A skin of one’s own

The French have an expression: d’etre bien dans sa peau. Literally it means to be good in one’s skin. Figuratively it signifies a state of contentment. We are all in search of those states of ease. Some have their happy place — a lake house in Maine or a paddock in the Hamptons. Others may find in savasana after a yoga class. I could go on and on. The search for contentment is as old as mankind but different for all of us. We all need a different ingredien...t to make us feel good in our skin.

For me those ingredients vary. My moments of contentment arrive unexpectedly at times. I might take a bite of a sauce that is perfectly spiced or catch the first glimpse of sun over a rugged mountain range. Sometimes a smell will take me by surprise and return me to a moment of my childhood, or the ringing of church bells might calm me on a frenzied day.

You know it when you experience it. That taste, smell or sound that transports you. Maybe it returns you to a castle garden outside of Paris or fish fry o the beach in Croatia. Sensations are wrought with fantasy. Whether it’s a Calgon bath, a York peppermint patty or a smell of a new born baby tat lands you in your happy place, the world is full of elements that stop time, delighting us for a moment or more and convincing us that we are right where we need to be.

The Necessary Ingredient is a blog about these moments; It’s about the cilantro that makes the guacamole pop or the spring peepers telling us that spring is around the corner. It doesn’t’ happen every day, but when it does you’ll know and find that sense of inner peace and joy.

My necessary ingredients are likely to be different than yours, or maybe not. But I want to share with you what brings my world alive through tales of cooking, travel, dining, creating and more.