I recently watched Trần Anh Hùng’s French film “The Taste of Things,” and could feel, with each slow camera pan, something shifting within me. As someone who says the word “deadline” a hundred times a week, this historical drama about love, food and freedom stopped me in my tracks.
It’s a sumptuous work, filmed almost entirely without music. Instead, the sounds of country living are the score: shoes clicking across a kitchen floor, roosters crowing outdoors, the sizzle of ingredients on the cusp of becoming something unforgettable.
Watching the film while eating a simple breakfast, I was reminded of how attention — an increasingly endangered resource — can turn even modest moments into something vivid.
I carried that thought with me on a short walk, where a pink flower was a delight to behold in the crisp December air. A palm tree I’ve photographed in every season for 10 years rose behind it like a steadfast companion. A cat rested in the grass at “The Cat Lady House,” studying me with passing interest.
In the next block, a squirrel and I played hide-and-seek around a tree trunk until he bounded upward, claws skimming the bark, a sound I felt as much as heard. To pull my olfactory senses into this morning field trip, I tore a tiny sprig of rosemary from an abundant bush, rubbing its oils between my fingers, then bringing it to my nose for a deep inhale of its piney scent.
These minutes of sensory engagement — inspired by the film — left me thinking about this new year that stretches before us: How can we bring more presence, depth and savor in a time that often feels fraught and fragmented?
That question whispers throughout this issue. In Michele’s piece on healing waters — hot springs, cold plunges, Korean day spas, sensory-deprivation tanks — we are reminded of the restorative power of water. Nina’s home reset feature invites us to reenvision our homes as spaces of calm and clarity. Esther’s health fads vs. facts story helps us sift truth from noise. Our spotlight on Pecan Amor demonstrates how a recipe can carry love and lineage.
My chat with Fox 11 meteorologist Star Harvey (a former L.A. Parent intern!) traces how childhood curiosity, shaped by a grandmother’s attention to the sky, becomes a life path. And our date-night recommendations, winter events and family travel piece all circle back to intentional connection.
All of us at L.A. Parent wish you and your family a Happy New Year. Let’s not let the year rush by without tasting its days a little more fully. We may not be able to slow down time…
But we can take delicious detours.
