Time is what Life is made of

Thinking about the future sucks. In general, it's usually stressful and full of self-reflection about past mistakes and current white lies. You lie awake wondering what's going to happen, who you want to build your empire with, if you're with the right person, if you want to build an empire at all, who should know about it and why you're even worried about who knows, and your mind goes round and round until it settles firmly back onto square one. How can something so productive also be so counterproductive? It's so easy to become paralyzed by the lack of available actions, and just lie there and think, especially when despite all the analysis, you still can't formulate any possible "what can you actually do's." Most of the time, at least my life, I realize there's nothing much to do other than wait and see, but then I begin to wonder if the passive waiting is eating away at my time, and I could be doing something...better?

What sparked all this thought was a phrase from Bruce Lee's lips, which I found today on Reddit, the most informative site in the world, obviously. The phrase, that is, not his lips (I'm rampaging against grammar today for reasons to later be defined, so just let the dangling modifier grind at you a bit). He said "If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." Ah yes, wise words indeed. Someone should put that in a fortune cookie, because I'm pretty sure my latest fortune cookie fortune "Your income will increase" isn't coming true anytime soon. Still though, what exactly does wasting time mean, Bruce?

I wonder sometimes if writing on this blog is "wasting time" because it doesn't really pertain to my current career path, and it's certainly passive in the sense that I sit around a lot, writing, editing, and eating when I could be out hustling. Does wasting time encompass everything that happens when you're not out actively pursuing your goals? Or is it more general and simpler than that - is staying at home, alone, to watch television while all your friends are at the night club an example of wasting time? What if wasting time is generally used to describe someone not taking advantage of what life has to offer? Either way, if any of these definitions apply, then I've been wasting a great deal of time ever since graduating college. Or have I?

Then again, it may all just be a matter of perception. If you're sitting on the couch watching TV, in complete relief that you're not out clubbing, then perhaps you're not wasting time. Who says you need to be social when you don't want to be? However, if you're sitting there, watching TV, and feeling sad that you're not out meeting people, then perhaps you are wasting time. One shouldn't forget the former case, though. 

My point is, bringing me to this odd roundabout, is that maybe passive waiting doesn't necessarily mean wasting time - this may be my inexperience talking, but I'm hoping that in life, you don't have to be hustling all the time, and that setting up the dominoes right is enough to yield success

Here is Taiwanese comfort food at its finest, that takes a little bit of time, lots of waiting, but by no means yields a product that cries "wasted time." It's the food metaphor of this whole post, I suppose. I've used pork neck bones in this recipe, but if you don't like picking through bones as you eat, you can substitute any cut of pork you would like into the recipe. I would recommend spare-ribs, because you really do want the bone around to add flavor, or pork shoulder cuts, pieces that have bit of fat running through them and enough connective tissue so that the meat will stand up to the longer cook time. A braising meat of sorts, is what I mean. I made this stew in the slow cooker this time because I was lazy, which took about 3 hours on high heat and 3 hours on low heat (total time 6 hours), but feel free to make this in a pressure cooker or on the stove (simmer for an hour or two on low heat on the stove). Whichever way you choose, the meat should be falling off the bone by the time you're done. In fact, in general, you'll come to realize that this is a very versatile recipe. You can add other root vegetables, more or less spice, adjust the sweetness and saltiness to your desired level. However, just don't forget the anise-pods; they're what make the stew.

Braised Pork Neck Bone Stew

makes 6 quarts of stew

2 lbs pork neck bones

2 TB salted butter

1 Korean radish, peeled and cut into cubes

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

1 head of garlic, minced

1 large white onion, diced

2 carrots, cut into small cubes

1 C dark soy sauce

1/3 C oyster sauce

1/3 C fish sauce

1/3 C hoisin sauce

1/4 C rice wine

2-3 C water

 1/3 C light brown sugar

1-2 TB garlic salt

5 whole-star anise pods

In a 6-quart slow cooker, add in the minced garlic and onion on the bottom so that the aromatics line the bottom of the ceramic pot. Then, in a large pan on the stove on high heat, melt the butter and brown the pork neck bones, or cut of choice, on all sides. Don't cook the meat all the way through, just brown them. Then, using tongs, transfer the meat into the crock pot. Cover the meat with the diced russet potatoes and Korean radish cubes.

In a large bowl, mix together all your wet ingredients; the soy, oyster, and hoisin sauces, the water, and the rice wine. Then dissolve the garlic salt and brown sugar in the liquid. Pour this mixture over the pork and root vegetables in the slow cooker, adding a little bit more water if the meat is not submerged. Note, it is all right to have some root vegetables poking up outside the water - they have enough liquid in them so that they do not need to be submerged. You just need the meat to be under the liquid line. Sprinkle the anise pods on top of all this - you're going to remove them before serving so try not to lose them in the liquid, otherwise you'll get a strong and off-putting surprise when spooning the stew voraciously over your mouth.

Cook for 3 hours on high and then 3 more hours on low, until the meat is falling off the bone. In the latter 3 hours, add the diced carrots (they don't take as long to cook). Once the meat is falling off the bone, serve hot over white rice.