u/Jumpy_Variation_8191

sat down to watch it with low expectations. thought it was going to be one of those documentaries that tells you exactly what it thinks and then shows you evidence that agrees with that thought. that is basically what happened. my roommate said everyone who watches this already decided what they think before the credits roll and i thought she was being cynical but she is not. everyone already knows. we know orcas are too big and too smart and too wild to be kept in a tank. the movie does not convince you of anything. it just gives you the facts and lets you sit with how sad and obvious all of it is. the part where the trainer talks about how the orca bumped into her on purpose. that was the moment. not because it was shoking but because it confirmed something i already felt. we should not be keeping those animals. everybody knows that. the documentary just makes you admit it out loud. i sat in the dark after it ended and did not move for like ten minutes. my roommate asked if i wanted popcorn and i said no because i was still thinking. she said everybody always says that and they they get up and eat chips anyway. she was right about that too. i got the chips and she was right about most things.

my aunt brought a tray to dinner and i did not know what it was. just looked like bread, a flat bread. i bit into it and something changed in my brain. the outside was crispy and the inside was like a pillow. then there was the olive oil and the salt. i did not ecen like olives before this. i do not know if that counts as growth. i asked my aunt how she made it and she said "oh you just throw things together and let the oven do the work." she was not being dramatic, she was being calm, like it was nothing. i have been thinking about that bread every single day since. went to the store and bought olive oil and rosemary and a sheet pan. attempted it myself, it was not bad, not great either. but the attempt alone was worth it because now i know what i am chasing. my aunt made it look easy and i think that is the most dangerous thing a cook can do. you make it look easy and now everyone else has a problem. i have a problem. i want a focaccia every night. i want it for breakfast. i told my coworker about it and she said "save your bread talk for someone who cares" i care. the bread cares and nobody is listening to the bread.