Emily’s Note

Emily Kane Miller served as Guest Editor of American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s August 2020 newsletter. This is her editorial note.

Music and food are like fraternal twins. Although different, they possess magical similarities. Each can transport, soothe, and provide a capsule to share love.

An avid home chef, BC (“Before COVID-19”), on Friday afternoons you could always find me rushing around the kitchen, hurrying to get everything on my slightly-too-ambitious menu made just in time before a house full of guests poured in around our Shabbat table. As a working mom, I have all sorts of “hacks”: Braised meat cooked the previous night, proofing challah dough to speed the rise, using quinoa because it’s faster than rice… I even played fast, loud pop music to keep the pace.

The pandemic has made life simpler and more overwhelming all at once.

Cooking is still the cornerstone of my week, but not at all like before. Less rushed, I’ve found myself selecting recipes that require more attention. Feeling cooped up, I’ve brought my family to faraway places through the flavors on our plates (see below for a list of our favorites).  Anxious, I’ve kneaded dough to get out my worries. As my internal metronome has slowed, my soundtrack has changed, too — Mozart, Debussy, and Tchaikovsky now keep me company in the kitchen.

While I pray the sadness, fear, and suffering will soon come to an end, I am already certain I will feel nostalgic for this slower pace. I find comfort in knowing that food and music will be there to transport me back.

I hope the culinary and musical gems in this month’s newsletter prove to be good medicine for you and the ones you love.

Take good care,

Emily

Emily Kane Miller is the Founder + CEO of Ethos Giving, a philanthropic services firm. She lives in Los Angeles with her three favorite taste testers (her husband and two kids).

Read more from the newsletter

• Emily Recommends
• Dining In with Tanya Zuckerbrot
• Breaking Bread with the Israel Phil’s Guy Eshed
• “My Dinky Kitchen”