Despite the lovely spring weather and budding leaves and flowers in London I've been feeling...uum...a mixture of gloomy, helpless, and tired. I'm a Japanese living in London and the recent earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan definitely triggered off this mood. Then there are things like my son's exams towards university entrance and a few minor personal stuff. I'm not depressed or hurt or worried - just gloomy and not cheerful.
For no particular reason I don't feel like facing the world at the moment. If I can, I just want to stay in bed all day on my own with my duvet over my head. Everything quiet, doors and curtain shut, and drawbridge up. I've never felt this way before. I'm usually feisty and perky... Oh, well. I just have to accept how I feel, wallow in it, and be grumpy to everyone around me. They'll understand. I'll just have to apologise to them later :)
Funny thing is that even in the middle of a gloom people generally do get hungry. Demanding and rumbling noise from your stomach is somehow comical and doesn't match your pensive mood. This noise means that your body is functioning as normal. Maybe it's the cue for you to get a grip.
This is a springy, light and yet filling salad to lift you up.
Ingredients (for 1 person):
two handful of young spinach leaves
1 ripe pear, cored and cut into small chunks
a handful of pine nuts or walnuts
about 50g Gorgonzola cheese or any soft blue cheese, sliced or crumbled
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon walnut oil
Not so much of a recipe, this. Roast the nuts in the oven 180C for about 10 minutes until brown and fragrant. Spread the leaves on a large plate, put the cheese and pear pieces on the top, and scatter the nuts. Sprinkle the vinegar, oil, sea salt, and black pepper.