By The NBA suspended its season on Thursday. Tom Hanks has COVID. Italy is on lockdown. The US declared a national emergency on Friday. Schools are closing. Restaurants are closing. The world as we have known it is closing, and the speed of it is disorienting — like standing in the firehouse when the alarm goes off and the bay doors open and you see that the fire is not across town, it is everywhere.
Sofia's school closed effective Monday. Kindergarten, done, just like that. She came home from school on Friday with a bag of worksheets and a confused expression and said, "Daddy, why is school closing? Is the germs at school?" I said, "They are being careful, mija. We are all being careful." She accepted this with the pragmatism of a six-year-old and asked if she could practice soccer in the backyard. Yes. Yes, you can practice soccer. You can do anything that keeps you moving and alive and unafraid.
Diego's toddler program is closed. He is two and a half and does not understand why his routine has changed and is expressing his confusion by being even louder, even more physical, even more Diego. He climbed the kitchen counter twice on Saturday. He threw a toy truck at the ceiling. He ate a crayon and a piece of paper and possibly a penny. The boy processes change through destruction.
At the station: the COVID calls have started. Not many — not yet — but the protocols are active. Full PPE on respiratory calls. N95s on everything. Decontamination stations in the bay. The guys are professional, focused, doing the job. But the fear is there, in the eyes, in the way they wash their hands one more time than necessary, in the way they look at their phones for news during downtime instead of watching TV or sleeping.
Roberto and Elena. My parents are both over sixty. Roberto is diabetic. They are in the highest risk category. Elena called me Friday night and said, "Your father says he is not changing anything. Your father is wrong. Talk to him." I called Roberto. I said, "Dad, you need to stay home. No more walks in the neighborhood. No more grocery store. No more Sunday cookout." He said, "No cookout?" I said, "No cookout." The silence on the phone was the loudest thing I have ever heard from Roberto Rivera. No cookout. The first time in thirty-two years.
I brought them groceries Saturday. Left them on the porch. Stood in the driveway and talked to my parents through the screen door. My father was standing in his house, behind a door, looking at his son who could not come in. The cinder block grill in the backyard was cold. The lemon tree was blooming. And I stood on the wrong side of the door and told my father I loved him and drove home and sat in my driveway and did not go inside for ten minutes because I needed that time to become the father my kids need instead of the son who just told his dad to stop living.
The cinder block grill stayed cold that week — and honestly, so did the stove. I wasn’t going to stand there and pretend I could cook a real meal after leaving groceries on my parents’ porch and driving home in silence. Sofia needed to eat. Diego needed to eat. I needed something I could throw together without thinking, without heat, without any of it feeling like a performance of normal life. This sugar snap pea salad was it: a handful of fresh things, a sharp dressing, done in ten minutes, no fire required.
Fresh Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 10 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh sugar snap peas, strings removed, halved on the diagonal
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, torn
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the peas. Remove strings from snap peas by snapping off the stem end and pulling the string down the length of each pod. Halve them on the diagonal and place in a large bowl.
- Add the vegetables. Add the sliced radishes and red onion to the bowl with the snap peas. Toss gently to combine.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, and black pepper until emulsified.
- Dress and toss. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss until everything is evenly coated.
- Finish and serve. Top with crumbled feta and torn mint leaves. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving for a slightly more melded flavor.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 110 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 12g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 230mg