Welfare is one thing that’s measured very differently from a hundred years back. Food, among other things, was something that people couldn’t always count on, but all that has changed: now we get much more than we actually need, and it’s now the rich who, on average, are thin and fit, whereas people with a smaller outcome are also more likely to suffer from obesity.
But there’s something else that’s changed. It’s not always material things that people so desperately crave for anymore, but rather the abstract; first, there seems to be a constant shortage of space.
Our grandparents, having lived through a world war or two and gotten used to surviving with the bare minimum, gathered loads and loads of stuff around them and were wary of throwing anything away once there wasn’t a constant shortage of everything anymore – just in case the bad days were to return.
So first they built warehouses in their yards for all that stuff they couldn’t throw away, but in the end the yards got filled too. Of course, the bad days never returned and nowadays discarding something you don’t need to reclaim the space it takes in your surroundings is often seen as pure pleasure. (I know: I’ve helped to empty and tear down one of these warehouses. I went home and got rid of everything I didn’t need afterwards and it felt good.)
Second, and even more important, is time. That’s something nobody seems to have too much of today. You used to be able to call someone to see if they were around to meet you the same evening, and usually they were. Now you have to book weeks ahead via email, and then you get pulled a rain check the same day. Sure, it has a lot to do with turning 30, but then, time is all older people seem to have.
Which is why I constantly find myself trying to come up with dishes that I can prepare in 10 or 15 minutes. Here’s the quickest recipe I’ve come up with – perfect for those times when you spend your 5-hour nights dreaming of 5 hours more and the latest blog entry was three weeks ago.
Taste this and you’ll know where to shove that microwave pizza.
Cold Smoked Salmon Pasta (serves a few people)
A pack of cold smoked salmon
A small bag of pasta
Some garlic
A lime
A splash of olive oil
A pinch of black pepper
A bit of saltThere’s no time to measure the exact amounts now! Put some water, oil and salt in a pan on high heat while you boil a full can of water in a water boiler. This way you’ll get a full pan of boiling water in less than 5 minutes. Put the pasta in.
Meanwhile, cut the salmon as small as you can bother to. Small slices work just as well. Set aside.
Squeeze the juice of the lime in a cup. Crush a garlic clove or two with freshly ground black pepper in the juice. Add olive oil. Mix.
When the pasta is nearly edible, pour almost all the water away (if you leave the pasta a little wet you won’t need as much oil.) Mix in the salmon and the liquid. Put on a plate, sprinkle some salt on top and, preferably using a fork, stuff down. Winner!
