This year’s Christmas dinner was homey and low-key. Everyone came together and cooked, and everyone felt a sigh of relief that we were making a no-fuss but excellent meal. This dish was surprisingly outstanding. By that I mean the recipe was of Indian roots, was repurposed and gussied up by a Californian and presented as a “holiday” dish, and turned out a flavorful and prosperous union of two different cultures. Not an uncommon find in this household, but still happily surprising.

Coleslaw’s revival has been sudden and powerful. The sugary, gelatinous mess handed to you in styrofoam at KFC, slopped on paper plates at picnic tables as a “veggie” to accompany BBQ, or found in metal containers at buffets all over the US is now being challenged by the flavorful variety of homemade recipes in kitchens and restaurants alike. Join us. Take back coleslaw. Dare to eat it in the fall, or even the winter (ooooooo). If you’ve already mastered your own, send me links.