⧉ Devotion
Welcome to the thirtieth issue of OVERLAP ⧉
Devotion
A grandmother stands in front of a kitchen counter, separating pomegranate seeds from the pith until the bowl is full of bright arils for her grandchildren.
A new mom sets off on a business trip with a cooler and an arsenal of breast pumps so she can bring milk home for her baby.
On a snowy winter afternoon, a gardener makes a list: seeds to purchase, plants to grow.
Months later, the cucumbers are ready. The air is hot, humid, pungent with the smell of vinegar. She fills jar after jar with pickles.
A farmer trudges across a field in the small, dark hours of the night to check on a cow that’s about to give birth.
At the market, a shopper taps a melon and cocks her head, listening for the thwump that means it’s perfectly ripe.
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I’ve been thinking about devotion lately. I think it may be the secret ingredient in our most delicious foods.
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Auntie Jess recommends:
The many lives of Roberto. The story of Helen Rosner’s internet-famous soup.
Clever Dripper. A compact coffee maker for my tiny kitchen.
NYT Cooking newsletters. I like to read these missives on the subway ride home from work. Sam Sifton’s email voice is so … soothing.
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Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear from you — hit reply or send a message through my website to tell me about your favorite winter soup recipes or anything else that’s on your mind. You can also forward this to a friend or two and invite them to subscribe. If you missed a previous issue, all the archives are online.
Until next time,
Jessica
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