the thing we need is never all that hard to find

As of the typing of this post, I am in the midst of attempting to make bolognese sauce. Without any real recipe. Instead, I just kind of surveyed a few different recipes, looked at what ingredients I had on hand (which included an old bottle of red wine that's been collecting dust for too long), shrugged and started going. This, I realize, seriously increases the risk of failure, but really- would you expect anything more logical from me? I think not.

So back to the wine, because who doesn't like to talk about alcohol? It was this bottle of Zinfandel from one of my early trips to wine country, before I'd even moved to the West Coast. At first, it didn't get cracked open because it was a special bottle and so it was waiting to be opened around those who might appreciate it or for just the right occasion. And then, it didn't get uncorked because it had gone past its prime. It's Zinfandel, so it's not really the sort of wine that gets particularly precious when it ages. There's probably some deeper meaning in that, but I don't have time for that noise right now.

What got me was the vintage on the bottle. This was one hell of an old bottle of wine. I was barely legally allowed to drink when this bottle was released. And it was funny how that was equally meaningful and meaningless. On the one hand, it was halting for a moment when I took the time to look at the year, had a little flash of what life was like back then. On the other hand, this wasn't some idle bottle of wine. It was being used for a purpose, and so the fanfare was minimal.

Which is how it should be really. On the one hand, the passing of time should be acknowledged, and marked, and perhaps even reflected upon from time to time. On the other hand, it's not particularly useful to ruminate on it for too long. So much left ahead. Including the learning of how to make a proper bolognese sauce.

Mind you, making bolognese sauce is a highly inappropriate way to spend Diwali (let's just say this is not a vegetarian version of bolognese and leave it at that). So how about I do one Diwali-esque thing today, and wish all of you celebrating a happy one!