Just Cause It Sours, Don’t Make it Kraut
As I write these words, I nibble from a plastic ramekin of “extra” sauerkraut from a local bar called ‘Pet Shop’ – (all krautHounds go to heaven). This minor bit of context pales in comparison to the major events that envelop us constantly of late. And as I masticate this magical mush, I can’t help but make deeper connections. Does progress always look progressive? Does success always need to smell so sweet? Often, when dug in, when one is really ‘in the shit’ as they say, they cannot see the good of it. All they can see is the struggle. Kraut is like that too: a discarded (and disregarded) pile of cabbage, thrown thoughtlessly aside to rot in its own juices – which it does in darkness – with little or no fanfare. Only to emerge as a champion, stronger not just for its unique odor but for the struggle which brought out it’s rawness. It’s in this process, this very specific battle of elements which nature requires, that the Kraut becomes better – more refined – harder yes, but very much more its true self. ‘Truth’ it turns out, ain’t no bed of roses. But it just might be a big ol’ pile of Kraut.
-Sauerpuss
Cabbage – a no frills yet rich source of life-giving nutrients to peoples around the world. People starved of more exciting produce. Boring old cabbage. Reliable. Predictable. Forgotten. Left, likely by mistake, one fateful fall in the recesses of some dark country cellar. As it sat alone, it did the only thing it could do… it soured. If that head of cabbage had feelings, I can almost guarantee it felt a whole lot like we do right now.
We may all be souring a bit in 2020. Covid lockdowns are keeping us all separate. Stuck inside. Cut off from the world and fresh air. While isolated, it is important that we follow sauerkrauts lead… we cannot despair and rot. Instead, we must find the eau de vie that is already within us and let it bubble and brew into something entirely unique and defining. We must all emerge from the pandemic as sauerkraut, not sour people.
-krautHammer
