Kidney Beans

There are some things you’d never contemplate if you knew you were only passing through town. Perhaps you mightn’t bother to fully unpack your suitcase. You almost certainly wouldn’t ride 45mins on bike to a Cosco-esque supermarket to fill a backpack with bulk dry goods.

Last night, I walked into a kitchen, poured dry kidney beans out into pot, and let them soak while I slept. That is probably close the least exciting thing I could plausibly write about. Yet, it is significant.

Today, I drained the water from those beans—they’d grown! Then, I boiled them to get rid of the legendary phytohaemagglutinin that I only just learned about, and let them slow cook pretty much all day on the stove. Finally, I ate them for dinner. Incredibly uneventful.

But amongst all the mundane, a certain freedom is implied. The liberty to mess around, invest time into tasks with little clear output and questionable efficiency, and to do homely-type activities. We actually have a bit of a pantry going here. I can meal prep to some extent. It is boring, but it is also very comforting.

For the first time in quite some time, I find myself forgetting the day of the week, the date, and what night we’re up to in our stay. I really like that. I’ve even neglected this site for a few days! Very much looking forward to living in one spot for a little while, and embracing all of the tiny, unproductive things that bring me joy at home—like cooking kidney beans!