When the going gets tough we must troubleshoot. Hello everybody and welcome to my new post, this time about the best three things I learned to do last year during lockdown.
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” (attributed to Joseph P. Kennedy)
I don’t know about you, but when they ordered that fucking lockdown last year, just because of a flu, my whole plan for the next five years almost fell apart. I was angry and depressed, I couldn’t get out of my neighborhood, everything was closed and you couldn’t go anywhere without wearing an annoying face mask.
It made me think of how weak we have become in this delicate 21st century. Our ancestors would laugh at us and at the same time they would feel really disappointed.
I couldn’t buy the things I needed for the things I like to do and I also couldn0t buy bread. 24 hours locked inside a room really took its toll on many people’s sanity. But, luckily, I had the internet and I took it as a challenge to learn something ne every now and then.
The three things I listed here are the most important of all of those I learned, I share it with you right now.
Let’s begin:
1-A Staple-Free Booklet
Verba volant, scripta manent is a Latin proverb and when literally translated, it means "spoken words fly away, written words remain". I like to take notes when I’m studying on line and last year, during lockdown, I couldn’t buy a notebook because everything was closed. So I had to make my own booklet to take notes, I’m learning French on line and with several of these I could continue taking notes.
You will need:
-3 (or 4) sheets of white paper.
-1 pair of scissors.
-1 pen.
Optional:
-Ruler.
-Construction paper.
-Glue.
Watch the video that helped me with this:
How To Make A Staple-Free Booklet
The lady on the video put a cover to the booklet, but you can skip that part.
2-An Envelope (Out of One Piece of Paper)
I like to keep the receipts of my purchases for a while in the case something strange happens. And with just one sheet of paper you can make an envelope the way people used to make them in ancient times. Back in those days letters had to be folded into envelopes because paper was really expensive and wasn’t easily available.
All you need:
-1 sheet of white paper.
Watch the video that taught me how to do it:
How to Fold a Regency Letter
There are three ways to make and envelope, but just stick to the first one; is the easiest and the most elegant of the three.
3-Flatbread
Bread is the most essential food for men since time immemorial. If you study History, you will find out that all cultures around the world had had their own form of bread. Bread is the indisputable king of the table. In ancient Egypt it was the women who were in charge of making bread by crushing the grains of wheat to make the flour. It was thanks to the Egyptians that the Greek learned how to make bread and it was the Greek who told the Romans how to make it. According to Pliny the Elder, the legends point at Demeter as the goddess of cereals and the inventor of bread.
It has been estimated that the human body can survive up to 25 years with just water and bread. If you live in a place where bread and wheat flour are easily available be grateful for it; in many parts of the world, especially in Sub-Saharan places wheat bread is a luxury. During the 1980s famine in Ethiopia, it was only the rich who could buy bread. Think of the civil war in Yemen or the crisis in Afghanistan right now, there is no bread in there, or the long queues in places like Cuba and Venezuela to buy bread and flour just a few years ago. No man is so rich or so poor that cannot live without bread.
Ok, enough.
What you’ll need:
-All-purpose flour.
-Corn starch or flour.
-Water.
-Salt.
-A bowl.
-A rolling pin.
-A pan.
Watch this video from Chef John of Food Wishes. Enjoy!
Homemade Flatbread in Minutes - How to Make the World's Oldest Bread
It is the same recipe and procedure that has been in use for thousands and thousands of years. And you don’t need yeast.
(All images are via Pixabay)
So, what do you think? Did you learn to do something new in an easy and cheap way during the boring lockdown? If so, share it in the comment section below; you can also include a link or video too. Feel free to release your inner McGiver and troubleshoot your problems.
This is my second lifestyle post of this year, check the first one here:
@thereadingman/3-things-every-man-must
Thank you for stopping by, share this post and don’t forget to upvote!
Until next time.
Take care.
Orlando.