My Annual Pantry Cleanout Looks Different This Year
Because I’m also preparing it for post-pandemic life
Lately, I’ve had an unsettling feeling as the realization that neither a new year nor a new administration likely means any significant changes to our daily lives, at least for several more months.
I can’t help but think of this time a year ago when I was looking forward to a party we’d planned. I didn’t know it was the last one we’d host for so long. When I look back at what I cherish and miss the most about what we did during pre-pandemic life, gatherings small and large are high on the list.
My kitchen still sees a lot of action these days, even if it’s just our family of four, but I must admit that there are piles of folded laundry on the kitchen table nearly as often as there are meals. No one is enthusiastic about putting them away.
Perhaps we can all agree that it’s a lot easier to motivate to clean when we anticipate that other people are coming over.
Our last party, pre-pandemic, was a potluck. In what I hoped would be a fun way to help my friends discover more plant-based meals they enjoy, I asked everyone to bring a favorite dish and copies of the recipe they made. I bought prizes. And plenty of wine.
