cherry blossom season is

Cherry blossom season is...

...long walks until your feet are sore because your eyes and heart can't turn away from the view
...sake and snacks on a blanket on the grass
...photo shoots
...green tea flavored ice cream
...the Jefferson Memorial, framed just so
...fleeting
...hopeful, new beginnings, fresh starts
...gratitude for new warmth
...a short-lived sunburn, just enough to prepare the body and mind for the summer to come
...friends, experiencing it together for the first or fiftieth time
...paddle boating 
...ice cream and short naps under oversized trees
...the kintai bridge in yamaguchi, japan
...the national mall
spring. 

what cherry blossoms mean to me

Cherry blossoms break my heart. They bloom with all the hope and rejuvenation I want from spring, and then they fall, in clumps and one by one, and forge a descent that, like some tears down the lines of some faces, are so beautiful they break your heart.

The first time I experienced cherry blossoms was in Iwakuni, Japan. I lived 45 minutes away by train from the Kentaik-yo Bridge, one of the most beautiful spots in all of Japan to see the blossoms in bloom and participate in "hanami," or the picnic and sake-filled celebration of the new season. I went so many times to Iwakuni that year I lived there. The blossoms only stay in bloom for a week - depending on the weather, maybe a little less, or in a gracious year, maybe a few days more. I went once before they were fully bloomed and twice while they were in bloom, and I could have gone 100 times more. I could have camped under them and let the pink petals float down on me like the most gentle rain shower, and I would have been heartbroken and joyous.

One of my karate teachers - a woman who spoke little English but with whom I communicated and shared so much despite - took me to Kudamatsu, a small, neighboring town to ours, one night after class. It was 9:00 or 10:00pm. She turned off the ignition in her small car outside of a park. Lanterns lit the way, strung from tree to tree. A young couple kissed beneath one tree, stealing moments long after the day's hanami ended.

We walked mostly in silence, but Iwamoto-san spoke up once, to tell me, "This is the nature of cherry blossoms."

I said wistfully that I wish they'd live longer than a week. "We like to fall as fast as they bloom," she told me.

Japanese people treasure tradition, respect, dignity, and pride. But when the cherry blossoms bloom, they set all that aside and embrace frivolity -  they laugh and smile, a sight I didn't see very often, and they celebrate the blossoms. The beer and sake and food they bring to enjoy beneath the blossoms represents a moment in every year when nothing else matters but appreciating beauty and nature's art.

I think I'm a typical westerner when it comes to wanting gratification. I want it fast, and I want it often, and I want it prolonged. That's our culture, that's rooted in our values of capitalism and advancement and reaping the rewards- whether it be food or beauty, we want more. But the cherry blossoms don't give us that. They offer us a blink of gratification, and then they die.

The nature of cherry blossoms - beauty so profound and death so sudden - teaches me to notice and seek out and appreciate the precious few days that mark winter's change into spring. The blossoms keep me accountable, too, for remembering Japan, and what I learned there, and my difficult path towards understanding a culture so different from my own.

But mostly the cherry blossoms break my heart with their beauty and transience, and I spend another year waiting for them to bloom again.

It's with wonder and awe that I say that I get to live in D.C. in the Spring - a city blooming with cherry blossoms as I type this. As a token of kindness and a mark of friendship, Japan donated cherry blossom trees to D.C. many years ago.Today, the most iconic image of them is along the National Mall and Tidal Basin. But I wanted to show you where I've seen and loved them this Spring. 

 1. top of the post - the White House 2. a mural depicting cherry blossoms on Barracks Row SE 3. the view from Cantina Marina, on the SW waterfront 4/5/6. a home near my home in upper NW (Cleveland Park) 7. my street (Porter, NW) **the ones in NW may not all be cherry blossoms, but they're beautiful nonetheless

roasted leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic

Every winter I think I'm fine, right up until I feel the first warm rays of Spring sunshine. My mood soars as high as the temperature outside. I feel unstoppable and like the city is brand new; every time it hits 65 again after a long, dark, cold winter, I fall in love with D.C. again. I'm a different person infused with Vitamin D. I'm the version of myself that I crave and love the very most. I was born in the Sunshine State; it's in my bones.

While Spring teased D.C. and me this weekend, I ate like it was my last weekend of winter. I guess I wanted the best of both worlds. I had Italian-certified pizza, (over)indulged in a brunch of chicken and waffles (and chocolate chip pancakes the next day), tried a new ramen place with an old friend, and made a homemade dinner of roasted lamb. I squeezed into my running pants and fit in a hike and a run in there, too.

It was simply the best weekend.

And on top of it all, on Friday night, my roommate Matt received his admissions letter to the School of International Service at American University. He's officially a grad student! It was incredible to see all of his hard work over the last year pay off, and I'm so proud of him. Which, of course, meant there was celebrating to be done! I didn't know you could get cut off from Champagne, did you?

So about that lamb...

After all the celebration shenanigans Friday-night-into-Saturday-morning, and a jam-packed Saturday afternoon, all Zander and I wanted to do was take a nap and spend the evening indoors. He had a leg of lamb laid out from earlier in the week, and potatoes, cauliflower, and asparagus left over from last week's Green Grocer box. I couldn't dream up a better dinner to say goodbye to winter and hello to Spring.

I adapted this Emeril Lagasse garlic and rosemary lamb recipe to meet our tastes. The rest of the meal is my own. 

roasted leg of lamb
1 leg of lamb (we used boneless, about 5-6 pounds)
fresh rosemary (~3 tablespoons, or, as much as you want)
6 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch (or 2) cayenne
salt & pepper
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

sauce
every great meat dish has a sauce to go with it...
herbs of your choice (we used rosemary, fresh basil, and oregano - parsley would also be good)
1/2 large onion diced
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine

mashed potatoes
4-6 small potatoes of your choice
1/2-3/4 cup milk (or cream)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 of a stick) + 1 tablespoon
salt & pepper, to taste

roasted veggies
1 head cauliflower
1 bunch asparagus
lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
handful of shredded parmesan

how to... 

Lamb: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using your hands, rub the leg of lamb down with the fresh rosemary, garlic, cayenne, salt & pepper. Dip your hands into the lemon juice and rub the juice into the meat. Place the hunk of meat in a roasting pan, and roast for 20 minutes. Turn the oven temp down to 350 degrees and roast another 35 minutes. Take the pan out, and place the meat on another plate or serving platter to cool for 10-15 minutes. Don't get rid of the droppings in your roasting pan, we'll need those next! TIP: It will cook (a lot!) as it cools. If it still looks rare, it will up-cook to medium rare. Mmmmm!

Sauce: Set your roasting pan vertical on two burners on your stove. Add the onions and herbs and stir until everything is evenly mixed and coated. Add the chicken stock and wine - this will deglaze the pan, meaning you'll be able to get up the little scraps stuck to it. Turn your burns on medium-medium high heat and stir constantly until the sauce begins to simmer and thicken.

Potatoes: While your lamb is roasting, peel (or don't, skin is good) and cut your potatoes. Wash. Place in a large pot with enough water to cover + 1 inch. Add a tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt to the water. Let boil until you can easily insert a fork into the potatoes. Remove and drain. Dump potatoes into a mixer, add milk or cream, butter, salt and pepper, and fresh garlic, if you'd like, and mix until smooth and creamy. Add more milk and butter depending on the consistency you want. I like peppery potatoes, so I load it up.

Veggies: While the meat is roasting, roughly chop your cauliflower florets. Tear off the ends of your asparagus and break into as big or small pieces as you'd like. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with some of your left over lemon juice,olive oil, sat & pepper, and crushed garlic. When the meat comes out of the oven, raise the temperature to 500 degrees. Spread out on a thin roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes (the meat will be done then, too!). Sprinkle parmesan on top and move to a serving bowl.

And there ya have a delicious, savory meal that will bridge these awkward days between winter and Spring!