Welcome to My Junk Drawer
Is it too bold to assume anyone with a kitchen also has a junk drawer somewhere in that space?
My kitchen junk drawer is a cluttered storage place for miscellaneous kitchen tools that I frequently use…or rarely use but can’t throw out. I have scissors, a couple of microplane graters, whisks, brushes, peelers, slicers, molds, an infrared thermometer, a tablespoon/teaspoon set, and probably some more items hidden away in my bigger-on-the-inside-than-the-outside-tartis-like drawer. It’s my go-to drawer in the kitchen.
It's also a metaphor for many things in my life. For example, my thoughts and memories are neatly arranged inside my brain – mostly, they have a place and a purpose. But my brain also has a junk drawer space – a place to stash those unfinished thoughts…thoughts that I have not released into the world…or thought segments that have not found an objective or matching segment to form into a singular, mostly coherent idea.
In the same way, this newsletter project has always had a junk drawer of sorts. It’s the hidden folder that contains my short essays and opinions. All the stuff I want to say…all the stuff I started to say but never finished…and all the stuff I’m not sure about.
I’ve never come up with a reason to make it viewable to the public without distracting from my primary purpose – to inspire people to cook healthier vegan food. Or maybe…maybe I always chose to keep my junk drawer hidden because I was afraid to expose my clutter – my thoughts and opinions about vegan food and cooking.
Hmm.
“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us on your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.” --Steven Pressfield from The War of Art.
Whatever my reasoning or rationale was seems irrelevant to me now. I am passionate about food and cooking…and creating tastes and memories to share with others…and enriching the lives of those around me…and sharing my successes and failures. My recipes are the core of what I create and share with the world. But I also feel the need to have some space to speak out on things that matter to me…and maybe you too. These are the thoughts…the stories…the essays I will periodically put in this space that I lovingly call my junk drawer. I hope you open it often and use what’s in there any way you choose.
Bravo, Jack! I can’t wait to read what you pull from the junk drawer. I suspect that I won’t always agree with your ideas, but I also know that you will make me think, challenging myself to dig deep and consider another point of view. You’ve already challenged me to grow beyond what I knew in the kitchen. Looking forward to more of your thoughts!
This is a great idea, Jack. I've found that one of the most frustrating parts of being "a creator" is the pressure to write only what "the audience" expects or wants. It's a stifling approach that leaves so much unsaid. This "junk drawer" approach sounds much more freeing!
I look forward to hearing your thoughts, comments, and insights.