I was going to begin this newsletter with a brief history of feasts. Then I realized that celebratory eating is so fundamental to the human condition that concocting any sort of linear history misses the point. It would be like making a map of all the places you can find dirt on a farm.

I know what feasts are not. Feasts are not optimized. Feasts are not the most efficient way to consume food. But what exactly are we supposed to be doing with all the time we have leftover after we optimize for the most efficient caloric intake and accumulation of capital? Let’s ask our brand new trillionaire.

For me, feasts are a celebration of slowness. An acknowledgement that there’s no rush because there’s nowhere to go. Call it whatever you want: a cycle of seasons, an elliptical orbit, the circle of life. I prefer to imagine life in the shape of an upward spiral (which incorporates the improved perspective of age). The point of life is to perpetuate life, to keep the world spinning. So I’m pretty sure we’re just here to steward the planet, keep each other company, and eat.

Growing up, my family ate dinner together pretty much every night. Only in retrospect have I really appreciated how lucky I was. Not to say that every weeknight dinner qualifies as a feast, but this experience did cultivate the perspective that eating together is the most important thing I do on any given day.

On top of that, so many of my favorite memories involve feasts. Christmases at my grandmas’ houses filled with Minnesota twists on traditional Swedish dishes (I’m looking at you, meatballs). Spaghetti dinners before big hockey games. All manner of “family meals” with friends in college, after college, and at every restaurant job. Backyard barbeques on summer Sundays, which my friends have dubbed Pamper. A Labor Day pig roast up at Small Acres Farm. Tapas for a joint birthday celebration at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! in Chicago (I actually forgot about this one and was just reminded of it).

A feast does not have to include the preparation of a whole animal. But it is more fun if there’s some kind of a show. This week we’re concluding our salmon series by grilling a pair of whole cohos and serving them with tangy potato salad and a smattering of early summer vegetables. Once again, thanks to Drifters Fish for sending us such lovely fish this month. Their store is stocked with carefully caught wild salmon and black cod. Check it out.

A few tips for roasting a whole fish: one, allow plenty of time. No rushing! Two, cover the fish in a thin layer of oil to prevent sticking (excess oil just causes flare-ups on the grill), and season liberally with salt. Three, after you make sure the guts are fully cleaned out, stuff the cavity with herbs and aromatics. Then use kitchen string to tie it shut. Finally, grill low and slow. No rushing! There’s no other way to get tender insides without burning the skin (even so, the skin will probably still get a little charred). Simple as that.

Sit down to eat with your friends and family every chance you get. Sometimes we’re even lucky enough to make a few new friends. Oh, and if at all possible, cook outside.

We’re glad you’re cooking with us.

Cheers,

Sten and Mac