Zen and the art of boiling congee.

The cover of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance, by Robert M Pirsig.
I believe this is the edition carried
by my roommate in college.

I had a college roommate many years ago who was reading The Zen of Motorcycle Maintenance. In fact, he read it so much, it was tattered and soiled from repeated thumbing. (Lauren H, now a physics prof at Calvin).

I've never read it, but I think I had a zen moment while boiling congee for my wife. (Congee is basically watery boiled rice, sometimes with another grain and mild vegetable, and a boiled egg).

The perfect congee depends on a number of factors, balanced just so:

1. Amount of water.

2. Amount of rice.

3. Thickness of the pot.

4. If the pot is covered.

5. Type of rice.

6. Amount of heat.

7. Burner being used.

And many others. If I'm really on my game, I can make the perfect congee in 30 minutes: I rinse the rice and bring it to a boil in 10 minutes, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes (covered), and let it cool 10 minutes while I cool and shell the egg.

Of course, all cooking works this way, as do all relationships between all things - electrons and protons, planets and suns, me and you.

I think I may have said something like this before, but everything is relationships. Nothing has meaning in and of itself, but only in relationship to other things, and perhaps only when a sentient being is able to consider the relationship (if the word "meaning" is to have meaning).

[2014-07-19]

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