à la carte spirit by ilona fried
Depression
In a Crisis, Old Memories Cycle into the Present
Yesterday I cycled into Northampton for the first farmer’s market of the season. The ride is about 30 minutes, mostly flat or downhill. It was my road biking debut, rather than using a bike path (to which I drive). At the market I stood in a socially distanced line for half an hour before I … Continue reading
We Are All Each Other
A few weeks ago, which seems like another lifetime, my local food co-op removed the cafe seating in the store. While watching an employee take the interior chairs and tables away as I sat at a counter by the window, a deep fear churned in my gut, as if a rug were being pulled out … Continue reading
Anthony Bourdain, Food and the Soul
I knew of Anthony Bourdain but hadn’t watched any of his shows until I learned of his passing. In viewing parts of several episodes, I discovered that we had been kindred spirits: lovers of food, travel, exploring the unknown and, also, appreciators of simple pleasures. In one tribute to his life, there is a video … Continue reading
Convoluted Kaddish for a Complicated Relation
[note: this post is 2-3 times longer than usual] “Oy, es iz shver tsu zayn a Yid!” — Oy, it’s hard to be a Jew The world changed in large and subtle ways in early November. The day before the U.S. election I received a short e-mail from a distant cousin in Munich. She told me that her … Continue reading
Watching Soccer Through a Feldenkrais Frame
If I think of achievement principally, I find that some part of myself is always left out. – Moshe Feldenkrais, Amherst Training If Moshe Feldenkrais hadn’t nearly destroyed his knee in a soccer match as a young man, or if he had chosen risky surgery to repair it, he wouldn’t have developed his groundbreaking method that allowed him … Continue reading
à la carte spirit by ilona fried 
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