)(( hannah mello ))(

Spice. *

For centuries, the spice trade was where it was at. Cinnamon, Cassia, Ginger, Cardamom, Pepper. Trade routes, supply and demand, the competition of kings and empires, navigation. The bold taking their chance on the seas. Finding out the world was round happened because of spices. The age of exploration -- the Americas and a lost half of the globe-- initiated because of spices. It wasn't land that Vasco da Gama or Ferdinand Magellan was after, it was spices.

Since ancient times, spices have been spiritual, medicinal, domestically used/atmospheric, aroma-therapeutic, and even currency. They were gifts to the rich and powerful. Pepper in Roman times was a status symbol as much as it was for taste (typically used in fish dishes).

One of my life goals is to learn about the different spices and their most extraordinary culinary uses. I love how a pinch of something can take you to a different place, time, and petri dish of culture.

This topic of spice was sparked today, however, not with a cooking venture or something directly related-- but oddly, after receiving a text message from my housemate. :) !! Somehow between reading and replying, using my thumbs so artfully, I came to something. However cheesy it may sound,
People are the Spice.

I read that the word "spice" itself, doesn't show up until the end of the 12th century. It turns out, "spice" is literally a derivative of the Latin for "species".

My first night in NYC, my friend Adam, housemate Nate, and a couple other people went to a Thai restaurant close to Union Square-- called Spice. It was over that Pad Thai, Adam shared nuggets-- his favorite locales in the city, a corner of his life story of challenges, his relationship webs, music and book tips. The food was good; Thai being my favorite. But, it was the spice of Adam that made the meal truly memorable.

I recently went to my first staff party at my work (the Museum of Jewish Heritage). It was there that the Director of the museum amazingly approached me and the two boys on either side of me (who happened to be my housemates, the 2 guests of mine for the party). What ensued was conversation-- wondrous conversation. Conversation about structural engineering (James' life and passions), the lost art of photography (Nate's life and passion), among other things. The Director, who always introduces himself by his first name, an unassuming man of great nobility and responsibility, loved the conversation, coming alive. He even asked about my housemates the next day, saying how much he enjoyed talking to us (a thing of amazement too, because my department is the lowest on the totem poll and often snubbed and ignored). I loved everything about it.

I am so grateful for the variety of people that I am honored to share life with. A variety of ethnicities, backgrounds, responsibilities/job descriptions, personalities, ages, and interests-- all from different parts of my life. Growing up, high school, college, post-college work, overseas life and travel, and this now-NY period. Thanks to things like Myspace and Facebook and Verizon calling plans, texts, and pix/flix, I can keep intersecting with them from wherever the GPS says I am. I have way too many "top friends" in Myspace because I am proud of my friends. I'm proud of who they are, how they live their lives (so different from each other), their choices, their ways of expressing themselves. They are my jewels. They are my riches. Spice.

The text message that motivated these musings was quite simple and ordinary. My housemate was simply telling me when the electrician was going to be arriving at our house to check out things. He had written ETA, and so I asked him what it means-- "Estimated Time of Arrival". To which I replied: "I love having you in my life." To which he replied: "I wish I could hear that everyday." To which I replied: "Amazing you are. You are. Words or no words."

All of us have people in our life that are spice. Sharing life with them launches us out into a space of earth that we would not choose to venture into. (Wow... just like how spices initiated the age of exploration without the "explorers" knowing it...)

For me, today, having James in my life let me into the know of military lingo-- adding to the economic and engineering and fashion lingo that he has already launched me into. Expressions that are interesting and cool and put a new spin on life experiences. From the first moment I met James, he has been Spice. I remember walking into this house which I now share with him, with his laptop projected onto the wall of the living room, looking at fashion photography and listening to hiphop music. James has a unique taste for a variety of cultures and technologies-- including the fashion world and culinary art, as well as things like luxury cars and iPhones, and the like. Sharing a house with him means being affected by the uniqueness of him. I'm sitting behind a coffee table right now that has a Tom Ford book on it. Without him, I wouldn't be in the know. I'm grateful. James' world is not my world, but I am more alive because his world exists.

As a working 20-something, I find that some of the people that have spiced me the most have been my working colleagues and family members-- the two categories that one doesn't choose to spend long life hours with. Some of my work colleagues from the past I would probably never have talked with or hung out with on the levels that we did. Why did it happen? Because I was forced out of my choice-- I had to just be there. Being at work. Being in my family of origin. Going to the functions. Listening. Asking. Talking. Laughing.

I wasn't necessarily LOOKING to explore the worlds of humanitarian aid, hiphop music and dance, great American authors, environmental science, Italian music and art history, the science/technical side of photography, Jimmy Hendrix, economic & engineering & military lingo, ghetto slang, classic rock music, teaching English overseas, Caravaggio the artist, alternative forms of energy, and countless other things. Exploration found me because of the presence and pursuit of Spice. Just like history. Just like history.

Just like Venice used to be the hub of spice trade and accumulation, Italy was quite the nexus of Spice for me. Just like NYC is quite the nucleus of every single culture's swirl and their literal culinary spices, NYC is that for me.

So here I sit, on my day away from my workplace with so many Spices, grateful.

Now, a what if...
-- what if all of us chose to even write out the list of people of Spice in our life?
-- what if we wrote out or spoke out the places of exploration that we have been launched into because of Spice in our life?
-- what if we really recognized them as truly being Spice in our lives?

Maybe, if we did, we'd be quicker to value people.
Maybe we'd be quicker to take opportunities to be launched into lands we wouldn't have chosen if we were left to ourselves, relatively flavorless and comparatively bland.

Life with Spice is so much more flavorful.
Life with exploration is so much more ALIVE.

BUT-- I think the key we can learn from history is that RECOGNIZING the value of Spice moved people to ACTION. So, we HAVE to do the "what if" of recognizing (above). We have to. Otherwise we won't know how valuable Spice is, and we won't explore because of it. So key. So key. I'm in. I'm in.

Ah. So, A toast. A toast to Spices, ever so valuable. Cheers to that recognition. and-- Cheers to the exploration that is caused by the Spice in our lives.

posted by )(( hannah mello ))( @ 9:42 AM