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​YES, THERE'S hope

Let's Not Give Up on 2021 Just Yet

1/14/2021

 
Chef Lenny the Lizard / 2021: it just gets goofier / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
Lenny was just a house pet until, like so many of us, he got into cooking during quarantine.

OK, 2021, the hour of reckoning has come. Yes, already! You can't deny we performed all the proper rituals — red underwear, grapes, buckets of water out the door, 360 million glasses of champaign in the US alone. Frankly, we gave you the most enthusiastic welcome of any year in the history of time. What did we ask in return? Just a little relief from the chaos and madness of past twelve months. But no, you couldn’t resist the opportunity to outdo 2020. You just had to start off the very first week with an insurrection designed to derail American democracy. What’s next? No, don’t tell me. I’m not sure my nerves can take it.
 
So much for my foolish notion that 2021 would be better than its predecessor.
 
I was preparing to write this year off as a total washout (why wait until the last minute?) but then I paused to reflect on some inspiring stories that have already come out of it. Stories of those who are finding ways to stay engaged in the world in spite of everything. For instance, I’m still basking in the sheer delight of my latest discovery: a lizard (specifically a bearded dragon) who has published his own cookbook, Chef Lenny: Cooking for Humans. True story; I couldn’t make this stuff up.


“It was my quarantine project,” says Valerie Musser, Lenny’s owner, ghost writer, and publicist. When her catering business was derailed by the pandemic, she began writing a long-postponed cookbook and amused herself posting Instagram photos of Lenny in a miniature chef’s hat she found on Etsy. “He actually loves wearing hats and posing for photos, so I started making miniature food for him to show off with.” Moreover, Lenny has a classic chef’s temperament. “He is very pretentious. His body language is kind of crazy, he wants what he wants, he’s very demanding and he’s kind of a snob about food, very fussy, so this project fits him very well.”
 
Lenny isn’t the only unexpected new celebrity. Fans of fungi will be pleased to know the once-humble mushroom has had series of makeovers and is now popping up everywhere. Adidas’ line of “vegan footwear” includes sneakers made of “mushroom-based leather” derived from the fast-growing roots known as mycelium. A Stanford designer is growing mushrooms on a diet of sawdust and using their mycelium to make bricks that are said to be “stronger than concrete.” And never worry that demand will outstrip the supply, because a Dutch inventor has created a coffin that turns bodies into mushrooms.  It takes just a single week to create a “living cocoon” by growing mycelium around a box-shaped frame with an open bottom. When the time comes, you just lay your loved one to rest inside, and he or she will spend the next few years decomposing gracefully back into the earth, adding nutrients to the soil. Not surprisingly, getting this product to market will require overcoming some serious legal hurdles and the creepiness factor. If only Tales from the Crypt was still around to serve as the sponsor.


​In the constellation of new superstars, perhaps the most astounding virtuoso is Secret, a young Australian shepherd who’s become an adept practitioner of doga, or dog yoga. When not mastering complex asanas (yoga poses), Secret enjoys spending time with his human, Mary Peters, painting, doing housework, and learning CPR.


​Another creature-human relationship that’s taken the quarantined world by storm is the heartwarming platonic romance between Craig Foster and a female octopus living in the kelp forest of South Africa’s Cape of Storms. “What Charlotte’s Web did in the popular imagination for the humble, much-maligned barn spider, My Octopus Teacher sets out to achieve for the eight-limbed mollusc of its title,” says Variety in a review titled “An Eight-Legged Freak Becomes a Friend in Netflix’s Gorgeous Hit Nature Doc.”

The film is sensitive, intelligent, and mind-expanding, so naturally somebody had to do a goofy parody. Filmmakers rose to the challenge with My Kreepy Teacher, the story of a man bonding with his Kreepy Krauly-brand pool cleaner.

My Octopus Teacher / My Kreepy Teacher  / 2021: it just gets goofier / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
Can you tell which is the real octopus and which is the pool cleaner?

With the possible exception of the dog Secret, relationships with members of other species (let alone inanimate objects like the Kreepy Krauly pool cleaner) are severely limited by physical, verbal, and social differences. Despite all its complications, we are hard wired to need human companionship.
 
During a recent Zoom call, my sister Kate remarked that on top of everything else, we hardly ever get to meet new people these days. She’s right. Except for brief encounters with neighbors and sales clerks, I rarely speak to anyone who isn’t a relative or long-time friend. That got me thinking: How can we connect up — safely, online — with new people, preferably in a lively interactive format?
 
One of the best ways is via Meetup, an online organizer started by New Yorkers in the wake of 9/11, when encounters with neighbors gave them a fresh appreciation of the value of human connection in dark times. It costs nothing to join; you just sign up with any group that looks interesting (like the drive-in movie group I belong to) and they send you notices of events. Nowadays everything is tailored to helping us through the pandemic, with categories such as Learn New Skills, Live Mindfully, Deepen Your Tech Knowledge, and Make Lasting Connections. There are also 3,700 board game groups and 2,500 card game groups where you can play with locals or people around the world.

But what really caught my eye was Meetup’s 5,382 book clubs. 

Meetup Book Clubs / Mushroom sneakers / 2021: it just gets goofier / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
If none of these book clubs appeals, you can always check the website of your public library and local book stores, many of which host monthly online book discussions.

It’s fun to think about joining one of the giants, such as the London Philosophy Club or Dharma Drink: the Hangout for Buddhists (& like minded) in New York, each of which has about 10,000 members. No doubt they break out into smaller discussion subgroups, but even so, I’d feel lost in a crowd that large. You can find smaller book clubs on Meetup or through your local public library or book store. Before joining any group, be sure to find out if they read the kind of stuff you actually like. Years ago I was flattered by an invitation to join a highbrow literary book club, where I floundered through pedantic discussions of classics I admired but didn’t enjoy one bit. As you can imagine, I hightailed it out of there as soon as possible and joined a different book club.

​We humans are social creatures. Our survival as individuals and as a species has always depended upon connection and cooperation. These days few of us are called upon to help the neighbors hunt a mastodon or raise a barn, but even when we’re simply partnering in a game of online Monopoly, we’re making a vital contribution to the community. Everyone needs a sense of support, the warmth of laughter, and some reassurance that we are not alone in this time of crisis. “Love and compassion,” says the Dalai Lama, “are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.” That’s never been truer than in 2021.


DEAR READERS
I write these posts to contribute a little cheeriness to the general conversation, in hopes it will help us all get through these troubling times with a bit more grace and comfort.  Please feel free to pass on the link to your family, friends, Zoom acquaintances, and book clubs. All are welcome here.

https://www.enjoylivingabroad.com/my-blog/lets-not-give-up-on-2021-just-yet

And before I close, I can't resist including one more small delight to brighten these dark days: an astonishing 3D animation from Le Petit Chef, a small country restaurant northeast of Paris. They project it onto your table while you’re waiting for dessert. Bon appétit! 

YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY
Healing with Chocolate / 2021: it just gets goofier / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
THE HEALING POWER OF CHOCOLATE
Yoga for Insomnia / 2021: it just gets goofier / Karen McCann / EnjoyLivingAbroad.com
YOGA & OTHER CURES FOR INSOMNIA
NEW COMFORT RECIPES
​
​
This post is part of my ongoing series of articles on surviving the pandemic while holding on to some shreds of our sanity and sense of humor, however weird things get.
​

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Phyllis
1/14/2021 09:34:21 pm

Karen, you do, indeed, brighten up our day. The dessert thing I sent to a grandson who works in motion graphics. Pretty fun. Also liked the dog who does yoga and other things.

Question for you: where can I find the recipe for that oohey-gooey dessert that is part of the video clips at the top of your blog? I remember when you did an entry about it, but it looks so good, I'm going to have to create something like it.

Karen McCann
1/15/2021 01:09:21 am

So glad you liked the post, Phyllis, and I agree that dessert video s wonderful. If you go to YouTube, the restaurant has posted others, too, like seafood and BBQ. As for the "dessert" in my video montage, it's actually moussaka from a small, family-owned café in Thessaloniki, Greece. It contains a staggering amount of cream and is over-the-top delicious. Here's the backstory and link to the recipe: https://www.enjoylivingabroad.com/my-blog/mysteries-of-moussaka-revealed. If you're looking for a dessert, this isn't it, but if you just want a gorgeous indulgence, it's a winner.

Lynn at Southern Fried French link
1/14/2021 09:51:20 pm

You are so right, why wait until the last minute? Trash it now, it may get worse! Loved all the craziness you found, but my favorite was the parody of the octopus show (which was indeed a wonderful show everyone should watch). Happy new year anyway!

Karen McCann
1/15/2021 01:11:05 am

I loved the octopus documentary too, Lynn, and have been recommending it to everyone who will listen. I just discovered the parody, which really captures the tone of the original. Good fun!

Faye
1/14/2021 11:07:27 pm

Interesting articles, Karen. The amazing and versatile mushroom! Who knew! Nevertheless, I don’t want to grow them, living or dead! I will never look at mushrooms the same way again.
I liked the doga article too. With all the pain & suffering, we can always find something that will amaze us or simply make us happy if we just pay attention.

You give us so many great possibilities and suggestions for surviving the pandemic. While this has been a devestating time for so many and we grieve for and with them, for others of us, we have found it a time of catching up with so many things we always planned to do but never found enough time like reading, gardening, trying new recipes, and yes, even watching news to see what is going on in our country & around the world. I am learning or relearning, in some cases, about government. When I was “married with children” , and later, working, I couldn’t find time for it all. Now I do and believe it or not, I still don’t find the time to do it all!

I have just received my first vaccine and will do a repeat in 2 1/2
Weeks...seems a bit surreal that vaccinations are really happening!
So here’s looking forward to a brighter, healthier 2021 for us all!

Karen McCann
1/15/2021 01:15:04 am

Faye, congratulations on getting the vaccine! I think we're all feeling a bit surreal these days, and it's so encouraging to know the vaccines are really happening. I think it'll be a month or two before Rich and I get ours. Nobody around here seems to know what the plan is, or even if there is a plan. I'm sure they will figure something out eventually. In the meantime, like you, I'm pursuing pastimes I love, including cooking tons of comfort food. Many of the dishes include mushrooms, and like you, I'll never look at them quite the same way again!


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