Thursday, June 9, 2011

Simple Perfection


Yesterday I had a cheese sandwich—the BEST cheese sandwich I've ever had in my entire life. Not grilled cheese, mind you. I was at this fancy deli with all these pretty cheeses, and if you didn't know I'm kind of a cheese fan. Like, as a teen my friends called me Cheesegoddess, since I haven't met a cheese I didn't like.

So I ask the lady how big their cheese platter was, because I really just wanted to experience some of that beautiful cheese. She said it wasn't really a meal, but she could make me a special cheese sandwich that wasn't on the menu.

I am a fan on things not on the menu. They make me feel all cool and rebellious.

So I got my special sandwich—provolone, smoked gouda, and white cheddar, with lettuce, tomato and a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil for good measure. It was amazing. It sounds so simple, but the smoky gouda and the sharp cheddar cutting across that sweet balsamic? Genius. And the lettuce and tomato lightened what would otherwise be a rich set of cheeses. The combination was simple and yet perfect. So perfect that I went out late last night to buy the ingredients, just so I could have it again today.

It probably sounds weird, but this sandwich taught me something. Or rather, it reminded me that great things do not have to be complex. Great food is often simple and pure, and this is the same for many arts. Yes, I'm so relating this cheese sandwich to writing. Yes, this sandwich SPOKE TO ME. I really, REALLY like cheese. Deal with it.

Sometimes I try to make writing so much harder than it is. Sometimes I dig for the most complex solution when that perfect, simple cheese sandwich answer is right there in front of me. But the more I write, the more I discover that the simplest solution is most oftentimes the best. Stories don't have to have a million ingredients to be GOOD.

Don't get me wrong, I love me those fancy sandwiches with three different meats and two cheeses and veggies and grilled onions and french fries and avocado all rolled into one glorious handheld food masterpiece. BUT. That doesn't mean something simple is any less amazing or satisfying.

I think at times I get so focused on what my writing doesn't have—no onion rings! no Russian dressing! no pastrami!—that I forget just how perfectly well that balsamic and smoked gouda go together. And it's not so much about how many ingredients I have, but how I put them together that counts.

27 comments:

  1. This post was kind of cheesy, Natalie.

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  2. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. Sorry. You know I had to. (This post was actually exactly right.)

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  3. Mmmm...that cheese sandwich sounds wonderful. I'm right there with you on a love for cheese. And, you found a writer comparison with it, so that's awesome. :D

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  4. IT WAS SO CHEESY. BECAUSE I LIKE CHEESE.

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  5. Cannot even begin to tell you how much I want that sandwich. Can't even think about the writing metaphor. I JUST WANT LUNCH.

    I am SO making your sandwich. SOON.

    YOU WILL BE MINE, CHEESE SANDWICH!!!

    Cheese cheese cheese.

    CHEESE.

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  6. CheeeEEEeeeeEEEeeSE!

    SAMMICH!

    *eats screen*

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  7. *continues filling blog with comments talking to cheese*

    CHEESE!!! I LOVE YOU!

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  8. *eats Cheez-It found on office floor*

    Not quite the same. But still delicious.

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  9. I am VERY happy that you share my enthusiasm for cheese, Steph. I CANNOT stop thinking about this sandwich...mmmm.

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  10. I think comparing writing to a cheese sandwich is genius. And your ode to this cheese sandwich is nothing short of beautiful. I love cheese more than words can say.

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  11. Curses, that's what my sandwich was missing. I just ate and now I'm hungry again.

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  12. Brie. Brie makes everything better!

    Hehe, but yeah, great analogy about simplicity. I'm in the midst of a fairly complex sequence of scenes, and I cannot tell you HOW MUCH I am craving a simple story next. I still think I'm cooking up a culinary treat, but yeah, for the following project, I'm making me a nice little sandwich and just adding a bit of brie. It'll be perfectly delicious but only require 10 min and a panini press! (HAH, I WISH.)

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  13. I was about to tease you, because who makes a whole post about a cheese sandwich? But then you listed off those ingredients and posted that picture and it sounds so good that I really want one now.

    Will you make one for meee?

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  14. Rick, TEASE ALL YOU WANT. I am fully aware of my food obsession. I would make you one, but I don't think it would make it through the mail.

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  15. There's an Australian cheese I discovered as an exchange student that I've tried to find an equivalent to for 23 years. Just last week, I found an imported white sharp cheddar from Australia, and while it's not Coon, it's really, really close.

    Hooray for cheese! ;)

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  16. You're making me hungry. And I just had lunch.

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  17. I think this is my favorite post about writing ever! Lol. What a great point! And now I really want that cheese sandwich.

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  18. I don't even like cheese and I want that sandwich.

    Actually, what I really want is the turkey & provolone panini from my favorite coffee shop. They put tomato and basil on it, and it's the most beautiful combination of ingredients ever. Luckily, I will be writing there on Saturday and I can satisfy my craving.

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  19. You are so right! it IS how you put it all together. And as you well know, there are many many kinds of cheeses. Just as there are many many kinds of books. There is always room for one more creation!

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  20. SUPER YUM! I must try that. Must...!

    I was reading through Monarch last week and I thought, "This story feels too simple," and now after your post I think it's just right. Thanks. :)

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  21. That cheese sandwich was MAGICAL! :-)

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  22. *heads off looking for a spiced gouda sandwich...*

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  23. That sounds completely awesome!!! Sometimes simple really is best!

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  24. That sandwich sounds amazing. I NEED to know the name of this deli! You can't keep a pregnant lady from her cravings!

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  25. I love cheese so much that I wrote an ultimate grilled cheese sandwich into my last book and now when I speak to book clubs, that's what they make for the refreshment. I'm a freaking genius.

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  26. 1. This post rox!

    2. I love cheese too.

    3. Kiersten is crazy. lol.

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