Clam chowder for the soul

It's been almost 10 years since I had last written in this blog. Did not expect it to somehow still exist, but well, it's the internet right. How time has flown by and how much has changed since then. It almost feels like a little mix of taking time, freedom and life for granted all these years. Hello again, from the middle of a global pandemic.

Life has been different, almost unrecognizable. We no longer work in offices, the office desk being only inches from where we rest our heads at night. We no longer travel, the airport announcement tune is something we can only stream to listen to. We no longer head out wearing lip colour, the beautiful rosy hue covered by double masks. The daily news either bore bad news or worse news. Our go-to family restaurants slowly decided the financial burden was too large to bear, leaving us only to recall when was the last time we enjoyed our favourite dishes. The only real joy stemmed from weekly visits to the supermarket for some, let's call it 'grocery therapy'. The day my boss announced that we were to work from home is now 1.5 years ago. Time flies, and wait for no man. 

Since my last post, I have also switched jobs. Just as I started my new role within a brand new environment, the world moved to remote working and went into lockdown. It has been exceptionally challenging to learn new systems and build relationships with co-workers. The face to face experience is definitely vastly different from the virtual world. Navigating these rough times required a diversion of attention into something else: a new hobby, or learning a new skill. 

Hence, the past weeks and months, I have delved into trying out different recipes, often taking over dinner service on Saturdays. Last evening, my masterpiece was clam chowder. Hearty and creamy, perfect for warming the soul on a somewhat chilly Saturday night. Involving simple ingredients and needing no salt at all (owing to the brine from the clams), it was incredibly easy, quick to make and an absolute crowd-pleaser. Paired with warm dinner rolls, it was perfection in a bowl and one that warmed my soul. 

Weekends allow me to have a healthy distraction from the massive demands of my day job. Mondays thru Fridays are a blur of meetings, discussions, excel sheets and joyless conversations with co-workers. A questionable way to live life, and I'm often left pondering, as cliche as it might sound, what is the true meaning of life? An evening at the bar, dinners with friends, hikes, packing for a trip or even just planning one seems as if I'm asking for too much. 

Despite all that, I seek comfort and feel blessed that I still get to spend time with family, my dog, go for evening walks in the garden, enjoy home made hotpot or BBQ sessions. Stay sane everyone, we are in this together and will definitely emerge stronger!