Some Self-Reflection + Chili

Writing about how to avoid writing about writing.

Back in the early days of CWD, each newsletter dispatch was focused almost entirely on the recipe. I would sometimes write a brief “pre-amble” — mostly just a look into what I was planning that weekend and what inspired the recipe of the week — and then would jump right into the recipe. Just a block of text. No pictures. No musings.

Simpler times.

I’m reminded of that sometimes when I’m struggling with what to write. I hate to keep harping on this idea of dormancy, but like a self-fulfilling prophecy¹, I’m lately just lacking the inspiration to write deeply². Whereas sometimes I feel like these weekly newsletters write themselves, whereas I have six or seven posts drafted at anyone time, queued up, ready to be propelled into the universe — more recently, it’s been sitting down on Thursday night trying to come up with something clever to say.³

Of course, as I always tell myself, I write this newsletter entirely because I like to do it. I enjoy writing. I always have⁴. I majored in English, mostly, for two reasons: I liked reading and I liked writing. It just feels natural to write and I’m honored that so many of you choose to stick around and each week read Cow We Doin’.

With that being said, I suppose I do make this a little harder on myself. Here, on the ranch, we run a tight ship. Posts come out of Fridays. We almost always start with an essay that some might find appropriately pretentious⁵. We have a recipe, we have pictures. We finish with a call to action, to get outside, walk barefoot, do something challenging⁶. In its structure, there’s simplicity, but also rigidity.

Most of my favorite newsletters are less singularly focused than mine — they have the latitude to experiment with different types of posts, vary the content, the schedule⁷. One of those, which I’ve mentioned before, is

A Continuous Lean

, written by Michael Williams⁸. One of the recent posts featured a section called “Screenshots,” which, as you might guess, just featured screenshots that Michael had taken, of things which inspired him.

So, to avoid writing a long essay — and already having written a few hundred words in avoiding it — I’ll leave you this week with chili. We’re now right in the swing of comfort food season, so it’s only fitting. After that — because this is my newsletter and I can do whatever I want! — I’ll steal Michael’s bit and share some screenshots in lieu of giving you loft ambitions⁹.

Enjoy.

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Start by dicing up a slab of bacon and an onion. Add these to a large stockpot, bacon first, letting it render and then the onion, cooking until soft, stirring occasionally. Add at least two pounds of meat — ground beef, bison, lamb, or pork; stew meat; leftover smoked chuck roast — whatever is one hand. Season liberally with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder¹⁰. Add a can of beans, rinsed. Two large cans of diced tomatoes, with their juices. A can of hatch green chilis. Stir throughout all of this and then let simmer for a few hours.

When the flavors have melded, serve heartily with sour cream, grated cheese, and any other toppings you like on your chili.

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There you have it, chili. Let me know if you like the new photo format — which I think works especially well for things cooked entirely in pots.

On to the screenshots, presented without comment. See you next week.

1. Thanks,

Old Hollow Tree

!

2. Maybe I just need to “get high.” The Samuel Johnson kind of high, in elevation. Closer to God, to the Muses. Climb a mountain. Or, more likely, a tree stand.

Not “get high” like Harold & Kumar, don’t worry, Mom!

3. Especially when you all keep sharing these newsletters — thank you, by the way, to those who do — and I get new readers. Puts the pressure on… I need to impress you!

4. As some of you know, I’ve always also felt somewhat compelled to write on the internet. I remember starting with writing pseudo-“choose-your-own-adventure” stories on Geocities in the early-2000s, moving over to blogging when the hottest ticket in town was a Blogspot URL, to Wordpress, to a lot of Wordpress sites (many of which don’t need to be resurrected — I’m fortunate now that I’m self-employed and don’t need to worry about an employer digging up Welcome to Freshman Year.) I suppose writing a newsletter is just the next in the line of succession.

5. Thanks,

Sam Sager

.

6. Today, being the observed Veteran’s Day, I’d encourage you to give the CHAD 1000X a shot. I’ll be in the middle of mine when this hits your inbox. Thank a veteran, too.

7. My internet friend Dahlia, also perhaps feeling the rigidity I mentioned, recently rebranded and pivoted her lovely

Always in the Kitchen

to allow for more variety in content. Liberating!

8. I’ve actually been reading

Michael Williams

‘s work for over a decade at this point, having started reading his stuff back in the heyday of #menswear. Funny to feel like you know someone without ever having met them or them even knowing you exist.

9. If you like this screenshot thing, let me know. I think it’s a super interesting peak into someone’s mind.

10. Or a pre-made chili seasoning. I like Meat Church’s.