The Monthly Menu: March Went Out Like a Lion 🦁

Rawr.

In high school, I played violin in pit orchestra, and we did Carousel one year. During “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” which we all laughed at like little jerks much to the consternation of the conductor, there’s a line that goes, “March went out like a lion…” and afterwards, one actor in the chorus would always give a little, “Rawr” with a suggestive pawing of the air. Throughout the rehearsals and multiple performances, our orchestra would all turn our heads to watch this moment when it happened, while still playing our parts—it was a nice subversive gesture of which I’m sure Brother Joshua didn’t approve. This inside joke from over twenty years ago inspired today’s title.

What else has been inspiring me? The price of olive oil! As noted in last week’s Recommends… the increase in cost of olive oil has been hitting, it seems, everyone—I’ve heard from folks in Canada and Spain that they’re struggling. Our go-to Costco 3-liter EVOO has increased in cost from under $20, to $25, to now $33.99 in the last four years. (Our Costco bill as a whole has gone up 50 percent over that same time period. We go for pantry basics, and the list is here.) I also buy a step up in quality of olive oil that I will use for salad dressings, and I right now have my highest end from Olive Odyssey, sourced in Palestine, for drizzling and dipping. Olive oil is the center of my cooking and eating. To say I’m stressed about its cost increase is to minimize the issue. 

Cathy pointed out in last month’s Food in Cuba Desk Book Club conversation how interesting it is to look at people’s food acquisition processes, and how that could be affected by political and economic collapse. Of course, since the pandemic, costs and corporate profits have gone up while working people have struggled. This gave me an idea to start asking people about their own food shopping habits, how they’re struggling or not struggling with costs, and how these habits are affected by where they live in the world: Is it a car-based place, like Puerto Rico, or a walkable city with robust public transportation? Are they a full-time office worker or a remote person? A care-taker? Food acquisition diaries—I’m mulling over the best way to bring this feature into being.

Onward to what I’ve been eating and cooking, with another praise-song for my new favorite focaccia, Ooni pizza adventures, and insights from my husband’s project of cooking through Hannah Che’s The Vegan Chinese Kitchen.

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