Deliberate cultivation of ignorance

Phew, fresh vegetables in the fridge again! Maybe I'm stupid to take time off my learning in order to do so--see the title of the post--but I prefer to think it keeps me sane. Anyhow, while noted workaholic Thomas Edison noted that work* is a better cure for worry than whiskey, he said nothing about the salutary powers of vegetables.



And so, with the exam o' doom drawing ever closer, I made one of my favorite summertime comfort foods, and to hell with the sudden fall weather and my rising cortisol levels: The world needs more whole wheat pita with Middle Eastern-style salad.

As I keep pointing out to classmates who wonder how I have the time to do this sort of thing, bread-making fits in well to a study schedule. I mixed up the sponge, let it sit while I reviewed a few lectures, used it to make the dough, let it rise while I exercised and studied a bit more, and then baked it right before I ate the salad that had been marinating on the counter; the apartment is chilly enough to do that.



I like to make and eat this salad at only a few degrees below room temperature--or, if you're my shockingly cold apartment, room temperature. Tomatoes don't do well at very low temperatures, both in terms of taste and texture. Added benefit: The cool-rather-than-cold salad doesn't wreak havoc on a fresh, warm pita. If it looks like there's not much feta, or that the pieces are very small, it's because I splurged on a delightfully stinky Bulgarian sheep's milk feta. Believe me, not much is required to imbue a salad with the taste.



Stackopita:



Man, speaking of the title of this post, it's been a long time since I read a not-textbook, not-cookbook, not-New York Times article. Post-exam plans: read Kafka on the Shore.

*Afford me my crazy sentence construction, would you kindly?