When we were in the thick of the pandemic, I told you about the camera obscura that I set up in my classroom for a few weeks every winter. Essentially, it is just a refrigerator box with a door cut into it, a 1/4 inch diameter hole that faces my classroom windows, and a large sheet of white paper hung on the inside wall opposite the tiny hole. When you sit on a stool in the darkened space, facing away from the hole, staring at the white paper, you will eventually begin to see whatever is happening outside reversed and flipped upside-down. Upside-down cars drive by near the ceiling of the box and telephone wires stretch across the bottom.
This happens because light travels in a straight line. Almost all of it is blocked by the box, but the tiny hole lets just a little light in. Let’s say you are in the box on a bright, sunny day when there is snow on the ground. Light reflects off the snow in all directions, but the only light reflected off the snow that comes into the box, travels up in a straight line, through the hole, to the top of the inside box wall. This is really hard to conceptualize. I explain it to my kids before they enter the box, but no amount of explanation prepares them to understand what they are seeing. While they are in the box, I hear exclamations of amazement, especially if a car drives by. They come out blinking and puzzled.
I have been in the box a hundred times, and it still amazes me. When all other stimuli is eliminated, my breathing slows and my eyes adjust, waiting for the images to appear. A bombarded brain that was racing only moments before sheds its baggage and tunes in to the magic show. Understanding what is happening is not a condition for experiencing wonder. What is faith, after all?
If you’re a person who only sees a huge cardboard box that clutters the classroom, I would like to invite you to spend a little time thinking inside the box.
Ben, for one, has no problem thinking inside the box and it seemed like the perfect week to make pineapple upside-down cake. The results were about what I remembered from my youth. Like me, Ben found it decent, but nothing to write home about. No need to include a recipe. You’ll probably find one on the box.
Our banh mi sandwiches, on the other hand, were stellar. I have learned many lessons through making banh mi sandwiches with Ben.
- Making them is always Ben’s idea.
- Ben is always right. When the winter has stretched on forever, we all need the fresh crunch of carrots topping the exotic meatballs and chewy baguette, whether we know it or not.
- Ben peels carrots at an alarming speed. If you want both photographic evidence of his participation and something left to grate, you’d best grab your camera before he picks up his peeler.
- It takes a village to make a meatball sandwich. Ben concocts the plan and peels the carrots. What more do you want? My duties as carrot overseer require my full attention, so enlisting Phil’s chopping help is critical.
- Don’t mess with the meatballs. Don’t think outside the box. They are perfect as is.
Banh Mi Sandwiches (our version adapted from Bon Appétit magazine, January 2010)
Spread:
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sriracha hot chili sauce
Pinch of salt
Meatballs:
1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha hot chili sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of salt (but the fish sauce is really salty, so use with caution)
Sandwiches:
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 (20-inch) baguettes
3 mini seedless cucumbers, sliced into rounds
Fresh cilantro leaves to taste
Fresh, thinly sliced jalapeño (optional)
- Dissolve sugar in vinegar and add carrots. Stir and let marinate while making the sandwiches.
- Make the spread by combining all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Make meatballs by combining all ingredients. Form into 1-inch meatballs and place on waxed paper.
- Heat sesame oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs until they are cooked through and some parts are caramelized.
- Cut baguettes into desired sandwich lengths and slice each piece of bread lengthwise.
- Slather the spread on both open parts of the bread. On the bottom, add cucumber slices and meatballs. Top with drained carrots, cilantro, and jalapeño slices, if using.
