Please don’t stop the music

and a recipe for healthy longevity noodles

If music be the food of love, play on.

—Twelfth Night, Act One, Scene 1, William Shakespeare

We just bought our first television after 33 years of marriage.

That may serve to underscore the importance of music in our lives. While we are great lovers of entertainment of all sorts, from compelling television to movies ranging from classics and sci-fi, to dramas, horror and “art house”, our love of music makes everything else pale in comparison.

I’ve never considered music to be wallpaper, part of the background of my consciousness. Instead, whatever is playing creates a duality in my mind, giving the task at hand a richness and depth that raises everything from chopping onions to doing the laundry to a different level.

Ask me who my favourite musical artist is, or composer, or song, and I will flounder. The choice too vast, the possibilities too endless. Yet ask me to play something to soothe my spirit, and the options become clearer: it might be Ella or Dinah, perhaps Stacey Kent or Diane Tell. Even better, Fred Astaire.

While Astaire is perhaps mostly famously known as a dancer and choreographer of elegance, effortlessness, impeccable timing and intense precision, what I love best is his beautiful light-as-air tenor. His singing is characterized by the same impeccable timing, combined with crystal-clear diction and distinctive, expressive interpretation, as captivating as his dance moves.

Don’t believe me? Just listen to this version of Dancing in the Dark, written for Astaire in 1931. No, not that Dancing in the Dark, by Bruce Springsteen but the wonderful standard written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz.

Still, both songs figure on the playlist of my life, the playlist that is a constant work in progress.

My Desert Island Discs

Do you know BBC Radio 4’s iconic program Desert Island Discs? The radio show, debuting in 1942, has a simple and intriguing premise. Each week a guest, affectionately termed a "castaway," is invited to select eight audio recordings, a book, and a single item they would choose to take if they were stranded on a desert island. What makes the program special is its ability to weave individual narratives with musical choices, offering a unique window into the lives and preferences of its guests.

With nearly 4,000 episodes to date, the format allows for rich variety. Previous castaways have included everyone from Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen Hawking, Maya Angelou, and J.K. Rowling, to Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela and David Beckham. Best of all, you can go back into the catalogue and listen to episodes from the very beginning.

It’s inspired me to rename my Tidal playlist from “Liz’s Favs” to “Desert Island Discs”. Currently 439 songs strong and counting (that’s 29 hours of playing time), it’s truly a time capsule of my life, reflecting myriad ages and stages.

Name an artist and chances are good they’re on the list, while all the genre boxes are ticked off. A random look at the first 20 songs are a reflection of that. When you can go from Elvis Costello, Britney Spears, Seal and OutKast to the Beach Boys, Adriano Celentano, Bobby Darrin and Green Day, you know a party’s about to happen.

Keeping it fresh

Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.

—Leonard Bernstein

Of course all of us have the soundtrack of our lives. I’m not alone in the experience of a single song being able to bring me back to a place and time as clearly as if I were transported there by a time machine.

Yet the beauty of music is both its familiarity and also its dissonance. As an article from Johns Hopkins Medicine put it, “New music challenges the brain in a way that old music doesn’t. It might not feel pleasurable at first, but that unfamiliarity forces the brain to struggle to understand the new sound.”

Without kids of our own to keep introducing those new tracks, we work especially hard to challenge our prerecorded soundtrack. Live music is a wonderful way to dive deep and discover something fresh. From the classical next wave of violinist Ray Chen and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason to alternative “pop” artists Leon Bridges, John Batiste and Alison Russell, we’ve been filling our dance card with exciting shows. That doesn’t make seeing Duran Duran and Chic or watching 74-year-old Bonnie Raitt rock it with her Grammy Award-winning song of the year Made Up Mind any less thrilling.

Shakespeare had it right. Music is indeed the food of love. It’s sustenance I’ll happily dine on for a lifetime.

PS. I’d love to know what you’re listening to these days. Leave a comment below and share your favourites, old and new!

Longevity noodles

The Splendid Table

serves 4

Is the true test of great music its future “listenability”? Perhaps. But I rather think that’s its more about the emotional connection, the where and when of our love for a piece that gives it resonance and staying power.

While you’re mulling over your favourites, try this longevity noodle recipe. It’s made lighter and gluten free by using shirataki noodles, also called konjac noodles. It’s sure to stand the test of time in your repertoire.

Note: Made from the konjac yam, konjac noodles are a simple, almost translucent noodle that takes on the flavour of whatever they’re paired with. Best of all they’re naturally low carb, gluten free and are ready to eat from the package.

Look for these noodles in either the refrigerated section or your grocery store or for a shelf staple version. Be sure to rinse them well before using.

Regarding rice wine or sherry, I have had great success with sherry. Use whatever is at hand.

Ingredients

1¾ cups (400 grams) shirataki (konjac) noodles (see Note)

2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil

1 pound (450 gr) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into ¼-inch-thick bite-sized slices

2 tablespoon finely shredded ginger, divided

1 fat garlic clove, minced

½ cup finely sliced scallions, green and white parts, plus more for garnish

2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry (see Note)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground white pepper

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

6 cups thinly sliced Napa or Savoy cabbage (about 10 ounces)

6 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced (about 9 ounces)

Sesame seeds for garnish, optional

1. Put the noodles into a colander and rinse several times with cold water. Drain the noodles, shaking well to remove excess water. Put the noodles in a bowl, add the sesame oil and toss until well combined. Set aside.

2. Put 1 tablespoon ginger, 2 teaspoons rice wine, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the chicken slices and stir until the chicken is coated with the marinade. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl combine the remaining 2 tablespoons rice wine or sherry, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Set aside.

4. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large skillet over medium high heat for a few seconds. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil, add the red pepper flakes and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the remaining tablespoon ginger, the garlic and the scallions and stir fry, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant. Be careful not to let the garlic brown.

5. Carefully add the chicken pieces, including any marinade left in the bowl, and spread evenly in one layer in the pan. Cook undisturbed 1 minute, letting the chicken begin to sear. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes more or until the chicken begins to brown.

6. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for 2 or 3 minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften and release their liquid. Add the cabbage and continue cooking over medium high heat until the cabbage is just wilted and the chicken is cooked through.

7. Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil into the pan. Add the noodles and soy sauce mixture and stir-fry, mixing to incorporate the noodles throughly with the chicken and vegetables and stir gently until the noodles are heated through.

8. Before serving sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds if desired.