Trust

Photgraph by Ellen Cosgrove

“Trust no one” I learned at a young age from my favorite science fiction show. Strange how much this phrase seems to define where we are today. From the outside it would appear that we no longer trust the government, the media, the MTA system, NBA referees or our neighbors. In a day in age when we are consistently inundated with information that feed our fears and mistrust, what can we trust?

But yet we do trust. We trust everyday. We trust that our alarm is going to go off in the morning, that we will have power to make coffee and hot water to shower. We trust that the cars will stop at the light when we cross the street and the train driver is paying attention as we begin our commute. We trust in systems and social norms that we take for granted as we move through the day.

We also trust our food. We trust the bodega with making our egg and cheese or our favorite restaurant to make the filet. We open that carton of milk trusting that the date stamped on it is correct. We trust the recipe to tell us how to bake those cookies so that we have something to bring to the bake sale. It could be said that the ultimate act of trust is taking the food that someone else has made and eating it. And sitting down together to share this food no doubt solidifies trust.

In a society like ours that functions mainly on cooperation and trust why are we so afraid and distrustful? Yes of course systems fail and sometimes the milk is sour, but is this really the norm? And where you are distrustful, whether it is of a food or of an agency, is it possible to rebuild this trust?

So what do you trust? Is there a go to dish that always turns out delicious? Can you depend on a certain meal to satisfy you when you are starving? Do you trust your favorite restaurant to always make a certain dish just the way you like it? Or is there a food that you have perhaps rebuilt trust with?

We build our lives on trust and no matter what upsetting information we face everyday, we still go buy that carton of eggs trusting we will be able to make a delicious frittata from it.

Trust is not always easy but it is essential. Trusting ourselves, others and life can be scary. I recently had coffee with a friend and was giving her an update on my life. And like good friends can do, she called me out, “you don’t trust yourself” she said. Ugh. She was not completely off. This starting my own project, business thing has been hard and there are times I would rather someone else tell me what to do. I have grown accustomed to trusting that others knew better then me, and have sought out a lot of advice. But with time I am learning that I actually know what is best for me. Radical huh? This goes for work, love, life and food.

My way of eating has been challenged by many evangelized eaters recently. The reality is that I know what is best for my body, but can I trust myself through all the nutrition noise and often unsolicited dietary advice? I fully admit that I am opportunistic when it comes to food. There are times when I will eat/drink things that many health conscious people would potentially discourage, but that brings me SO much damn joy (examples: ice cream sandwiches, old fashioned’s, goat curry, dumplings, cheese popcorn…you get the idea). This works for me and my body at this moment, but I trust that you know what works for you. Roasted vegetables, though, work for just about anyone. It is methodology that I can always count on to be easy and turn out declious. Trust me.

Roasted Vegetables

Roast the rainbow!

Roasted Vegetables

vegatables! (potatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, onions, etc)

dried or fresh herbs (I love rosemary and thyme)

olive oil

salt and pepper

1) Preheat oven to about 400 degrees

2) Cut up vegetables into uniform pieces.

2) Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs in a bowl. Use more salt then you think! Taste=salt.

3) Spread out on cookie sheet. If you are doing different vegetables, group them together since they will have different cooking times. You can even share a sheet like I did above but keep in mind that different vegetables will be cooked quicker then others.

4) Roast until cooked through and slightly carmelized. Make sure to check about halfway in to flip pieces so you can get them crunchy on both sides. Really it depends how “roasted” you want them to be. But keep an eye on them because this can happen quicker then you think!