Thursday, December 30, 2021

And You're Looking for the Answer in Her Eyes

Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
Or, as they have come to be known, the cookies.  These salted and edge sugar coated cookies, for me, really were all that and a bag of chips.  And, as I came to find, so is Alison Roman, the gal who invented them and has lived an admirable foodie life.  I only discovered her during the pandemic from her YouTube Home Movies segments.  There I fell in love with her style and humor, and mainly, her unapologetically relaxed way of cooking.  She's since moved but she was living in a very modest, very similar kitchen to mine in a neighborhood near me.  She's one of those women, that other women appreciate.  Even though, she has a heavy LA accent and way of speech, it hasn't tainted my view of her.  Having an annoying nasal Midwestern tone of my own, I realize it's nothing we easily control.  Of all the video cooks, I feel her love of food and cooking the most.  She is a genuine person, unpolished and real.  She's entertaining by nature.  
I watched her make these cookies one night and thought they would make the perfect xmas gifts for a few coworkers.  Whoever doesn't love Shortbread, I would prefer not to know, so I just assumed everyone does.  I purchased the fancy flaky sea salt and Demerara sugar, and other simpler ingredients.  I made two batches and put them in cute little Holiday bags with International Santas coinciding with the coworkers' country of origin, which I thought was a cute touch. 



May I say, that these are as promised, special and addictive.  I happily passed them to select work buddies, hoping they would be as delighted as me.  One gal actually did write late that same night.  She said, although she was not eating sugar herself, she shared them with her pals at the bar and they raved about them, and couldn't believe they were not from a high-end bakery.  That should have been enough for me.  But no one else bothered to give even one word after.  Finally, in a weak moment, I asked the one gal who is often in a tizzy about something or other, losing her wallet, plunging her phone in the toilet, needing a few bucks to buy lunch and not someone who I'd imagine ever had someone make her fresh baked goods, if she liked them.  She simply said, they were very rich.  Nothing more.  No, hey, that was cool of you to think of me or how sweet.  I didn't give them in order to get accolades, although it sure sounds like it right now, however my coworkers reaction or in this case non-reaction to almost everything never ceases to surprise me.  

My In-laws immediately send a photo enjoying a sent gift with a quick gushy text, and I've adopted that tradition.  Although people shouldn't give to get, it does give the sender a quick little concession.  Niceties.  There was solid social benefits to these small gestures of etiquette that are slowly dissolving but could be revived with a tiny bit of effort.  It's even easier for someone to give a shout out these days, so there's little excuse.  Why not take two seconds right now to say hey to someone who might really enjoy hearing from you? I'm probably one of them!

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