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Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #906

Despite going to bed relatively late last night, this morning I woke with plenty of time before needing to go join An for today's attempt at fixing his brakes. I... don't know a damn thing about fixing brakes. But I do know a thing or two about getting people snacks and bringing them to places where they can get tools, and doing other miscellaneous odds and ends to be helpful, so I'd like to think I'm not entirely useless.

But, like I said, there was still lots of time before I needed to head out. So I gathered up the things I needed to make stuffed artichokes. It's just these plus some olive oil:

Artichokes are... perhaps a little bit hostile; in the notch at the center of each leaf tip, there's a tiny, sharp thorn:

...So if you're not familiar with handling artichokes, do be careful of these; they're sharper than they look. I have prepared stuffed artichokes before, so I just went around and broke off the ones on the leaves that I didn't intend to cut off, and then I trimmed off the stem and the top:

You gotta cut off the stem to be able to stick it properly in the water when the time comes to steam it. And you gotta cut off the top to expose the inside of it:

So then... I peeled one of the heads of garlic, then chopped it up in my handy-dandy veggie chopper:

The next step was to do the same to the onion. But... before you go and chop an onion that finely: PROTECT YOUR EYES.

In the end, I decided I needed two heads of garlic. So I chopped the other one, and then mixed them together with the onion:

Once we have everything chopped and our artichokes opened up, we're gonna go right ahead and fill the spaces between each and every leaf with the onion and garlic mixture:

Next step is to stick our artichokes into some kind of cooking vessel. I used my trusty wok. We'll fill it with water until half the artichoke is submerged:

Now that that's settled, we fill our artichokes with olive oil until they can't hold any more.

Artichokes drink up truly an incredible amount of olive oil. They drained what was left in my bottle. So I had to refill it:

...Putting the olive oil in a thoroughly-washed dish soap bottle is a trick my father taught me. The bottle is a good shape for holding, and the nozzle allows me to control the stream and flow perfectly. It's good stuff.

In any case, you'll know when the artichokes are filled when the oil starts to blorp out of them, kinda like this:

We put a lid on our vessel, and set it to simmer.

These take anywhere between 4 and 8 hours to cook thoroughly, depending on how many you're doing. You can tell when they're done when one of the middle leaves pulls from the center with no effort. But they're very forgiving; they can simmer for a long time after they're done, with no ill effects.

So... once it was set to simmer, I headed out to An's house to help him out with repairing his car brakes. But first... we needed to eat. So I took him to a place with burgers:

Once our bellies were full and we got back, we got to work. I don't know a damn thing about fixing brakes. But I can hold things steady while he loosens bolts and stuff.

I was also able to drive us to various stores when An found out the hard way that he was missing tools or parts. And at one point, he had to try to drill a screw out of the rotor, because the head had been stripped by whoever put it on. Thankfully, some nice lady neighbor of his saw us struggling, and came by with a drill. But we needed a bigger bit for it, and An was too tired to go out with me, so... I went out and got the thing! And... weirdly. I met this random fucking bird while I was in the tool section:

...A male house sparrow, I think. Very bizarre.

Eventually, it was late. And An's got more work to do on the car tomorrow. So we went to my house, and we had the artichokes, because they were done.

You eat these by scraping the tender underside of the leaves against your bottom teeth; the outer surface is tough and fibrous, but the underside is soft and mashy, and it has a flavor that I... don't really know how to describe. It's kinda nutty, kinda sweet, kinda earthy and savory. I think you'd like them. Maybe. An certainly did.

Towards the center, the leaves get softer and less fibrous; you can just eat those straight-up, even if they require a bit of chewing. But it's wise to be cautious about the innermost, yellowy-purple leaves. These ones are stiff and smooth. And there are thorns. But... beneath them is the real prize:

...You can eat the filaments that the base of the artichoke is covered with, if you don't mind the texture; they taste pretty good. But the base is the real prize; it's tender, mashable, and absolutely fucking delicious.

Eventually, An went home. Tomorrow, he will continue to fix his brakes, and on Sunday, he will drive out to tend his friend in the way he feels is best. I tried reminding him that no matter how things turn out with his friend, he will be coming home to people who love him, not for what he can do for us, but for who he is. That he can count on us whenever he needs.

...We'll see if he remembers. I'll keep reminding him until he does.

I managed to find the time in between tasks today to breathe life into today's wishes for you:

...I also got pictures of this evening's dazzling sunset for you, but... I need to be in bed in the next 20 minutes; I've got work tomorrow. So I'll end today's letter here, and show you what I got once I'm all done with tomorrow's shift.

I love you so much. Enough that I try to treat the people around me with the same care that I'd offer you if you were here. I'll have faith that the significance of that reaches you, somehow. I'll have faith that you'll keep yourself safe while you're out and about. I'll have faith that you're on your way home.

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

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