Seeking Good + Recommendations
Thoughts on Stoicism and a bunch of things I’ve been enjoying.
The last few years1, I’ve done a book exchange with some friends. It’s a blind exchange, where each participant is assigned someone else, for whom they buy a book they think their giftee would enjoy. The books gifted are a wide swath of literature — from Mushashi2 to The Last Hero to Say Nothing — but are, for the most part, thoughtfully picked3.
This year, I had
. For him, I picked up How to Think Like a Roman Emperor. Intending to give the book to Sam in person, I shipped it to myself; purchasing the book without having read it, I figured I’d give it a quick read before handing it off.Big mistake.
I ended up keeping this copy of the book and ordering a new one for Sam. I’ve read a lot on Stoicism — from Ryan Holiday straight to the source in Meditations — but I think Roman Emperor does a very good job balancing explaining Stoicism in both an ancient and modern context.
One of the main tenets of Stoicism is striving for arete, or “excellence of character.”4 Without breaking down the entire philosophy, Stoics sought to live “wisely and virtuously,” “in accordance with Nature.” They did they by accepting and acknowledging the lows (and highs) in life, maintaining an even keel, and above all, optimizing their action around virtue.
Stoics were not unemotional, however, and prioritized “good” emotion over bad or indifferent. Eupatheia, or “good pleasure,” is the most desirable emotion and is broken down into three categories:
Living with wisdom and virtue (the joy of a life well-lived).
An aversion to vice felt through your sense of honor (the joy of integrity).
The desire to help (the joy of friendship, kindness, and goodwill).5
I love this concept of prioritizing eupatheia, the “good pleasure.” I love it so much, I’m setting my intention for 2023 as “Seek Good6.”
I am, of course, using “good” as shorthand for the concept of eupatheia in its entirety. When I say I’m seeking good this year, I'm not only seeking a virtuous good, but I’m seeking good food7, seeking good company8, good conversation, and good vibes. I’m seeking the good in difficult situations. I’m seeking the good when I’m stressed, when I’m tired, and when I’m exhausted. I’m seeking good in myself and seeking good in others. I’m seeking good in Kiddo CWD’s laughs and Baby CWD’s coos, in Mrs. CWD’s smile and Doggie CWD’s kisses.
This year, I am seeking good, and encourage you to seek good as well.
In that vein, I don’t have a recipe for you this week9, but here are a few good things I’ve been enjoying lately.
High Quality Vinegars.
I love vinegar. Always have, always will. As a kid, I remember taking shots of apple cider vinegar (ACV, for those in the know) thinking it was the most normal thing in the world1011. I’ve always been a huge proponent of buying the best balsamic vinegar I could find12, but only recently did I realize that you could get other types of vinegar from really high quality producers as well13.
I’ve lately been really digging stuff from both Acid League and American Vinegar Works. The Cabernet Port from Acid League is phenomenal and a worthy substitute for balsamic14. I’ve been really enjoying it dashed into a Spindrift15 with a squeeze of lemon and served over ice. I would order that out at a restaurant if I could16. Likewise, the ACV from American Vinegar works is heads and tails better than even my normal go-to of Bragg’s. It’s a little more mild, a little more apple-y and pairs well with some raw, local honey to kickstart your morning17. I also love the fact that it's made in Lowell, MA. #BuyLocal.
Roasted Vegetables
Okay, this one isn’t really new or mind blowing, but we’ve been on a big roasted winter squash and sweet potato kick lately18. Cube up a bunch, toss them in a pan with olive oil19, salt, pepper20, and some dried herbs21 and then throw in a hot oven22 For about an hour or so until they are cooked through, browned, and crisping up.
You can enjoy these hot and fresh as a side to a main course23, or, equally good, throw them in the fridge and use them as the base for a salad or bowl24. If you want to take this route, I’d start with a base of something like farro or barley, throw some spinach or mixed greens on top, then add the roasted veggies. Drizzle some of the good vinegar you just bought and high quality olive oil on top, and then pair it with maybe a nice salmon filet or pork chop. It’s all deadly.
Sourdough Crackers
Last spring, Uncle Steady gifted us some of his sourdough starter, and since then, we’ve been on a bit of a sourdough kick25. We typically will make two loaves every two weeks or so, eating one fresh and slicing and freezing the second. What I learned very quickly is that making sourdough produces a lot of excess starter! The thought of wasting that seemed antithetical to my “homesteader aesthetic26”, I started browsing around for some uses for the discard. One of the top uses is sourdough crackers.
We make a double27 batch every few weeks, once we’ve accumulated a surplus of discard. This is the recipe we use, the only change I make is grating frozen butter into the flour mixture, which makes them a little fluffier. Kiddo CWD especially loves these, but they rarely last more than a day or two.
Coconut Peanut Butter
We eat a lot of peanut butter in the CWD household. One of my favorite “desserts” is plain skyr yogurt28 mixed with peanut butter and 100% cocoa chocolate chips29 . I’ve also been known to just crush a spoonful at a time.
recommended this Hawaiian Coconut Butter and, since he raved about it and seems to consume peanut butter on a comparable scale, I ordered some on a whim.This stuff is amazing.
You taste both (and the only) ingredients, coconuts and peanuts, and they’re blended perfectly. My only complaint is that it is super expensive compared to even the Justin’s we normally buy, and, since it ships from Hawaii, you really need to order a few jars to make it worth it. Doesn’t matter, though — it totally is.
So there you go. I’ll leave you to you seek your own good this weekend, and certainly to try a vinegar seltzer. As always, my non-food related recommendations include getting outside (would love to see some more snow!), drinking plenty of water, and watching the sunrise. If you can sneak a good book in there30, all the better.
PS — GCS, did I get enough footnotes for you this week?
Two of the last three.
A perennial favorite of mine.
Thank you, Owen, for City of Thieves, which I enjoyed tremendously this year!
Arete is what the Greek heroes, like Achilles and the rest of the Achaeans, sought most.
All of this is either quoted or paraphrased from the book, so please see the source material for further clarification.
The Stoics also believed that most people didn’t have a tremendous grasp on the true nature of good (or evil) — and that it must be learned through training and education. That concept applies to moral good and moral evil, but also to the lens through which we view the world. You may need to train yourself to adopt a positive mindset — making “seeking good” all the more important!
I also think this concept applies to art, culture, and yes — food. You need to eat (and cook) a lot of good (and bad) meals so you know what you like (and don’t).
As evidenced by this Wagyu rib roast we made to kick off the year.
Though Family CWD already provides the best.
Well, the roasted veggies could actually be considered one.
JPG, you’ll remember doing this, too, I’m sure. As your mom would say, we have “the taste.”
Having told this story to more normal people, I now understand that is clearly not the case.
Really has to be from Modena and silver label or better.
I think it was a recommendation on
or — or both.With a slightly more mild tang, I actually almost prefer it for things like marinades and dressings — but as a finishing vinegar, balsamic still reigns supreme.
Or really, any seltzer would probably do.
Not that I go out anymore or even really drink. #SeltzerLife.
Also goes well with a seltzer. Was having a conversation with a friend telling him about this, and he was baffled. But my goal for 2023 is to make vinegar-seltzers a thing!
We’ve also been throwing in any other random hearty/footy vegetables sitting in the crisper — carrots, Brussels sprouts, turnips, radishes, etc. See here for an example of how this translates to a meal.
Or tallow, if you have it. IYKYK.
Along with white pepper, which is another simple little thing I’ve been enjoying lately.
Rosemary or oregano are my favorites. The quality of herbs from Kitchen Garden Farms have been a game changer for me, lately, given my inexplicable brown thumb in my own herb garden.
425(F) seems like the right temp to me.
Might I suggest roasted chicken?
Uncle Steady’s recipe drops next week!
Right, Auntie E?
Or triple. Or quadruple.
Icelandic Provisions only, Siggi’s can suck it!
Most people would go with a more normal 60-80% here, I think.
Ideally one recommended by a friend — thanks again, O.
Are you really my child? I am not worthy.