Joy Is A Shapeshifter

It’s too hot and illness and chaos abounds. In these dark times, it’s important to remember what’s good.

When I’m feeling depressed, I like to make a list of things I’m thankful for. It seems like a simple lesson from an elementary school planner or maybe a therapist’s office, but it’s easy to sometimes lose track of the good things when the bad stuff gets overwhelming. Just mentally listing off a few things each day that I’m thankful for makes it easier to deal with these waves of bad news in the world. It doesn’t have to be anything particularly deep, as you’ll see below.

Joy is a shapeshifter that has no trouble fitting in the smallest and most unlikely places.

Oklahoma City's Pie Junkie makes some of the finest desserts in the Sooner State. Photo by Megan Rossman

Pie Junkie

If you’ve never eaten a slice from Pie Junkie, you must not be a big fan of pie. And even if you don’t consider yourself one, this Plaza District staple might convert you. Their tart cherry pie is, hands down, the best cherry pie I have ever eaten on this earth. The French Silk Pie—a layer of ganache topped with chocolate pastry cream and a layer of whipped cream and miniature chocolate chips—comes in as my second favorite. But with rotating flavors that include Thin Mint, pineapple millionaire, lemon cream, birthday cake, and Thunder pie, it’s hard to play favorites. I suggest you not limit yourself to one slice. Double fist those cream pies. Life is hard. You deserve it.

Tamashii Ramen House

This Japanese restaurant temporarily closed a few times after the pandemic began, and each time was tragic for me. The ramen here is excellent, but what really gets me is the chashudon. The rice bowl that stole my heart comes topped with a hearty helping of braised pork belly, green onions, and a proprietary blend of creamy sauce. I add pickled ginger and you should, too. Out of desperation, I tried preparing it myself one time, but it turns out that making pork belly taste good is not as easy as you might think. At some restaurants, pork belly comes out of the kitchen as bland blobs of fat, but at Tamashii it’s always thick, meaty, and flavorful. I go to the Tamashii in Midtown, but there’s a second location in Edmond, too. If you’re going for a ramen and you want to get real decadent with the meat, I suggest getting Tonkotsu ramen and adding spicy pork to it.

Jane's Delicatessen in Tulsa is a pickle lover's paradise. Photo by Lori Duckworth

Jane’s Delicatessen

I sometimes have trouble trying new restaurants in Tulsa because I always want to eat at Jane’s when I’m there. These people are serious about pickling and I am on board. To begin, you’ll want to try the pickle platter. It can easily feed four people, so be prepared. This beautiful array of fruits and vegetables includes tomatoes, blueberries, peaches, jalapenos, beets, and more. Along with the insanely good pastrami selections, my favorite sandwich is The Chas—turkey, bacon, provolone, spinach, apple butter, and garlic aioli on white bread. The crowning touch, however, is when I ask them to add pickled peaches to it. Shalom, shazam! Jane’s Delicatessen recently inspired me to make my own pickled peaches. If you’ve never had pickled peaches, you must change your ways. They’re good in rice bowls, sandwiches, on pancakes, or wherever else you toss them.

Days below 90 degrees

August is generally the most horrible month. I was not made for these hot days. I spend my summers hiding in the AC and escaping to pools when I can. I feel personally offended by the temperature when it starts creeping up, dramatically suffering like I’ve been dealt an unjust punishment from God. I do not care for it. So, when I wake up to cool, rainy days, or just any day when it doesn’t feel like someone’s aimed a giant hair dryer at Oklahoma, I am grateful. As September draws to a close, I’m in autumn celebration mode, ready to embrace the chill and wear pants again.

Managing Editor Karlie Ybarra as drawn by Megan Rossman.

Karlie Tipton Ybarra

Surprise, this one’s not a restaurant. I do care about some things that aren’t food. Karlie suggested I add her to this list. As one of our state’s great assets, she is indeed deserving. I have worked with her for ten (!) years now, and I don’t like to consider that someday we might not. We’ve laughed, cried, dined, complained, and had only a few heated exchanges in the years that we’ve been friends and colleagues. I aspire to be as thoughtful and focused as Karlie, but that probably won’t happen. The girl’s got moxie. Plus, she’s a fantastic gift giver, which is a quality I admire in those who give me gifts. Someday I may forgive her for clandestinely throwing away owl decor made out of moss and pine cones that I gave her for Christmas. I, apparently, am not the best gift giver. Even still, I do love my Karlie.

A surge of ants has Megan appreciating the joy of pesticides. Photo by Hans Braxmeier/Pixabay

Pesticides

I’ve never taken joy in killing things, but that’s starting to change. My house is situated on what appears to be an infinite kingdom of ants. Every year, toward the end of spring, I start seeing their tiny bodies traveling across my floor. One or two, here and there. And then several hundred, all at once. They bombard my kitchen, drawn to a forgotten cup of orange juice or they swarm the cat food bowl and there they remain for weeks to come as I rush out to buy Terro baits and create toxic cocktails of honey and boric acid. Hordes of bugs invoke a primal revulsion in me, and I see a lot of them in the warmer months in my historic hovel. The ants have been out of control this year, and I’ve been murderous, making threats against their queen as I set out poisons like some kind of Disney villain. As of this week, their numbers have trickled to just a few. I’m hoping that will last, because it’s starting to feel like an impossible battle.

Sunday Drives

Even at the height of physical distancing, I could always hop in my car and go for a drive to break up the monotony of home life. Cruising semi-rural highways near Oklahoma City, or wherever, is a relaxing change from city driving. After I’ve finished my Sunday errands, I sometimes like to drive around for a while, scoping out neighborhoods I’d like to live in. On my last drive, I saw a red fox jumping along a fenceline in Forest Park. It’s probably an ordinary, everyday occurrence around there, but it was pretty magical for me. I live in hope of seeing another fox on my next drive. It seems like a reasonable dream.

Written By

Megan Rossman

Megan Rossman is Oklahoma Today's photography editor.