“How the virus and sequestration taught me something new, something positive!”
Sun City resident Doug Lytton says, “If there’s anything we’ve learned in the past year, the number one most important thing in life is good health. Without it, we can’t live the lives we want. So, with that thought in mind, this quasi house arrest we’re in offers a silver lining—if we want to find it.”
In addition to good health, Doug has also chosen to focus on the importance of having a group of people he considers family and friends. “We are all faced with the risk of contracting COVID-19 if and when the economy opens up again. We senior folks, I am 78, are the vulnerable demographic, but we must also be able to live our lives too.”
His question, in these later times, is how to spend precious days most effectively—in quarantine or setting sails for Madagascar? “We sure don’t need to be fearful creatures, right? I’m gonna tell you a story about my cast iron skillet. Like me, it’s old too.”
My wife Terry inherited the black skillet from her mother, who lived to be age 87. Terry’s mom inherited it from Mimi, Terry’s grandmother, who lived to age 89. Terry inherited it about 12 years ago, when her mother passed away. So it has to be over 100 or, probably, even older.
The old skillet means something to me. In fact, until recently, I’d never cooked with one in my life. I thought they were dangerous, and thought it too complicated to properly refurbish the thing with salt. You’re probably asking, who cares? Okay, here’s the thing—certain foods taste better when cooked in the black skillet.
Six months ago I weighed 221 pounds. Maybe you couldn’t say I was obese, but no matter how politically correct you say it, I was a fat pig. But, this is me (photo right) after six months of cooking with the skillet.
Doug has two skillets now and does about 90 percent of his cooking in them. He swears by them for better cooking because they heat so evenly, which allows food to have consistent texture and temperature.
OLD AND NEW LIFE
Doug says his daughter inspired his skillet-love, after she lost 75 pounds, and changed her outlook, through diet and exercise. After talking with Adrienne, he took a look at his Sun City lifestyle and how he had time-traveled back to high school; going to parties all the time, with no mom and dad telling him what to do.
After six years of fun, sun, and partying, I grew tired of it. My goal now, since COVID-19, is to be healthy and feel good. Losing 50 pounds and converting adipose blubber into muscle is a long journey. But, six months in—that’s not so long—I can see and feel the progress. It feels good. So, the skillet has helped me stay on track. Many veggies have met their fate in the black skillet!
Doug hopes that, perhaps, the legacy of better eating habits, exercise, and appreciation for what we do have; family and friends, has demonstrated to everyone about how precious life is. He has lost friends over the past year and truly believes good health means so much more in a COVID-19 world.
“Whether or not the old skillet actually makes a difference to me is moot—it represents a better way of preparing food. Bon apetit! So, with health as the main focus, my attention is now looking through the lens of our garden.” As such, he has given himself a new title; Grounds Keeper for Dougie’s Meditation Garden on Cowan Creek.
If you’re now thinking about giving your iron skillet a try, see some of Doug’s recipes in our Food column.