Glass Blowing and Bison Burgers

Research shows that spending money on experiences is more psychologically satisfying in the long term than spending money on material things. There are a few reasons for this. One is that possessions become part of your new normal, and their novelty fades because of its persistence. The other is that it is much harder to share. Can you really connect with someone based on the fact that you both have 60” TVs? I am a sucker for novel experiences and once again, Groupon came through. Sunday morning, we drove West to Lorenz studios for a two hour glass blowing lesson.

While this is a blog about food, I believe that the dining experience is more than what is on your plate. Location, mood, dining partners, and more all contribute to one’s perception of the “meal.” In this case, it was a slightly cool spring day, bright and sunny. A friend and I spent the entire morning in front of an 1800⁰ furnace, with molten glass on the end of a metal rod. We created a tear drop by letting liquid glass drip as it cooled. We created a paperweight by folding and twisting a lump of colored glass, then encasing it in another clear layer. Finally, we blew a hollow orb of colored glass and adorned it with a hook. It is an art form of patience, as the glass cools quickly and becomes both brittle and unworkable, needing to be re-heated multiple times. Blues music was the perfect background.

On the way home, we stopped at Whole Foods and acquired some cheeses and ground bison. Taking full advantage of the day, we loaded up the Weber with charcoal and created a cheese plate upon which to nosh, complete with apple, nuts, quince paste, honey comb, and the two cheeses, a truffled sheep’s cheese and a nutty gruyere. We sipped white sangria flavored with peach schnapps and honey whiskey as the briquettes ashed over.

The bison was flavored simply with garlic, salt, pepper, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce. We laid the patties over the hottest part of the charcoal while, back in the kitchen, we cut thick slices of fresh hot house tomatoes and sprinkled them with a little kosher salt. We shredded cabbage and carrot, adding lemon pepper, rice wine vinegar, salt, lemon, sriracha, and a little soy sauce to create an Asian inspired slaw. Keeping to that flavor profile, we sautéed some onions in a little bacon fat and soy sauce to top the burgers.

For the first time this year, we sat outside on the tiny patch of grass behind my apartment, lounging in the sun, the remainder of the charcoal smoke occasionally wafting over us. The meal was not fancy or complicated. There were no foodgasms or explosions of flavor, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to have a shared day of relaxation and leisure, and in that we succeeded in spades.