Some might wonder how I came up with the name of my blog, Butterfly Garden. There are several stories behind the naming, and the first goes back to my childhood when I was  called ‘Nabi‘  by my uncle. He had a difficulty pronouncing my Korean name correctly, so he chose to call me ‘Nabi’, which sounds quite close to my real name and means ‘butterfly’ in Korean. Coincidentally, I had a fascination with butterflies as a child and I always thought they were the most beautiful creatures on Earth, with their colourful patterns on the wings and the graceful flight  .

Another special memory with butterflies is associated with the book which I read as a teenager and I was deeply moved by. The translated short fiction- ‘Butterfly’ was the title, I think- is a narrative of a caterpillar who goes through hardship, self-doubt and endurance before finally transforming into a beautiful butterfly. Butterflies, unlike other insects, have unusually long larval life, and, looking back now, I might have empathised with the caterpillar on a cold, competitive journey in the pursuit of the beauty and dignity.  She gets pushed around, stood on, by the ruthless crowds of others pointlessly heading in the same direction, only repeating “They say there’s something up there, but I don’t know what.” What frightens and saddens her the most is finding herself doing the same as others, either consciously or unconsciously, but she never forgets what she wants – flying in freedom exhibiting the beauty of her wings.

Life is worth suffering as long as you believe that there is always something wonderful awaiting you at the end of the long, lonely journey.

The moment she takes flight into the sky with her long desired wings wide open, she realises what she’s admired and pursued all along has indeed been inside her, waiting for the right moment.

You see people who work around the clock, not even stopping for a fresh breath of air, only to get ahead of others but, sadly, to end up becoming like others. They make me think about the butterflies in the book and reflect on my own life. All I can do is to keep focusing on my true heart hoping that will lead me in the right direction, no matter how long the journey might take. Who knows? The longer the track, the more interesting things you might see along the way. I’ve never liked the idea of short distance running, I’d rather run a marathon.

You too? If that’s the case,  here I will offer you a meal full of protein and energy, which will make you last until the end of your journey. This chickpea salad is so quick n easy to make – as long as you’ve got dried chickpeas soaked overnight, boiled and kept in the fridge, ready to be thrown into any kind of salad mix you fancy at the time- or just keep some cans of chickpeas handy. Since I’m trying to go off canned food since I’ve got more time on hand, I bought bags of beans and chickpeas last week. So I’m afraid that I might need to warn you about lots of upcoming photos with beans and peas. *WARNING – Stay away from this blog if you have an aversion to protein rich food*

Chickpea Salad with Grape tomato and Capsicum

For the salad:

1.5  cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked for 20-30 mins
1 capsicum, 1 red onion, 1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced
some grape or cherry tomatoes
parsley, coarsely chopped
some iceberg lettuce

*I added some of Borlotti beans on a whim. Try a variety of beans!

For the dressing:

1 garlic, minced
1 Tbs olive oil
1-2 tsp sesame oil – add 1 Tbs of tahini if available
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to season

This may or may not serve 2 big eaters as a main, but will definatelybe enought for 4 average people as a side salad.