filed in Foodstuff, Happy Ever After
A Saturday Night, In
“To be wedded to an idea may be, after all, the holiest and happiest of marriages.”
Elizabeth Cady Stanton reflecting on why Susan B. Anthony never married.
Saturday night alone. I don’t mind it. I prefer not dealing with traffic and parking. I’m content cooking for myself. I walk outside to the garden, pick some basil and make spaghetti with pesto. It doesn’t take long and I prepare enough so I’ll have leftovers for another meal. This Saturday night, I’m in my sweats and flip-flops. No make-up. No one to size me up or down. When did it happen that women could relax about their marital status? Who paved the way?
I’ve rented a documentary about Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, great friends and collaborators, who gathered, organized, petitioned, got arrested and tirelessly pursued a woman’s right to vote. I could feel discouraged that I’m alone on a weekend, that I never married, never had children, that my life doesn’t fit the only available blueprint I grew up with. But tonight, I’m spending time with warriors, and enjoying their company.
I’m on the couch, savoring my pasta, the dog curled underneath my ankles. I picture Ms. Anthony who turned down her share of suitors so she could be free to work. Did she ever gripe to friends about a weekend without a date? I find refuge in the innovators–both married and single—who refused to be typecast, and, in turn, changed history.
Marcella Hazan’s Pesto:
Ingredients
(I usually halve the recipe)
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped fine
pinch of salt
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
2 tablespoons freshly grated Romano cheese
3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 pound spaghetti
1. Briefly soak and wash the basil in cold water, and gently pat it thoroughly with dry paper towels.
2. Put basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and an ample pinch of salt in the food processor and process to a uniform, creamy consistency.
3. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the two grated cheeses by hand. When the cheese has been evenly amalgamated with the other ingredients, mix in the softened butter.
4. When spooning the pesto over pasta, dilute it slightly with a tablespoon or two of the hot water in which the pasta was cooked.
(from “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking,” by Marcella Hazan)
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I love a night in with my dog. I spent the day today with a woman who would rather be single with 7 dogs than be married with 5 dogs. She was married for over 20 years. I’ve never been married, but I could relate to that: At this point in my life, I have chosen my dog over men. And its wonderful. And if I change my mind, my dog will go along for the ride.
I can’t imagine life without my dog, married or single. She’s my main squeeze.
[…] First Person Singular created an interesting post today on A Saturday Night, InHere’s a short outline“To be wedded to an idea may be, after all, the holiest and happiest of marriages.” Elizabeth Cady Stanton reflecting on why Susan B. Anthony never married. Saturday night alone. I don’t mind it. I prefer not dealing with traffic and parking. I’m content cooking for myself. I walk outside to the garden, pick some basil and make spaghetti with pesto. It doesn’t take long and I prepare enough s […]
I love staying in, no one to answer to, house a mess after a long week and me a bowl of pasta with a good movie. How does it get better than that? The only thing I’m missing is a sweet ball of fur curled up with me.
thanks for the recipe too