So when I talk about love, I have to say I only have a platonic experience of it. So when I think back to my history of Valentines…well, it’s just a black hole of insignificant past. Except for one particular Valentines, which has bored a hole in my mind. No, no first kiss, or secret admirer, or blah blah blah anything juicy like that…but nevertheless, it does tie into the topic of Love.

It was February 14, 2001. Our family was having dinner together, and I was quarrelling with my mother over a teacher’s complaint that I never paid attention in class. I gave all sorts of excuses—the teacher is so boring, she slurs her words, I got the highest grade in class anyway so why does it matter, etc. I was so intent in winning my little argument with my mother that I never noticed the steam coming out of my dad’s ears. Until…

BAAM! My dad all of a sudden slammed his fist onto the dining table. He might have bellowed something at me, but I was too petrified to listen. I was more interested in the pot of miso soup, which he proceeded to pick up and smash the whole pot onto the middle of the table. The ceramic pot cracked and the broken pieces and soup splattered all over us and the wall.

Shocking, isn’t it. From all the posts I’ve done on my dad, this is a side of him that you’ve never seen before: his vicious temper and fits of violence. It’s like he’s a totally different person. And you know what? He was.

The man I call dad now is the gentlest, most loving, most sincerely compassionate man I know. Looking back, I’m always shocked by how a person can change so much. It’s not easy to quell that infamous Lee temper. I should know…because I have the same exact temper embedded in my character.

So what happened here? From my observances and experiences, that fiery temper within my dad has been tamed. It’s been subdued by the love of God. The more my dad felt and saw the evidences and warmth of God’s love, the more he enjoyed it. The more he enjoyed His love, the more he began to manifest His love. In other words, my dad has become the representation of God’s Love itself.

Base point: Love is certainly the most powerful and most miraculous and most beautiful thing on earth. It has the power to change people. It works miracles. And its beauty transcends all things…enough so that it can turn even an “ugly” person into a beautiful person.

They say a human’s basic survival needs is food, water, and shelter. But I think love should also be included as an essential necessity in one’s life.

I know the history of Valentines really started from the celebration of romantic love. I know that thousands of couples celebrate it with romantic dinners and chocolates and mushy cards. I also know that thousands more get depressed because they are single/divorced/bereaved. Thankfully, Valentines is just one single day. But love? It’s always there, all 365.25 days of the year.

Whether you have a significant other or not, there are myriads of ways to enjoy love. But I think the best example of someone who enjoys the highest level of love…is someone who shows love, is love. I had to use the example of my dad, because I’m not even close to that yet. For now, I’m still learning and discovering God’s love, which I’m slowly realizing to be infinite in all areas of my life.

Cook the onions, garlic, and mushrooms in the Ponzu soy sauce for about 1-2 minutes. Add in the wheat berries and bean sprouts. Pour in chicken broth until covered, and bring to a boil. Simmer until reduced, and keep adding more and stirring as you simmer.

Pour in desired amount of almond milk to give it some creaminess. Add the red lentils, and cook and stir while simmering until the mixture is sort of creamy and the grains are all cooked soft. Add more almond milk or chicken broth as necessary.

Reduce heat, stir in parmesan cheese, honey, miso paste, and crabmeat. Stir for a minute, and then pour into a serving dish over the roasted asparagus.

Top with green onions, nori, and soft-boiled egg. Drizzle with more Ponzu soy sauce if you want.

Miso or not, I was definitely salivating as I cooked this! It’s not exactly miso soup, but a hybrid of risotto…except I used wheat berries for the chewy texture, and I added the red lentils to thicken the mixture up.
The ingredients seem long, but I didn’t need to go out of my way to look for anything; I just used whatever is available in my pantry. That’s the beauty of this kind of recipe…you can tailor it to however you want!
I was going to have the asparagus on the side, but I thought it would be fun to pour the misotto over them.
For the asparagus, I just sprinkled salt and pepper over them, a drizzle of olive oil and Ponzu soy sauce, a sprinkle of lemon zest, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Roast them in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
I think asparagus season is here…because I got this at 97 cents/lb!
I don’t think anyone is surprised to see a runny egg on top,  is there?
I think the wheat berries ramped up the nutritional value and chew factor, but it really defied the original concept of a creamy, velvety risotto…oh well. I love chewy stuff! But I think it’s time to go look for real arborio rice.
Another way that would be really nice is a squeeze of orange juice with perhaps chickpeas…and arugula? Ideas are pouring!

And so are many more thoughts about love. Actually, I could talk on and on about love…it’s just such a deep and unlimited topic to think about, so I might even want to do a series on love…but being me, I assure you it won’t get too mushy.

Question of the day: So…I wanna hear some love stories from you! What is your idea of the greatest form of love? I would love to hear anything and everything you have to say about love!