A Cure for Loneliness
An almost Spring menu 🌷
Life is with People.
This is the title of my grandmother’s favorite book and the mantra that she lived by. The book is about the Shetl culture in Eastern Europe by anthropologists Mark Zborowski and Elizabeth Herzog.
Beyond her love for the book, it’s the phrase that carries so much meaning in my family. My grandmother loved hosting and spending time with friends, and that love has been passed down to my mom and me. Our lives are made whole by the meaningful presence of others as part of them.
A friend told me last week about Project Gather, a campaign started from the findings of the former Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, with the belief that eating with others can bring joy, build interpersonal connections, and ultimately help solve the loneliness epidemic in the U.S.
In recent years, about one-in-two adults in America reported experiencing loneliness. Beyond the suffering that an individual can experience living a disconnected life, there are more significant impacts:
This Surgeon General’s Advisory shows us how to build more connected lives and a more connected society. If we fail to do so, we will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our individual and collective health and well-being. And we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country. Instead of coming together to take on the great challenges before us, we will further retreat to our corners—angry, sick, and alone.
I recommend you review the whole report, as the research on social connectivity is enlightening.
The study identified six “pillars of change” that the government could build to combat the problem. The last of these recommendations is “Build a culture of connection,” which has inspired the initiative Project Gather. Its goal is to reintroduce Americans to eating together as a family and with friends.
So why am I writing about this? Beyond my belief that cooking is a radical climate solution, cooking also brings people together.
Even though we aren’t yet in spring, I felt inspired to trek to the Union Square Greenmarket and make a few dishes I would serve to a small gathering to bring people together.
So, if you feel like you could use more community in your life, have some people over!
Here is what I made for an almost Spring meal.
Enjoy each other. Life is with people.
Roasted Fennel & Delicata Squash with Stewed Chickpeas
Radicchio salad with Citrus Shallot Vinaigrette
Crispy Beets with Pistachio and Feta
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