Christina's blog

As I write this, I casually glance at the calendar, just to see the date since, like most of you, I’ve lost all track of time. I saw that, if life was normal (will it ever be?), I would be working with a group of gorgeous travelers on one of my groovy Italian adventures on the Amalfi Coast, in the town of Ravello, staying at Villa San Cosma. It hot me like a brick and then I drifted off my focus on writing and began thinking about the things I love and miss in Italy.

After months of lockdown and stay at home orders, it looks like summer might just begin. Our new normal will dictate the rules but many of us will finally venture out and gather together in ways we haven’t in some time.

We have come through weeks and weeks of sickness, economic strife, racial fury and general chaos in our society. It has been tough to concentrate amid these wrenching days as we battle back from disease and an abiding sadness. We will work for change hoping to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities and access to a good life.

2020 has been challenging to say the very least. The pandemic, social unrest and political upheaval can send us right over the edge into the abyss.

I figure we can sit around, cowering in our masks or we can stand up, be strong and make the world a kinder, more compassionate place.

'Fa tutto ciuccio gazzo!' My favorite Neopolitan slang curse word (look it up) explodes from me as I slam the book shut.

I have just finished reading “We are the Weather” by Jonathan Safran Foer. The book focuses on the human contribution to climate change and the steps we can take right now in our personal lives that can make a significant difference in whether our planet moves into demise or if we can slow the process.

Let me begin by saying that I love his books and have read them all.

I don’t know about you, but I am about at my wit’s end. A weekend of fury and violence has made the pandemic feel like a premonition of what was to come. It laid bare all of the inequity in modern society and has left us feeling sad, exhausted, worried and anxious as another week begins. It’s certainly hard to seek pleasure, even simple ones.

As we slowly emerge from the safe cocoons of our homes and into what can be a scary new world, how can we channel our fear and create happiness in the face of the steep uphill climb that is sure to be our recovery from the impact of COVID-19 on every aspect of our lives?

I mean, we all like challenges that help us grow, but this has been ridiculous, right?

Chi

Black

Another month of semi-lockdown and social distancing, no hugs, no kisses. More cooking at home. We may be out of our homes more; enjoying more freedoms, but still…   

I write recipes for a living. I guide people through the potential kitchen disasters that are often inevitable when a dramatic diet change is adopted and new and sometimes unfamiliar ingredients fill your pantry. I encourage people to bail on following recipes precisely and to have fun and cook what’s on hand.

I never thought I would have to take my own advice quite so literally.

If you’re like me, you’ve had enough of stress recipes, cooking for comfort and indulgence, cooking with pantry staples, cobbling together something that looks like dinner.

I’m tired of crossing the street when another human walks near me. I am tired of wearing a mask.

There’s no question. This is bad. Our current struggle (even with a light at the end of this very long tunnel) is out of the realm of imagination for us. None of us, with the exception of missionaries and doctors who have worked with pandemics in other countries has the tools to navigate this. In the past, we watched with horror as films show pandemics decimating the human race. None of us expected to live in it for real. It’s a nightmare from which we can’t wake…not yet.