Outside

Photo by Ellen Cosgrove

My sister has a framed print that says: "It's always better when you go outside". I tend to agree, especially when it comes to food.

Summer BBQ's, picnics, stoop gatherings all lead to incredible meals that just would not taste the same at the kitchen table. Soft serve ice cream has a magical effect when you get to eat it standing in a parking lot. And we wait hours to get the prime outdoor seating for brunch on the streets of NYC.

Have you even had a hot dog indoors in the winter? It is nothing like the one you eat sitting next to your dad with a $12 beer at a baseball game. Eating food outside rules! So let's do it!

So what do you like to eat outside? Is it your standard BBQ menu or do you have an unexpected snack from your trip to Spain? What Indian street food was your favorite? And who does not like a fresh coconut opened up with a machete on a hot day?

Coincidentally, the word outside means: "not belonging to or coming from within a particular group". I know that feeling like an outsider of groups, countries and life stages has driven me to explore and seek out connections that many times lead to incredible meals and interactions. Is this true at all for you?

Eating outside is always a treat, but one memory stands out for me. I was in Kenya and Uganda for four months doing research for my graduate thesis. For the last three weeks I traveled with a friend from school around Kenya. We spent much of our time on the Kenyan coast which was beautiful and enchanting (see picture above). During our stay in Lamu (a small island on the north of the coast) we took a boat trip around the island and too surrounding small islands. The crew sailed us around, taught us how to “fish” (I caught nothing!) and made us a delicious lunch. Luckily they had caught fish earlier and grilled them on a small grill on the boat. They served the fish with rich coconut rice and a masala sauce. We all sat together around the small ship eating this incredibly delicious meal while looking at the beautiful water and soaking up the sun. It was a moment of belonging after spending months traveling alone and feeling very much like the outsider. Food allowed for this moment of connection.

I came away from my time on the coast of Kenya with a love of coconut rice. It is simple, satisfying and pairs wonderfully with fish, chicken or a bunch of vegetables.

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Coconut Rice

(makes 4 cups of rice)

2 cups of jasmine rice

2 cups of coconut milk (full fat!)

1 cup of water

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon or red chili flakes (or more if you would like)

salt and pepper

1 chopped scallion for garnish

1) Rinse 2 cups of rice and put into pan. Mix in all ingredients besides scallion. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 15 minutes

2) After 15 minutes, keep lid on tight and let sit and steam for 10 minutes.

3) Fluff and serve with scallions as garnish.