Little Luxuries

This past month, for the first time in my life, I read a cookbook. As in: I opened the cookbook, and read it from page one until page 480. I didn’t complete this task all in one sitting, of course, but the point is that I approached the book like I would a novel, ingesting every word, which is something I had never done with a cookbook before. (My usual method is to scan the table of contents or the index and flip to the few recipes that sound interesting, then ignore the introductory paragraphs to the recipe and move straight to the ingredient list and instructions.)

By actually reading the entire cookbook (Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, by the way), I learned some valuable cooking lessons, including the impact of generously salting pasta water, the “why” behind using room temperature eggs and butter when baking, and the merit of choosing kosher salt over table salt at the grocery store.

I also stumbled across thought-provoking lines that inspired levels of reflection that I didn’t expect from a cookbook.

One of my favorite lines came from Nosrat’s section on salads: “Rich and creamy,” she writes, “avocados are one of my favorite affordable luxuries.”

Myself, I’m not actually wild about avocados, but Nosrat moved me to consider the concept of “affordable luxuries” and to ponder mine. Affordable, of course, can have a wide spectrum of meaning depending on the circumstances (purchasing an affordable new car doesn’t justify spending the equivalent $17,000 a nice purse). And so, too, can luxury. A vacation at a five-star resort is luxurious… and so are avocados. 

Why does this matter? 

Because however we define affordable and luxury, life is more enjoyable when we actually appreciate (versus mindlessly consume) the luxuries to which we afford ourselves. Amidst the ups and downs of life and the challenges that we all inevitably face, little sparks of delight can buoy us and help us savor the goodness that does fill our days.

Nosrat demonstrates an ability to appreciate “the little things” in life, and she inspired me to consider what little things add a spark of delight to my life. My personal examples include good coffee, nice smelling soap, fresh towels, and sparkling water. 

How about you?