Grace Holleman

Over the past week or so, with a stomach full of warm dread and a numb mind, I’ve looked several times at a photo on my phone from the night of November 8, 2016: Three friends and I pose, smiling (it was early in the night) somewhere in the middle of a Westin in downtown Denver, the site of several Democratic watch parties.

The Zoom call—an excuse to drink and laugh and talk after a day stuffed with online seminars—ends for me at 9 p.m. My friends have work tomorrow, or school, and it’s two hours later for them. I have school too, but nine feels early. I wander downstairs, break squares from one of the chocolate bars my mom keeps in the back of a kitchen cupboard, and take a short walk through my dark neighborhood, searching for signs of stars behind a curtain of haze.

Welcome to The Eye’s quarantine cookbook! In this collection of recipes, memories, and stories, staff members of The Eye have contributed dishes that they have been enjoying during the quarantine. These recipes not only result in tasty meals and treats, but also hold special meaning to each staffer. We hope these recipes below will speak to you and bring you comfort during these uncertain times.

Like light on the Hudson River, John Jay Dining Hall changes throughout the day. Subtle shifts create distinct moods. There’s the 9 a.m. tranquility of a weekday morning, the buzz of lunchtime activity, the strange experience of a 4 p.m. post-class snack break, and the heart-pounding anxiety of navigating crowds for dinner during a theme night. Over the course of its 11 and a half hours of operation, John Jay oscillates between extremities of peace and chaos.

Sometimes, jostled by the 1 train, I miss driving. Colorado is a wide and open land; jagged, regal mountains spill into yellow plains under the expansive sky. Interstate 70 scrapes the side of Denver and curves westward to become a heavily trafficked, occasionally perilous mountain corridor. Its long tunnels, steep grades, and packs of long-haul trucks make me break out in hives, particularly in rain or snow.

Dear readers,

Dear readers,

After long days, I recommend long walks.

What followed wasn’t a punchline but a 28-page report.