Ever since I met Mr. Lemoui, my philosophy teacher, I started thinking about things
I hadn’t taken into consideration before. I look at him and I see a master in
the art of unlocking concealed doors in people’s minds – or at least in mine –.
He has this irreverent and questioning
attitude towards everything and the ability to entice you into joining his
game; no sooner have you left his class, you can’t stop yourself from going
over and over what he has said. It’s not that he instils his ideals in
students; it’s just that he leaves these blank spaces in their minds so that
they feel the need to rethink, analyse and contrast any information they
receive. So that they end up building an opinion for themselves and don’t base their
thoughts on what they’ve traditionally been taught.
However inspiring this may sound, after
some time of experiencing this sort of phenomenon, I’ve come to realize how
little time I spend on constructing my thoughts and opinions. What I mean is
that I may leave my philosophy lesson and yes, spend the next hour thinking
about what has been discussed, but immediately after this, an endless bunch of
other things to think about come to me and so as the human being I am, I just
can’t handle them at once, so they end up messily displaced in my mind. If
besides this comes reality – understood as the physical place where you’re
standing; the sensations you feel through your senses; your daily life and
duties and the things you must remember and those you forget when you
shouldn’t; publicity; news on how the world is a step closer to dehumanization,
if it is not yet; etcetera, etcetera, etcetera –, what you get is a huge and
tremendous jumble in your head.
Maybe this is just how thought works.
Maybe this is the best part of it, making something out of chaos, learning to
redirect your thoughts to where you want them to go. Being patient, controlling your eagerness of sorting things out, of finding evident answers – if they’re
to exist –. Knowing which information you want to pick and how you want to use
it. Being flexible yet determined when it comes to belief and ideas.
Maybe this is growing up, a dash of
emancipation. Or maybe it’s something I still don’t know how to portray in
words.
LEEK, BROCCOLI AND COURGETTE SOUP WITH STRAWBERRY AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR TOPPING
Serves 2/3
(portions can
be adjusted to taste)
1 and ½
courgette, skin removed and chopped
1 big head
of broccoli, cut into florets and slice the stalk
2 leeks,
finely chopped
1 medium
potato
A bunch of
strawberries, cut into halves or quarters
Balsamic
vinegar
Sea salt
and pepper
1 litre/4
cups of water (and maybe a little bit more)
2 tbsp of
virgin olive oil
·Heat the
olive oil in a saucepan. Add the courgettes, broccoli and leeks, lower the heat
and cook for about 10-15 minutes with a lid, stir occasionally. They should
soften but keep their colour.
·Add water
and a pinch of sea salt and cook for 25-30 minutes. Blend the soup until
completely smooth using a hand blender. Add more water if it’s too thick and
blend again. Season to taste.
·Serve it
in bowls with the strawberries on top and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!
PS: The
soup can be stored in the fridge for a few days.
