Alan Cumming // Hamlet. 1993.

Élisabeth Lacoin, from a letter to Simone de Beauvoir written in October 1929

Shundarbans Mangrove Forest, Bangladesh

Mushroom spoons

now all I need is to have a large library in an old house, which is located on the outskirts of a small town, with a lot of magic books that can help make a potion for a variety of purposes, cure a person or predict the future

“I’m Not Getting Sick!” Broth

Whenever I have a day where I wake up feeling gross and I feel off all day, but I’m DEFINITELY NOT GETTING SICK!!! this broth is my go-to. It’s got immune boosting ingredients to help you fight off whatever you’re definitely not coming down with. It’s also comforting and helps relieve cold & flu symptoms, so if a couple days later, you’re like “Bleh, I’m sick” it’ll still help.

Ingredients: 3 cloves garlic 1 inch ginger 1 cup garlic paper & skins (if you’ve got it, if not add 3 more cloves garlic) 1 cup onion peels & trimmings 1 cup carrot peels and trimmings 3 dried hot chilis a bunch of peppercorns a generous pinch of salt

Take the ginger and cut it through the skin almost to the middle in a slit down the side. Repeat this all the way around so it’s still one piece but has a lot of cuts around the sides. Put everything in a pot or pressure cooker with 6 cups of water. On the stove, simmer it for about 30 minutes, in a pressure cooker cook at pressure for 10 minutes. Let it cool, strain it, and store it in the fridge.

To use it, I’ll throw some sliced carrots, tofu cubes, green onions, or whatever I’ve got in this and bring it just up to a simmer. Sometimes I’ll add miso paste or gochujang and stir it to dissolve. Drink it while it’s hot and you’ll feel your sinuses draining. You can also add a dash of vinegar (rice or cider) to help it clear any throat congestion.

An alternate version, if you don’t have ginger on hand or plan on using it for more European cuisine is to leave out the ginger and add a teaspoon of thyme and a teaspoon of oregano (maybe rosemary or sage, if you’ve got it). You can also add some mushroom (fresh or dried) and tomato before you cook it to make it feel a bit richer.

Garlic and ginger are great for your immune system, and thyme and oregano can help to clear up infections. Vinegar (or lemon juice or what have you) can help to push congestion out of your throat, and the chilis + steam from drinking it hot will help clear & soothe your sinuses.

Feel better! Not that you’re sick, of course…

when hands touch