The Yellow House

DC’s Cherry Blossom Festival starts today. Tourists descend en masse on the Potomac tidal basin, where the Thomas Jefferson memorial is ringed by an astonishing display of delicate pinks and whites. It’s striking. There are so many blossoms that all the natural light seems to be filtered through a pink lens, casting a rosy glow. I recommend going on a weekday morning or evening, when the crowds are fewer and the air is stiller.

Louise and I braved the crowds last year with our mother, who drove in from Michigan just for the event. It was hectic, but still beautiful, and L snapped some gorgeous pictures.


You don’t have to be downtown to see the cherry blossoms, though. The District is peppered with cherry trees, and my morning commute has become increasingly beautiful over the past week as the local park unfolded itself into spring. But this year, the advent of the cherry blossoms is tinged with tragedy. How can you look at graceful sprays of sakura and not think of Japan?

(And not just symbolically–Japan actually gave 3,020 cherry trees to the United States as a gift of friendship in 1912, and then followed up with another 3,800 in 1965.)

I found myself wide-eyed-awake this morning before the sun came up, mixing dough for later, thinking about springtime and Japan. Does anyone else find baking meditative? Cooking is all about tasting, throwing in alittleofthis and apinchmoresalt. Baking, though, is methodical: mixing, kneading, rolling, cutting. Take-out-one-batch and put-in-another. Rhythmic. And before I knew it, scraps of pastry dough became tiny breakfast galettes filled with cherry preserves, and I set a breakfast for one on the back deck.

Laying a table for oneself is something I do often, but I think I’m in the minority. It’s peaceful: just sit and eat. I love gathering people around a table because it makes them slow down and engage with one another; in the same way, having a meal for yourself compels you to engage with your own thoughts. And this morning, those thoughts centered on what seems such an immense imbalance. So much new life in one place–enough to celebrate with a week-long festival–and so much destruction (that continues to unfold) in another. I was grateful for the moment. I don’t know about you, but I often feel so bombarded by news that I have little time to process what it means to me.

Maybe we all need a breakfast (or lunch, or dinner, or glass of wine) for one every once in awhile, to do just that–mull over things, and figure out what they actually mean to us. Maybe that’s the only way we can fully appreciate loss, and begin to foster renewal.

A quick post-script: I’m a little late on this, but as someone who works in international development, I’d urge you to be prudent and read up a little if you’re considering donating to Japanese relief efforts. I’ve seen a lot of outpourings of heartfelt sympathy around the (food) blogosphere, but doing “whatever we can” isn’t necessarily the best attitude. If you do donate, choose a reputable organization that does solid disaster mitigation and relief work, and make sure to choose one that has actually been given a role in the relief effort.

Tagged Cherry, Pastry

§ 6 responses to Cherry blossom breakfast

• andrea
  27 March, 2011 at 5:18 pm

  found your blog through the kitchn website and am adding it to my google reader! I’m in the dc area, too, so this post’s theme works well for me. :) have you ever tried the approach above with strawberries and a little balsamic vinegar? delicious.

  Reply

  • Sarah
    27 March, 2011 at 6:01 pm

    Andrea–thanks for reading! I’m happy you’re in the area. I have not tried strawberry-balsamic tarts, but you can bet that I will once strawberry season rolls around.

    Reply
• Jamie
  19 April, 2011 at 8:44 am

  I just found your blog through the Kitchn website, they had the foccacia bread which I will be making in the next few days!! Kind of ironic… I live in the DC area but grew up in Michigan :)

  Reply

  • Sarah
    19 April, 2011 at 8:52 am

    Let me know how your foccacia turns out! And hooray for more DC readers.

    Reply
• Daniella
  31 August, 2012 at 10:43 am

  Yum! This look delicious. I always have a little leftover scrap from cutting it off the edge of pie before baking. I’ll have to remember to do this.

  Reply