Food

There are glimmers of hope as I write: peaks are passing, curves are flattening, and intensive care units are not overwhelmed. At least in my neck of the woods. Even still, not all the headlines are good at the moment – and they never will be, this side of the veil – and surely there’s more bad news to come. Bad news is a bitter pill. But bitter pills are best swallowed on a full stomach, and so I’d like to teach you how to make another dish which bears gustatory and psychological benefits in equal measure.

We all have memories associated with food. Sometimes the very first bite of a certain dish will transport us back to time spent with a loved one or a special event or vacation.

It was recently my turn to bring in snacks for the staff at my workplace. This is no small feat, as every Wednesday, just before 10:00 a.m., a small army of piranhas – er, I mean people – begin to hover around a 4’x3’ island in the staff room, eagerly awaiting to devour this week’s offering.

Herring is one of the very best food sources of vitamin D. Our bodies make this vitamin in sunlight, but in our climate it’s not easy to get enough. There seems to be more to vitamin D than strong teeth and bones. It’s now thought that vitamin D deficiency might be a factor in many diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.