Food is a Lot of Things

Transportive, comforting, meditative, love.

It might not surprise you that food is my love language. It’s my default way to show the people in my life that I care about them. I think about it in a running current in the back of my mind all the time. Because I also have a busy life, and a family who has needs, and a job, it takes the form of accessory rather than the main event—not only how can it fit in and around sports practices and meetings and train schedules, but how can our food enhance whatever is going on with us right now, in this week, in this phase.

Last week, my husband started a new job (comfort food!), my dad came over for dinner one night (a little performative), and the weather warmed up and we stayed out playing basketball and riding bikes until the last daylight on Sunday (quick and as a bonus, transportive). Yes, sometimes food is just fuel, but also, how can food meet the moment and make it better?

Quick: Shrimp with Chorizo and Chickpeas

You guys, this is such a good one. It’s like a little mini escape to Spain (food as transportive!), but requires only a few pantry/freezer ingredients and twenty minutes or so. It’s the perfect thing to make when you’ve been out at the park or beach (or work) all day and want to keep the good vibes rolling without too much effort.

Note: In the picture I used chorizo that was more like sausage, where you remove it from the casings and the texture like ground meat, but you could use drier chorizo that’s more like salami. I include instructions for the both. Also, the potatoes were just leftovers, you definitely don’t need them here, but I’d say the bread is a must for dipping into spicy, flavorful oil.