MARION
CUNNINGHAM is a woman of conviction, with twinkling cornflower blue
eyes, white hair slicked back in a tiny ponytail and a handsome,
grandmotherly face. She also has a keen sense of the ridiculous,
delivering her zingers in the style of a practiced comedian.
Tucking
into a lunch of short ribs and roast fingerling potatoes at Craft a
couple of weeks ago, she said, ''You know, dear, I don't like to see
food too fancy.'' Pause. ''You don't know whether to frame it or eat
it.''
Since 1979, when she undertook a
revision of ''The Fannie Farmer Cookbook,'' first published in 1896,
Mrs. Cunningham has never wavered in her devotion to simple American
cooking. Let others follow prevailing fashion. Mrs. Cunningham would
rather serve chicken pie and wedges of iceberg lettuce.
''I'm
never seduced by ideas at the peak of their popularity, such as baby
vegetables,'' she said, but she will admit to a fondness for mascarpone,
fruit ices and sun-dried tomatoes, at least when they first came out.
Each
of the six books that followed the Fannie Farmer struck the same homey
note. And now, she said, although a little less convincingly when
pressed, her newest book, ''Lost Recipes'' (Alfred A. Knopf), is her
last. ''I have nothing else to say,'' she insisted.
Hardly.
The
book is addressed to all who are tempted to give home cooking a second
chance. What started as devotion to American cooking has turned into a
one-woman crusade to get families back to the dinner table. No matter
how the conversation went at lunch, Mrs. Cunningham, who will be 82 in
February, always turned it to what has become her consuming passion and,
she hopes, her legacy.
How has cooking changed since she went to work with James Beard?
''Cooking
is really disappearing,'' she said. ''It's a greater loss than anyone
realizes. If you don't share food around a table, preferably cooked at
home, you won't know who you are or where you came from.
''The
aroma of food being cooked has a huge effect.'' (It's one of the
reasons she dislikes microwave ovens.) ''It matters because it's
something that is uniquely coming from your family. It doesn't matter
whether it's good cooking or bad cooking. People never forget what their
mother cooked, even though sometimes they would like to.''
Somewhere
between the short ribs and the homemade doughnuts, she warmed to her
theme. ''Others may think after-school sports are good for children,''
she said. ''They should be home having dinner with the family. People
are living a motel life.''
Mrs. Cunningham writes for people who shop in supermarkets, where, she said, quality does not match variety.
''The
food is mass-produced,'' she said. ''It comes great distances from
where you buy it. Everything is picked to be shipped. You really have to
search around to find good beef and chicken. Everything has lost its
intrinsic flavor.''
Technological
changes like speeding up a chicken's growth and speeding up cooking
worry her. ''Organic,'' she said, ''is a very authentic concept because
it's saving the land,'' whether or not it tastes better. ''Alice Waters
thinks it's better,'' she said of the notable Bay Area chef, who is one
of her best friends. ''I'm kind of lost on that.''
Her
disdain for the way food has been manipulated never comes across as the
rantings of a cranky old lady. Her complaints are made in sorrow, and
her annoyance is turned into the amusing put-down. She saves the best
zingers for herself.
She suffers from
agoraphobia and forced herself to overcome her fear of going out, but
deep down, she said: ''I am a hypochondriac. I'd hate to have people
think of me like that. But if I had my way, I'd walk around with a
thermometer in my mouth.''
Instead,
she is a woman who only last year gave up driving the 70-mile round
trip every evening from her home in Walnut Creek, Calif., to San
Francisco to have dinner with friends, a ritual she began after her
husband died in 1988. She put 2,500 miles a month on her Jaguar, the
only real luxury in which she has ever indulged despite her enormous
success.
After ''three or four'' Jags she has turned to a Lexus and goes into San Francisco two or three nights a week.
''The
engine,'' she said, ''is tons better. You know in a minute just because
of the way it sounds.'' But she conceded she no longer gets the same
deference in a parking lot.
How many
octogenarian women know one car from another? How many spent two years
running a gas station during the Second World War? She said she always
wanted to own a station.
She cooks
dinner for her friends two or three nights a week, grocery shopping in
the morning after swimming laps and performing water exercises. It helps
her lift the 50-pound bags of birdseed and corn kernels she feeds the
pigeons. In the beginning, she said, only four or five came. Now there
are 148. ''I've created a monster.''
Mrs.
Cunningham was a late bloomer. She did not start on her career until
she was 45, when she left California, her home state, for the first time
and went to Seaside, Ore., to take cooking classes with Beard. She had
been teaching cooking classes herself at $4 a lesson. ''I wish I could
refund their money,'' she said. But Beard considered her the smartest
student in the class, equipped with a critical palate, the culinary
equivalent of perfect pitch. He asked her to help him in Oregon the
following summer.
She became his alter
ego, traveling with him for years. He recommended her to Judith Jones,
Knopf's legendary editor, to revise ''The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.'' At
57, she became the author of a book that has gone on to sell more than a
million copies. And when Beard died in 1985, she became the first lady
of American cooking.
''I know people
recognize me and say hello, but half the time I think I've met them and
I'm so old I don't recognize them,'' she said.
Halfway
through the doughnuts, which her critical palate did not think had much
flavor, Mrs. Cunningham reconsidered retirement. She mused about
starting cooking classes with her daughter, Catherine. ''The trouble
with retirement communities,'' she said, ''is there's too much idle
time. It's so depressing. I don't want to be idle.''
SAN FRANCISCO LITTLE JOES
Adapted from ''Lost Recipes'' by Marion Cunningham (Alfred A. Knopf)
Time: 15 minutes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound fresh spinach, chopped
Salt to taste
Tabasco
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
1.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, and cook over medium heat until
soft. Add beef, mixing with onion and breaking it up into bits with a
fork. Cook until no longer red.
2. Add
spinach. Mix well. Cook, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until spinach has
wilted. Add salt to taste. Mix a dash of Tabasco with eggs, then pour
eggs over beef. Stir until eggs set. Transfer mixture to a warm platter,
and sprinkle with cheese.
Yield: 4 servings.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section F, Page 1 of the National edition with the headline: AT LUNCH WITH: Marion Cunningham; A Grande Dame Of Home Cooking Is Still at the Stove.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
½ teaspoon ginger, ground
⅛ teaspoon clove, ground
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar + 3 tablespoons for rolling, divided
½ cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon Kikkoman® Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment
paper. Stir together flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, ginger and
clove in a medium mixing bowl. In a separate medium mixing bowl, use a
hand mixer to beat together softened butter, granulated sugar and brown
sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add egg, molasses and sriracha and
beat for 1 minute longer. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed
until fully incorporated.
Add 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar to a small bowl. Using a
two-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough and roll into balls.
Roll each cookie in granulated sugar and place on cookie sheet 2-3
inches apart. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes. Cool cookies for 5 minutes
on cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat
with remaining cookie dough.
By Thomas Farragher Globe staff,May 3, 2019, 10:58 a.m.
Dr. Joe Box and assistant Linda Irwin treat a patient during a field clinic in Guatemala in 2016. Harry Adler
EAST
GREENWICH, R.I. — Among the many exceptional things about Joe Box —
father, student, a master of medicine, and Renaissance man — is the
prayer he sends toward the heavens religiously each night before he goes
to bed.
“I
actually pray that I can do something,’’ he told me on a sun-splashed
springtime afternoon here the other day. “If there is a need, I want to
do it. I pray that every night. If there is a need that I can fulfill,
I’m going to do it.’’
That prayer, in all its poignancy and humility, is remarkable by itself.
Here’s what’s even more remarkable: Joe Box’s prayers have been answered.
He is
still treating his dental patients. As he approaches life’s century
mark, he’s got the energy most younger men would covet. The spring in
his step remains strong during house calls that, for him, have never
fallen out of fashion.
“I’ve
learned a lot from Joe about how to live a life,’’ said Rick Benjamin,
Box’s one-time patient and Rhode Island’s former poet laureate. “He
loves well. He loves deeply. He’s just a magnificent human being. And I
get to be around him.’’
I have a small idea of what Rick Benjamin is talking about. I got to be around him, too. And he’s a force of nature.
He’s 95
now. His hearing isn’t what it used to be. But his story is a panoramic
one — cinematic in its breadth, and remarkable in its longevity.
There’s a magnetism about Joe Box. And over the course of an extraordinary life, nothing has dulled his centrifugal force.
“I have a
young woman in my class who has had a tough life managing single
motherhood,’’ said Darra Mulderry, Providence College’s associate
director of the Center for Engaged Learning, who is Joe Box’s history
professor this term.
“On the
very first day of class, Joe mentioned that he had served in the Pacific
and the student said, ‘Oh, my goodness. I’m sitting next to you for the
rest of the semester! I want to hear everything you want to tell me.’
’’
There’s a lot to tell. Nearly a century’s worth.
He’s got
ribbons and citations. He’s led professional societies. He’s collected
awards from politicians. The leadership of the Rhode Island Dental
Association has named its award centered on ethics and dedication in his
honor.
But his
story stretches back more than a century to the foot of an extinct
volcano in southern Italy, where parents — the children of sharecroppers
– were born.
Joe Box
was raised in a home across the street from Providence College. His
father dug up corpses and then reburied them to make way for major state
transportation projects.
His
father was a righteous, quiet man. His mother – one of the two central
women in his world – was larger than life. “The single biggest influence
in my life,’’ he once wrote of the woman who taught him that the color
of skin or ethnicity did not matter.
Integrity did. And so did hard work. She believed that. And lived it.
So he
picked blueberries, delivered milk, and moved over to make room for the
Providence College students his parents took in as boarders to help
raise their four boys.
As a
young student, Joe Box did not excel. He was bored. He daydreamed. He
ditched classes to go bowling – until his teacher showed up on his
parents’ doorstep inquiring about his student’s health.
“He said,
‘Would you come back to school?’ And I never missed a day after that,’’
Box recalled of a life-changing lesson that would alter the arc of his
life and set him on a path that led circuitously to dental school in St.
Louis.
A marriage lay upon the horizon, but first there was a world war.
The
destroyer tender that would carry him to the Pacific Theater had a
dental clinic aboard. It was near the commander’s office. “He kept on
telling me, ‘You ought to go to dental school.’ And I kept on saying,
‘Yeah, who’s got the money for that?’ ’’
But the
professional pieces of his life were slipping into place. And, in the
early 1950s, so was the most important personal one.
Her name
was Janice Drake. They met at a YWCA dance. When they discovered they
were confounded on the dance floor, they adjourned to the bowling alley
downstairs. It was the beginning of their 61-year love affair. “Our
first date was at the drive-in theater on [Route] 146,’’ he said. “Don’t
ask me what the movie was.’’
They were
married in 1953. Joe set up his dental practice in Pawtucket and for 55
years, starting at 6:30 in the morning, he saw his patients. And then
their children. And then their grandchildren.
“We
played with the kids,’’ he told me. “The X-ray machine was Dino
Dinosaur. When the chair went up and down, I would press their noses and
raise the chair.’’
The kids loved it. And so did Joe Box.
When Joe
and his wife read a piece in the Providence Journal about treating
patients in the mountains of Guatemala, Joe Box raised his hand. I want
to help, he told Dr. Steve McCloy. And that’s what he did. For four
weeks each year for nearly two decades.
“He would
work all day and he wouldn’t turn anybody away,’’ said McCloy, who
worked alongside Box in Central America. “We were there with our pills
and our potions but he was there really making a difference. I was in
awe of that from day one. He’s one of the most generous and most soulful
men I’ve ever met.’’
Dr.
Cheryl Brodsky, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist who has
witnessed Box’s work in Central America, said she expected her
90-something colleague to be somewhat frail. Not up before dawn. Not
performing yoga. Not walking everywhere.
“You just saw him powering from patient to patient, chatting with them, telling them jokes,’’ Brodsky said. “He was tireless.’’
Tireless. It’s the word you hear frequently when Joe Box is in the conversation.
The kid
who played tenor saxophone on Block Island. The service member who
fought in the Pacific. The student who tells his young classmates about
the end of World War II because he was there when it happened. The
husband who held his beloved wife’s hand until her dying breath.
“My dad is extremely kind,’’ Suzy Box, Joe’s youngest child, told me. “Extremely present. He’s dedicated. A fantastic dad.’’
And with that, Joe Box, the man who has surely earned those words, flashed a small and satisfied smile.
Then he
stood up. It was time to go to work at the life care center next door,
where he would perform more dental exams, his life’s work.
Most people would call the patients who awaited him elderly. Not Joe Box.
To him, they’re just kids, the patients he’s cared for all his life.
I do not care much about number changes. I care about seasonal changes, and weather and changes involving growth. Personal growth.
Perhaps it's never to late to hear from a lost parent or abandoned sibling. I have a dozen!
Keep the door open. It's painful to be open but more painful not to be.
I read two memoirs concerning psychics this year. Food for thought. All creating is channeling whether making a soup, a poem or a painting. I never tire of reading memoirs even the occasional awful ones.
What I want to tell the world: Trust your gut even when you don't want to.
Remembering when my mother wrote to Proctor and Gamble to complain about finding a bug in her Alpen Cereal. It was a lie! She knew she would be sent gifts from P&G. So she did it and was sent gifts.
She had been a successful Art Director on Madison Avenue before she had children. She became a neurotic angry housewife who was addicted to speed (diet pills) and Valium, and terrorized everyone around her. The carnage is still visible even though she is long gone.
Oliver James, 35, was functionally illiterate. He started teaching
himself how to read in 2020, and has been sharing his progress on TikTok
since 2022. (Courtesy of Oliver James)
Oliver James graduated from high school without knowing how to read.
“No
one ever told me there was a reason to take school seriously,” said
James, 35, who grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Bethlehem, Pa.
“It was just a place I had to be.”
When
James was in first grade, he was suspended from school. He was punished
for being disobedient, and after only a week away from the classroom,
“I couldn’t read like the other kids. They were so far ahead.”
That
set the stage for the rest of his education, he said, and also his
career prospects. Until recently, James was functionally illiterate. He
could read some simple words, but not when they were strung together
into lengthy sentences.
“I
didn’t know how to maneuver around the world normally; I always had to
do things like a person who doesn’t know how to read,” he said.
James
kept jobs for only a week or two at a time, even when they required
little to no reading, such as busing tables or bartending. He couldn’t
read restaurant menus, street signs or text messages. He relied on voice
dictation tools to get by. He felt ashamed of his inability to read, so
he kept it a secret.
“I
would just lie, lie, lie, lie,” said James, who had short-term jobs in
hospitality, roofing and construction. He would get caught in his lies,
which led him to lose jobs.
In
2020, James decided to make a change in his life. He wanted to feel
more fulfilled and connected to the world. He decided he had to learn
how to read. Plus, he said, he was hoping to become a father one day.
“I
can’t have a kid until I read,” James remembered telling himself. “I
realized, this is my time to figure out what I can do to grow.”
So he picked up a book and started sounding out words.
James’s first book was I.C. Robledo’s “365 Quotes to Live Your Life By.” His partner, Anne Halkias, helped him learn the basics, and they read together every evening.
“I would read the same quote for a week.” James said. “It was really hard.”
Gradually,
though, he got the hang of it. Words turned into sentences, and
sentences turned into chapters. After a few months, James was reading
books — starting with shorter stories, then graduating to novels — cover
to cover. The more he read, the more he wanted to read. He found it
therapeutic.
“There’s
nothing that compares to reading,” he said, adding that he has been
diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive
disorder, and that reading immediately improved his mental health. “When
I couldn’t read, I couldn’t help myself.”
As
his reading skills improved, James’s partner suggested he chronicle his
literacy journey on social media to inspire others. According to the
National Center for Education Statistics, 21 percent of American adults have low literacy skills.
“Why
don’t you go on the camera, and be yourself?” James recalled Halkias
saying to him one day. “You should just be honest and tell the truth.”
That was powerful coming from Halkias, who did not know for a time that James could not read, because he had hidden it from her.
James took Halkias’s advice, and in 2022, he started posting on TikTok about his long-held secret.
“What’s up! I can’t read,” he candidly said in one video, having no idea how it would be received.
“It’s very uncomfortable to talk about things that the world doesn’t view as good,” he said.
Still,
he opened up and shared his story publicly. He explained why he never
properly learned how to read, sparing no details. The video went viral.
“When
I was young, I was abused,” he said in the same TikTok. “… It was
really hard for me to think about school, reading, anything that had to
do with school.”
James
was honest about the awful treatment he faced at an elementary school
for children with special needs. He struggled with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and behavioral issues, but
never got the attention he needed to succeed as a student. He bounced
from school to school, as he was repeatedly kicked out for rebelling.
“I
had no guidance to show me what was right and what was wrong,” said
James, who was raised by a single mother. “I was a kid, but I wasn’t
being treated like one.”
Shortly
after he graduated from high school in 2006, a fire at his mother’s
apartment left James homeless for a year. He got caught up with the
wrong crowd, made some bad decisions and ended up serving a 4½-year
prison sentence for weapons charges.
“I was very ignorant,” he said. “I was a kid, so I didn’t understand the consequences of doing that type of stuff.”
After
he was released from prison at age 26, he tried to get his life
together. He became a personal trainer but soon realized “my passion was
not in fitness,” James said, adding that his lack of literacy skills
limited his ability to pursue other professions.
But
as he began learning how to read — and sharing his progress with people
online — James finally started to feel fulfilled. He routinely reads
books live on TikTok and documents his progress, including the challenges.
“It feels like I found my purpose,” he said. “I’m finally contributing to the world.”
James
is now a leading voice on “BookTok” — TikTok’s community of
bibliophiles — and has amassed nearly 300,000 followers on the platform.
People frequently reach out to tell him that his videos have encouraged
them to learn how to read, too.
“That’s the best part of this whole journey,” said James, who received the 2023 Barbara Bush National Literacy Honors Award in October. “I went from being a person who didn’t know how to read, to a person who is now getting awards.”
James
is now a motivational speaker, speaking at schools and literacy
organizations. He considers himself to be reading at a fifth-grade
level.
At
the start of the year, James vowed to read 100 books in 2023, and he is
on track to meet his goal. Of the 99 books he has read so far, his
favorites have been Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree,” Anne Frank’s
“The Diary of a Young Girl,” E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web” and Don
Miguel Ruiz’s “The Four Agreements.”
He
has read a combination of children’s books and novels, and for more
challenging books, he listens to audio recordings while he reads. He has
also been practicing his writing.
James
lives in Orange County, Calif., with his partner and her son, 10, as
well as their 1-year-old son. He is hoping to grow his motivational
speaking career, and perhaps write a book one day.
“These are things that I never thought I could do,” he said.
James
is especially grateful for the small but significant joys that have
come with being able to read. He delights in reading his son bedtime
stories — something he always dreamed of doing.
“The world is totally different now,” James said. “It’s everything I ever wanted.”
We made another batch of sourdough seed crackers last night and brought them to friends who live on the shore. Unfortunately they were no longer crisp when we opened them today. The humidity made them BENDY! So funny!
UPDATE January 8th
I made them again just now and made them in a hotter oven. I never
left the stove. The parchment paper got quite HOT and nearly
burned...Buy a silipat silicone mat or bake cooler with parchment.
I
also used coarse Goya brand YELLOW cornmeal as a topping to prevent
sticking to the rolling pin. They are good. I made 3 blobs the size of
golf balls and rolled them with cornmeal on top. Worked well. If you
are near the water or are baking on a damp day the crackers might get BENDY from humidity. This
happened to our crackers when we brought them to friends in Barrington
last week. Just place them in the oven at 200 degrees to dry out. Go for
it! have fun! XOXOXOXO
I recently made lasagna from leftovers and it was so fun I made another...
I found this online:
there are several substitutes for lasagna noodles that can still provide a similar taste and texture. Here are a few options:
Zucchini
- Sliced zucchini can be used in place of lasagna noodles, creating a
low-carb and gluten-free option. Zucchini noodles, also known as
zoodles, are thin and have a slightly crunchy texture when cooked,
making them a great substitute for lasagna.
Eggplant
- Similar to zucchini, sliced eggplant can also be used in place of
lasagna noodles. When cooked, eggplant becomes tender and has a slightly
sweet flavor that works well with the other ingredients in a lasagna.
Sweet
potato - Thinly sliced sweet potato can be used in place of lasagna
noodles, creating a slightly sweet and savory dish. Sweet potato noodles
can be boiled or baked before layering them into the lasagna.
Wonton
wrappers - Wonton wrappers are thin sheets of dough that are commonly
used in Asian cuisine. They can be used in place of lasagna noodles,
creating a lighter and more delicate texture.
Overall,
there are several substitutes for lasagna noodles that can still
provide a similar taste and texture. It's worth experimenting with
different options to find the one that works best for you.
It’s hard to make something that’s interesting. It’s really, really hard.... Basically, anything that anyone makes.... It’s like a law of nature, a law of aerodynamics, that anything that’s written or anything that’s created wants to be mediocre. The natural state of all writing is mediocrity. It’s all tending toward mediocrity in the same way that all atoms are sort of dissipating out toward the expanse of the universe.... So what it takes to make anything more than mediocre is such an act of will.... That feels exactly the same now as it did the first week of the show.
So when I peeked behind the rhododendron bushes next to the insurance company I saw a homeless man's cave made of greenery. I told Captain Arsenault. He investigated and said it didn't look like anyone was living there.
Living is the relative word I said. I mean there wasn't a coffee table with a remote. There were liquor bottles, clothes, and adult diapers. I've seen this in the cemetery and along the reservoir. Would the police captain not understand this was living for the homeless man. How come I knew this? Was Capt. Arsenault too removed in his suburban ranch with heated garage floors to understand what I was seeing? I walk the streets. He drives an SUV. I know homeless encampments.
“Books may well be the only true magic.”
―
Alice Hoffman
“Sometimes the right thing feels all wrong until it is over and done with.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“There are some things, after all, that Sally Owens knows for
certain: Always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder. Keep
rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Plant
roses and lavender, for luck. Fall in love whenever you can.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal
is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage." -
Aunt Frances”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what
they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running
away means you're headed in the exact right direction.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“The moon is always jealous of the heat of the day, just as the sun always longs for something dark and deep.”
―
Alice Hoffman ,
Practical Magic
“When I walk, I walk with you. Where I go, you're with me always.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
The Story Sisters
“People hide their truest nature. I understood that; I even
applauded it. What sort of world would it be if people bled all over the
sidewalks, if they wept under trees, smacked whomever they despised,
kissed strangers, revealed themselves?”
―
Alice Hoffman,
The Ice Queen
“Every fairy tale had a bloody lining. Every one had teeth and claws.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
The Ice Queen
“You build your world around someone, and then what happens when
he disappears? Where do you go- into pieces, into atoms, into the arms
of another man? You go shopping, you cook dinner, you work odd hours,
you make love to someone else on June nights. But you're not really
there, you're someplace else where there is blue sky and a road you
don't recognize. If you squint your eyes, you think you see him, in the
shadows, beyond the trees. You always imagine that you see him, but he's
never there. It's only his spirit, that's what's there beneath the bed
when you kiss your husband, there when you send your daughter off to
school. It's in your coffee cup, your bathwater, your tears. Unfinished
business always comes back to haunt you, and a man who swears he'll love
you forever isn't finished with you until he's done.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Here on Earth
“If every life is a river, then it's little wonder that we do not
even notice the changes that occur until we are far out in the darkest
sea. One day you look around and nothing is familiar, not even your own
face. My name once meant daughter, grandaughter, friend, sister,
beloved. Now those words mean only what their letters spell out; Star in
the night sky. Truth in the darkness. I have crossed over to a place
where I never thought I'd be. I am someone I would have never imagined.
A secret. A dream. I am this, body and soul. Burn me. Drown me. Tell me
lies. I will still be who I am.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Incantation
“Trouble is just like love, after all; it comes in unannounced and
takes over before you've had a chance to reconsider, or even to think.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“...he had a way of taking your hand which made it clear he'd have to be the one to let go.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Local Girls
“When all is said and done, the weather and love are the two elements about which one can never be sure.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Here on Earth
“Do you ever just put your arms out and just spin and spin and
spin? Well, that's what love is like; everything inside of you tells you
to stop before you fall, but for some reason you just keep going.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“I dream of a love that even time will lie down and be still for.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“Pride is a funny thing; it can make what is truly worthless appear to be a treasure.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“Be careful what you wish for. I know that for a fact. Wishes are
brutal, unforgiving things. They burn your tongue the moment they're
spoken and you can never take them back.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
The Ice Queen
“Just because something is unspoken doesn't mean that it disappears.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Incantation
“Unrequited love is so boring. Weeping under a blue-black sky is for suckers or maniacs.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“Some things, when they change, never do return to the way they
once were. Butterflies for instance, and women who've been in love with
the wrong man too often.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“Every problem has a solution, although it may not be the outcome that was originally hoped for or expected.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“The weak are cruel. The strong have no need to be.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
The Foretelling
“You can be betrayed in your sleep. The whole world can tilt while you're dreaming of butterflies. ”
―
Alice Hoffman,
The Ice Queen
“Here is the riddle of love: Everything it gives to you, it takes away.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
The Dovekeepers
“Once you know some things, you can't unknow them. It's a burden that can never be given away.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Incantation
“My grief was cold. It was nothing to share. It was nothing to speak about, nothing to feel.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Green Angel
“Here's the thing about luck...you don't know if it's good or bad until you have some perspective.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Local Girls
“No one knows you like a person with whom you've shared a
childhood. No one will ever understand you in quite the same way.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Practical Magic
“The sky is already purple; the first few stars have appeared,
suddenly, as if someone had thrown a handful of silver across the edge
of the world.”
―
Alice Hoffman,
Here on Earth
Alicia
Andrzejewski is an assistant professor in William & Mary’s English
department. Her work has appeared in publications such as Shakespeare Studies, Literary Hub, American Theater, The Boston Globe, Electric Literature, LA Review of Books,
and others. Her current book project argues for the transgressive force
of pregnancy in Shakespeare’s oeuvre and the expansive ways in which
early modern people thought about the pregnant body.
One study,
conducted in Britain in 2020, reported that swimming in the cold ocean
reduced depressed mood up to 10 times as much as it did in a group of
controls who watched the swimmers from the beach. And a separate case report
found that a woman with treatment-resistant depression experienced
significant improvement in her depressive symptoms after swimming in
cold seawater once a week.
Butstudies
about the mental health benefits of cold water swimming tend to involve
swimming with other people, so it’s hard to know whether it’s the
socializing with others — or the swimming itself — that provides most of
the observed antidepressant effect.
Still,
cold water exposure has arousing and stimulating effects, and it
appears to increase many substances that we know are involved in
regulating mood. For example, studies that immerse healthy subjects in cold water
show a spike in the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine. This
is the same response that humans and animals have to danger and threat,
and it is part of our hard-wired flight or fight reflex that affords
enormous survival advantage.
Also,
exposure to cold water causes release of endorphin and dopamine, which
are neurotransmitters that convey a sense of pleasure.
I’m
familiar with this feeling. On a recent hot night, I ran off to a large
outdoor pool in Manhattan that was full of delightfully cool water. It
was initially stimulating, but soon after I starting swimming, I was
overtaken by a feeling of tranquil euphoria probably brought about, in
part, by an endorphin rush in my brain.
And
just this past weekend, I swam in a 1.3-mile open-water race in
Provincetown, Mass., with my husband. I’ve done it 23 times before —
that’s how great the experience is. It’s challenging in unpredictable
ways each time, but one thing is constant: The rapture of swimming in
cool water.
As
a psychiatrist and avid swimmer, I’ve probably prescribed more exercise
than antidepressants over the years. And since swimming is such a
wonderful form of aerobic exercise that’s easy on the joints, I often
encourage my patients to try it. And if you don’t live near a lake or
ocean or have access to a swimming pool, a cool shower can have similar
effects.
How cold does the water need to be?
The
good news is that you don’t have to risk a polar plunge to reap the
potential benefits of cold water. Cold water is typically defined as
water below 60 degrees, which is very cold indeed. But we know that cool water, say around 70 degrees, can effectively trigger the “diving reflex” and increase parasympathetic activity, which is calming.
Furthermore,
exposure to just modestly chilly water, between 60 and 70 degrees, has
been shown to boost dopamine and endorphin levels. You can easily
achieve this in your shower at home, by gradually turning down the hot
water and slowly habituating yourself to cooler water over a week or so.
There is even preliminary evidence that adapting to progressively cooler showers
has antidepressant effects. It might also, like cold immersion, promote
something we call cross-adaptation and make you less stressed in
response to other adverse situations. For example, one study of healthy young men
who had been habituated to cold water showed lower stress responses to
exercising in a low-oxygen situation, which is unpleasant and hard, than
those who had not been previously exposed to cold water.
What are the risks of swimming in cold water?
Contrary
to what you may have heard from cold water enthusiasts, cold water
plunges are definitely not for everyone and they are not without risk.
One major reason is that cold water exposure activates both components
of our autonomic nervous system, which have opposing effects.
How you enter the water matters.If
you enter the water without getting your face wet, it triggers the
sympathetic system, which increases heart rate and blood pressure,
sometimes dramatically. In contrast, when cold water hits your face, you
get the diving reflex, which activates the parasympathetic system via
the vagus nerve, which lowers heart rate and slows things down.
The
net effect of these two competing neural reflexes is highly variable.
In some individuals with known or perhaps covert heart disease, it can
trigger a potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmia — even in apparently
young healthy people.
Some
people respond immediately to cold water immersion with cold shock,
which involves uncontrollable hyperventilation, fatigue, disorientation
and can end in drowning. Of course, there is also the risk of
hypothermia with prolonged exposure to cold water, so people should be
mindful of these potential risks before plunging into frigid water.
The
notion that cold water has healing properties is quite old. In 400
B.C., Hippocrates recommended cold water therapy to allay lassitude.
More recently there’s been a lot of enthusiasm
about the supposed physical and mental health benefits of cold water
immersion. Many of the claims — that a frigid plunge can help you say
goodbye to depression, chronic pain of all sorts and turn the clock back
on aging — are unproven and well ahead of the science.
But
as scorching heat becomes more common — with some parts of the country
enduring it year-round — there’s another compelling reason to head for
the water: It’s not only a powerful way to boost mood, energy and
cognitive function, it’s a refreshing and fast way to cool off.
Richard
A. Friedman MD is a professor of clinical psychiatry and director of
the Psychopharmacology Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Swimmer’s
shoulder is any of a few types of shoulder issues that cause pain,
weakness and instability. Providers group them together as swimmer’s
shoulder because it’s common among high-level swimmers or people who
train competitively. You’ll need at least a few weeks of rest, at-home
treatments and physical therapy to help your shoulder heal.
Overview
Swimmer’s shoulder happens when extra stress irritates tissue in your shoulder. The irritated tissue develops tiny tears.
What is swimmer’s shoulder?
Swimmer’s shoulder causes shoulder pain, weakness and other symptoms in your shoulder joint. It’s a broad name for a few different issues that cause similar symptoms.
It
gets its name from who it usually affects — swimmers and other athletes
who use their shoulders a lot to move their arms overhead.
Your shoulder is a complex joint where bones, muscles and connective tissue (tendons and ligaments)
come together to let you move your arms. If you swim, play another
sport that puts stress on your shoulder or do physical work, you’re more
likely to irritate tissue in your shoulder.
Visit a healthcare provider if you have shoulder pain that lasts longer than a week.
Types of swimmer’s shoulder
Healthcare
providers refer to several different shoulder conditions as swimmer’s
shoulder. Your provider might say that you have a more specific issue,
including:
Rotator cuff tendinitis: Rotator cuff tendinitis is exactly what its name sounds like — tendinitis that affects your rotator cuff. Tendinitis is swelling or irritation of a tendon.
Shoulder labrum injuries: Your shoulder labrum is a layer of cartilage that protects and stabilizes your shoulder joint.
Shoulder muscle strains: Muscle strains (pulled muscles) are injuries that cause a muscle to tear.
Pinched nerves: Pinched nerves happen when tissue around a nerve traps it or puts too much pressure on it and makes it send pain signals to your brain.
How common is swimmer’s shoulder?
It’s
hard to know exactly how common swimmer’s shoulder is because providers
use the term as a catch-all for so many different types of shoulder
issues. Experts estimate that at least one-third of elite competitive
swimmers have had some type of swimmer’s shoulder.
However,
it’s probably even more common than that, especially among amateur
athletes, people who play other sports and people who hurt their
shoulders doing physical work.
Symptoms and Causes
What are swimmer’s shoulder symptoms?
The most common swimmer’s shoulder symptoms include:
Shoulder pain.
Muscle weakness.
Reduced range of motion (how far you can comfortably move your shoulder).
Shoulder weakness or instability.
What causes swimmer’s shoulder?
Swimmer’s
shoulder happens when something puts repeated stress and strain on your
shoulder joint. Over time, the extra stress irritates your tissue. The
irritated tissue develops tiny tears, leading to inflammation and scar
tissue. This damage prevents your joint from moving smoothly.
It
might sound obvious, but swimming is the most common cause of swimmer’s
shoulder. More specifically, training competitively or swimming often
for exercise causes it. Swimming is great exercise, but it can put a lot
of pressure on your shoulder joints — especially if you’re
intentionally pushing your body to improve your strength, speed and race
times.
Any
activity or job that makes you use your shoulder for a repetitive
motion with your arms over your head can cause swimmer’s shoulder. It’s
common in sports that require lots of throwing (like baseball) or
physical jobs (like swinging a hammer or using heavy tools).
Diagnosis and Tests
How is swimmer’s shoulder diagnosed?
A healthcare provider will diagnose swimmer’s shoulder with a physical exam.
They’ll examine your shoulder and ask about your symptoms. Tell your
provider when you first noticed pain or other symptoms and if any
activities make them worse.
Your
provider will also check your shoulder’s range of motion (how far you
can move it) and strength. They’ll compare it to your other, uninjured
shoulder.
Swimmer’s shoulder tests
You may need imaging tests to take pictures of your shoulder joint and the tissue around it, including:
Your
provider will suggest treatments to relieve your pain and reduce stress
on your shoulder joint. The goal of treating swimmer’s shoulder is to
prevent more damage inside your joint and to help your shoulder regain
its normal function. The most common swimmer’s shoulder treatments
include:
Rest:
Stop physical activity that uses your shoulder — especially the sport
or activity that caused the swimmer’s shoulder. Your provider will tell
you how long to take a break from training or working.
Physical therapy: A physical therapist
will give you stretches and exercises to strengthen your shoulder and
improve its range of motion. As your shoulder heals, they’ll give you
exercises to strengthen the muscles around your shoulder.
Icing:
Apply ice or a cold pack to your shoulder. Wrap ice packs in a thin
towel to avoid putting them directly on your skin. Your provider will
tell you how often (and for how long) you should ice your shoulder.
Pain relievers: Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) can relieve pain and reduce swelling. Don’t take NSAIDs for more than 10 days in a row without talking to your provider.
Corticosteroids:Corticosteroids are prescription medications that reduce inflammation. You may need cortisone shots injected directly into your shoulder joint.
Ergonomic adjustments: You
might need to change how you do certain motions or activities. If
you’re a competitive athlete, you may need to tweak your posture or
positioning when you’re training or competing.
Swimmer’s shoulder surgery:
Your provider might recommend surgery if other treatments don’t relieve
your symptoms. They’ll tell you which type of procedure you’ll need and
how long it’ll take to recover.
Can swimmer’s shoulder be cured?
Swimmer’s
shoulder isn’t cured the same way some infections are — there’s no set
end date when your provider can say that you’ve taken a full course of
antibiotics and the infection is gone. But it’s usually a temporary
issue.
Most
people with swimmer’s shoulder start to feel better in a few weeks
after starting treatment. Don’t return to swimming or other training
before your provider says it’s safe, even if your symptoms are
improving.
How can I prevent swimmer’s shoulder?
The best way to prevent swimmer’s shoulder is to avoid overusing your shoulders:
Stop training or physical activities as soon as you feel pain. Never force yourself to train or play through pain.
Stretch, warm up and cool down before physical activities.
Keep your rotator cuff and back muscles strong to support your shoulders.
Wear the right equipment for all sports and physical work.
Follow a diet and exercise plan that’s healthy for you.
Visit a healthcare provider as soon as you notice pain or other symptoms.
Prevention
How can swimmer’s shoulder be prevented?
You can reduce your risk of developing swimmer’s shoulder by:
Avoiding repeated stress on the shoulder whenever possible.
Practicing proper body mechanics when exercising or working.
Resting when your shoulder joint feels tired or overused.
Stretching and warming up before swimming or other sports.
Outlook / Prognosis
How long does swimmer’s shoulder take to heal?
Everyone
has a different swimmer’s shoulder recovery time. How long it’ll take
depends on how quickly your shoulder heals, and how much irritation or
damage there was inside your joint.
It
usually takes at least a few weeks to recover enough to resume
training, but it can take a month (or longer) for your shoulder to heal
completely.
Living With
How do I take care of myself while I’m recovering?
Don’t
resume swimming or other physical activities before your healthcare
provider says it’s safe. If you stress your shoulder again before it has
time to heal, you’re more likely to reinjure it. This can increase your
risk of more severe injuries like a torn rotator cuff or SLAP tear.
When should I see my healthcare provider?
Visit a healthcare provider as soon as you notice symptoms like pain, swelling or a decreased range of motion in your shoulder.
When should I go to the ER?
Go to the emergency room if you’ve experienced trauma, can’t move your shoulder or think you might have a dislocated shoulder. Never try to force your shoulder back into place on your own.
What questions should I ask my provider?
You may want to ask your healthcare provider:
Which type of swimmer’s shoulder do I have?
Will I need any tests?
Which treatments will I need?
Will I need surgery?
How long should I take a break from training or practicing?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Any
injury is frustrating for an athlete. That’s especially true when
you’re training to perform your best and end up hurt. Swimmer’s shoulder
might mean you have to take a break from training or working out for a
few weeks, but that time off is worth it.
Don’t
rush your recovery — listen to your body and give your shoulder all the
time it needs to recover. The damage in your shoulder is temporary, but
your shoulder needs time to heal before you can dive back into your
training.
Dr. Joe Box and assistant Linda Irwin treat a patient during a field clinic in Guatemala in 2016. Harry Adler
