The millisecond that The Wedding Singer clicks into focus on the television screen, something magical happens to me. It can be a terrible day, a stressful day, or a sick day, but within seconds of seeing Adam Sandler’s mullet, I'm 16 years old again. The number of movies I have memorized is small (50 First Dates, Bridesmaids, and, inexplicably, Terms of Endearment) but The Wedding Singer is perhaps the only one where I have reasonably thought, "I could perform this entire film from start to finish, on my own." On multiple occasions while alone in the house, I think I tried.
I'm a creature of repetition when it comes to entertainment: Law and Order: SVU marathons drift by on lazy Saturday afternoons, The Big Bang Theory episodes stream at night, and certain 80s alternative bands, particularly those sounding like they have marbles in their mouths, play relentlessly in my earbuds. In all the hours I've spent re-consuming movies, shows, books, and songs, I could have learned a real skill, like playing an instrument or speaking several languages. Instead, I've perfected fake skills, like performing an uncanny impersonation of Kristin Wiig’s psychotic airplane meltdown.
Going back to the same pop-culture fare for seconds, thirds, and thirtieths isn't so abnormal. If anything, my re-consumption habits are tame compared to some of you, who have read Harry Potter more than 10 times, watched Star Wars more than 100 times, and spent more of your waking life with Friends than your actual family. Musicologists estimate that for every hour of music-listening in the typical person's lifetime, 54 minutes are spent with songs we've already heard. Forget the next big thing. We're all suckers for the last big thing. Come On Eileen, I know you are a sucker, too.
Pop culture is a relentless machine of newness and manufactured surprise. We queue around the block for new comic-book-movie installments and crash HBO’s season finales. And yet, I have spent 100 hours of my life watching a movie I could perform verbatim in my living room.
Why do we spend so much time with stories whose endings we already know? The question has entranced philosophers, anthropologists, economists, and psychologists for centuries. "That which is repeated has been, otherwise it could not be repeated, but the very fact that it has been makes the repetition into something new,” wrote Kierkegaard (whom I have not read). But every time I watch Drew Barrymore kid around with Adam Sandler in the limo timing scene, I am reminded life is short. Do what you like and eat the cake. Even if it is someone else’s imaginary wedding cake.
My Big Fat Greek Meatballs With Homemade Tzatziki
INGREDIENTS
For the Meatballs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground lamb, ground beef, or chicken
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 yellow onion, grated
- 1 lemon zested
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
- Kosher salt and cracked pepper
- Garnish with Quinoa Tabbouleh, pickled red onions, feta cheese, chickpeas or hummus, and fresh dill
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- 2 cups grated cucumber (from about 1 medium 10-ounce cucumber, no need to peel or seed the cucumber first, grate on the large holes of your box grater)
- 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and/or dill
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Add the lamb, onion, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, dill, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to a bowl. Coat your hands with a bit of olive oil, and roll the meat into 2 tablespoon size balls (will make 10-12 meatballs), placing them on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the meatballs are crisp or cooked through on the inside.
- While the meatballs are cooking, make the tzatziki sauce.
For the Tzatziki Sauce
- Working with one big handful at a time, lightly squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl, and repeat with the remaining cucumber.
- Add the yogurt, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to the bowl, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and add additional chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, and/or salt, if necessary (I thought this batch was just right as-is).
- Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later. Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.
