had just ordered the damn delivery. BUT I DID IT.

Biscuits today, crumpets last week, mutant blueberry muffin/cake before that.

Practice makes perfect

Tina F., Fairfax, #Virginia

I love seeing how creative people have been during the shutdown period of the #coronavirus.

I have a list of skills and interests that I was hoping to hone in on and improve now that I had all the time in the world. Surely I would find something off this long list, which includes photography, Photoshop, cooking, crafting, speaking fluent Italian, and gardening.

So which skill have I focused on and improved? Well none of the above! And the first was quite by accident.

Writing has played a major part of getting me through each confused and bewildered day during shutdown. Until this blog, I hardly wrote nor voiced my opinion in writing. So after 60-plus days of daily blogging, I hope I have developed a style that I can be proud of and maybe even worthy of a following.

The second skill has emerged because of necessity. I’m a sprouting mixologist!!! Not because I plan on getting a job as a bartender when this is all over, but because “happy hour” cocktails have become a crucial pastime and an event to look forward to during shutdown.

I have become creatively experimenting in fun new drinks, or sometimes just putting a twist on a classic. For example, you take the Moscow Mule, which we all know is vodka, lime, and ginger beer. That can be adapted to an Italian mule by adding limoncello. Or a Bombay mule by infusing the vodka with cardamom and adding real ginger and simple syrup. Viola! I’m a mixologist.

Practice makes perfect, so I keep trying to improve daily. I still believe in Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000 Hour Rule, which claims that you need 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill.

If I count the 2 hours a day writing and making drinks, then I’m on hour 124 of skill mastery. Only 99,876 hours to go!

Cheers to a better tomorrow!

Discovering the kitchen

RJD, #Beirut, #Lebanon

Back in my 20s (like yesterday, ok?!), I had a flair for cooking and baking. I used to live in an apartment complex where many of my college friends resided, and on Sundays, we all had lunch together over a Lebanese meal from the Mloukhieh (Jew’s Mallow) to the Fatteh (chickpeas, pita bread, yoghurt, garlic, and ghee-fried pine nuts sprinkled with paprika and chopped parsley.) 

I also used to love baking and decorating cakes, and became very good at it. I even considered it as a business at one point.

Fast-forward to living alone in Beirut in my 30s (um, also like yesterday), I survived on takeout and my cooking/baking flair was all but a distant memory.

Fast-forward again to being locked down in the wonderful world of Coronoia (I am still in my 40s, duh…) I needed to remain busy, so one day I asked our housekeeper for permission to use her kitchen, under her supervision. She reluctantly accepted while looking at me with a bewildered look, because since she started living with my husband and me, my trips to the kitchen have entailed making espresso!

And I rediscovered the joys of cooking with passion and love, albeit with a few burnt attempts!!! From making wonderful salad dressings to baking gluten-free cakes and pies (my husband is gluten-intolerant). Oh wow, what an experience it has been. The only gratitude I have for the lockdowns!

I now look forward to being in the kitchen, researching my recipes, and preparing them. But the biggest joy of all is when my husband has a taste, and as I look at him in anticipation, he says “mmmmm, this is good!” Problem is, he always looks so surprised at my newly found talents!

First attempt at pecan pie!

Thank you for reading our blog! We welcome all feedback.

If you’d like to contribute a post, please get in touch! Send me an email, contact me on Twitter, or leave a comment here.