an important question: annie balto

founder of eat nour

an important question will be an on-going series of asking the questions that get to the heart of it all. this series is inspired by durga chew bose’s interview, time will tell, with dev hynes where her honest and candid questions touch on the small moments of being human that we all share. i was incredibly touched by people’s responses to these very personal questions and i hope you find something in these questions and answers that make you feel less alone, inspired and comforted that gently, we exist.

---

annie balto is the founder of nour, a salad dressing that is much more than just salad dressing. annie has created a product that not only encourages us to eat well but also celebrates the privilege we have of enjoying nourishing and delicious food with our loved ones. i love the energy that annie exudes; it’s bright and pure and there is something so authentic about how she lives her life that i can’t help but admire and adore it all.

you can find annie here and here.

---

when was the last time you fell asleep easily? last night actually. my circadian rhythm and i have fallen into quite a tango together. we’re in a very good place. i have gotten pretty clear on what i need to do on a daily and weekly basis to allow for a smooth transition into slumber and most importantly, to stay in slumber.

what makes your home feel like your home? my yellow painting, i love staring at it and seeing the different tones of yellow pop off the wall depending on what type of light is hitting it. my favorite is when the golden hour light pours in and the room glows. lately I’ve been burning a lot of aesop sarashina aromatique incense. it’s been a really nice ritual if i’m working from home or getting ready for bed, i love an invitation to feel hugged and wrapped up by the scent of the air.

what word do you find powerful or meaningful? nourishment and euphoria.

when was the last time you felt bliss? floating in the ocean with the sun on my face.

if you could say anything to anyone right now, what would it be? you’re exactly where you are suppose to be. try not to fight it (“it” being life). move with the wave, not against it. life unveils itself to you in mysterious ways if you listen.

what is something you wish younger you understood? listen to your body. trust yourself. your gut is your most tuned in brain.

what song plays inside your head when you’re feeling down? anything by billie eilish

the last stranger that made you smile? someone who smiled at me on a walk, so i smiled back

if you could go back in time, would you? maybe but just to sneak a few minutes of floating in the mediterranean sea

savor kindness because cruelty is always possible later, yes or no? YES! savor every kind moment in this life.

the pursuit of true love is never exhausting, yes or no? oh the duality. love is wonderful and it’s all we have, but it can also be exhausting. love can be work, and confronting parts of you that you may have never explored before.

pain is a signal, yes or no? yes i like to think of pain in two categories, soft pain and hard pain.

soft pain is the type of pain that comes from doing something painful that you know is ultimately good for your long-term joy and wellbeing. ie: sitting in a cold plunge or breaking up with someone you love because you know you both need to grow independently outside of the relationship.

hard pain is just all around hard with little to no light. it’s painful and there’s no positive spin to it. think of unexpected death or terminal illness regarding someone you love. it’s just hard and painful. life is full of both and there are lessons and signals weaved into all of it.

if you could have one smell on your hands forever, what would it be and why?

wow, this is such an interesting question and i’m finding it so hard to answer. it’s like asking what color i would like to see the world in if i could only choose one. i guess intuitively the last and only thing i would never get sick of smelling over and over again would be fresh air. specifically the crisp morning air in a forest or by the ocean. something that smells like that.

what is art? anything that you want it to be. anything you find beautiful or inspirational. anything that reminds you that you’re a spiritual being having a human experience.

how do you celebrate your birthday? i prefer to wake up in a place where i don’t know anyone, and i like there to be the least amount of pressure and expectations possible, i like to keep it simple. this last year i was in los alamos with two of my best friends. it was the day after New Years Day and pretty much everything was closed and it kind of forced us to have a slow day and i really liked that. simple and full of sunshine.

heartbreak or loss smells like: a rotting vacant grave of emptiness and nothingness of what used to be..sour and sweet

childhood smells like: warm brownies, breakfast egg sandwiches, the plastic of barbies and old paper smell from vhs covers

what did you hate most as a child? being a child and not feeling like i had control or autonomy. isn’t it quite odd to think that we had to ask permission to use the bathroom to relieve ourselves from age 5 to 18 (kindergarten to senior year, that’s 13 years of our life).

if you had a child, what would you want them to know? everyday you have the option to start over.

what dish would you make for someone you care for?

for breakfast: shakshuka. that’s a very personal dish from a specific time in my life.

for lunch: a big ass salad with steak or chicken tossed with a bunch of fresh herbs, vegetables, pan toasted nuts and seeds, and tossed in my salad dressing.

for dinner: anything in the new kismet cookbook.

what article of clothing feels most like you? my butter yellow asics sneakers.

if you could speak to your 15-year-old self, what would you say? life is going to get better, you will find all of the answers you’re searching for through the people you meet, the experiences you have, and your inner knowing. it’s not going to be easy but you are going to perceiver and every year your destiny will become more clear to you. you are loved and you will love yourself more than ever. love is going to be all around you.

what’s an act of humanity you witnessed that made you feel something?

i didn’t technically witness this, but my family has been going through a hard year and my dad told me he was crying and a stranger came up to him and hugged him. it made me feel emotional since i wasn’t able to give him a hug.

what age do you never want to be again? however old i was yesterday. life is tiring lol, no looking back now. i’m currently working with my therapist on trying to release the amount of energy i give to the past and focusing on giving my energy to the now and what is possible for the future.

what color describes you? yellow and orange!

what color describes your first love? dark blue.

what do you miss?

i miss the feeling of falling asleep in someone’s arms.

i miss the dog days.

i miss the feeling of being a child with no responsibilities from june - end of august.

i miss the amount of collagen my body used to produce when i notice a new grey hair on my head.

i miss being in love.

i miss having less responsibility.

i miss the parkways in minneapolis.

i miss new york.

i miss the mediterranean sea.

i miss speaking multiple languages.

sometimes i miss the old me who was a bit more naive. i want to hang out with her and ask her a few questions.

i miss ignorance and bliss.

what is your favorite part of loving someone? seeing life through their eyes. that’s so intimate and magical, when someone lets you in. you learn so much. i love that, and its such an honor.

what is the most important thing life has taught you? stay curious and never stop playing.

what life do you hope parallel-life you is living? living in sardinia along the mediterranean water, she wakes up and has a really slow life and no grey hairs. she ages like fine wine because her only task of the day is to garden and harvest vegetables and fruits for her town. she has just the right amount of cortisol in her body, not too little not too much. she is looked after and looks after others. she floats in the sea every day and has freckles from her eyes to her toes. she’s sun kissed every day of the year and knows just how lucky she is. she feels so lucky to be with someone who embraces her every being, she said this life is kismet. she’s been waiting for it. she paints and cooks and listens to music her partner plays. they live in a cottage surrounded by nature, but their friends are over often and the house is full of energy and candlelight.

what is a miracle? something that happens only to people who believe in it. something unexpected and inexplainable. something illogical and magical. something that can never be replicated. something that happens when you least expect it.

what reminds you that you are human? when i walk outside and really take a moment to breathe with the sun. when my body lays down on the floor. when my feet are in the sand. when someone is lashing out at me. when someone i love gives me a big hug. when a stranger is kind to me. when a stranger gives me a compliment. when i get over my .0005 nano second fear of giving a stranger a compliment. when i overcome my fears and hug myself. when i see elderly people holding hands. when i talk to myself like someone i love.

what feels freeing to you? not concerning myself with others opinions. self validation. going to yoga. feeling strong in my body. learning something new. driving on the road with no one else in sight.

in what ways have you become more loving? having more room for self compassion, its allowed me to create more space for compassion for others. i believe compassion is the opposite of ego, so releasing the ego brain and getting into my body is a daily practice and consciousness.

is there a song i should listen to today? show me love by hundred waters

when sadness makes its presence known, how do you greet it? with soft eyes and an open heart. i like to visualize myself as an open vessel where any emotion or amount of information can greet me, but i am allowed to let it flow through and past me. i can send anything away on a little stream to float away (so i choose).

what do you see from your favorite window? the sun peering in with the breeze coming up from the ocean making the garden dance and twirl towards the golden light.

what did you learn from your grandmother? there is no room for resentment in this life. let everything pass through you if it does not uplift you. free yourself. i saw her do the opposite.

what’s an object you possess that is precious to you? my paintings and my blender.

how do you show your love? lots of kisses hugs and eye contact. lots of food, lots of “i got you this because it made me think of you”. lots of questions. as much humility and “i’m sorry”s as i can give.

what was the last wish you made? to wake up with an overwhelming sense of peace.

how do you know when you are in love? very hard to know what to say about this. have you ever felt drunk off someone’s energy? i’m sure that’s the hormones and oxytocin talking, but you look at them and you realize that you can’t imagine your life without them. it’s exhilarating, it’s magical, it's devastating, it’s brilliant. you feel honored and completely united, but horrified to think about if that feeling were to end. nothing else seems to matter when you are in the room with them. embracing them is like crashing into a wave and floating in a sea of honey. laughing with them is like wrapping yourself in a silk 1500 thread count sheet and sliding down a cloud of your favorite scent down rainbow road. staring at them sends shivers down your spine. kissing them feels like a dream you never want to wake up from. it’s very simple and pure. it’s extremely nuanced and complicated.

what do you find very overrated, in general? los angeles coffee shops that require me to wait in a line down the block

what are your favorite kind of gifts to give? and to receive? experiences always and forever

when was the last time you laughed so hard your stomach ached? the unsung hero of summer, your friend who has a pool. we were at my friend chloe’s house last night and we were in the pool for hours until 10 pm. we jumped back in after dinner. i felt like a child. i saw into my friends souls, as 8 year olds for the first time. anything serious didn’t exist for the night, only goofy energy and games you used to play. it was a lot of play, seeing who could hold their breath the longest, and underwater handstands. maybe a few rounds of chicken. just good clean silly fun.

biggest pet peeve. weak coffee and people who speak with little to no conviction.

what makes a perfect love song? a song that evokes a visceral reaction

what makes any day feel like a Saturday? driving with the windows down on a sunny day, feeling the sense of gravity push your hand back

what ice cream flavor makes you feel like a kid again? when i was a kid we lived super close to the best ice cream shop ever, ziggys. we would bike there often and i would get bubble gum ice cream or cotton candy ice cream. which now sounds so rogue.

if you could go back in time, what time would you revisit in your life? living in the middle east

where do you go from here? only up… i think i’m on an upward spiral towards magnificence…

finish this sentence: to be loved is __________. magical and euphoric. a gift to hold onto. never taken for granted.

after you answer these questions, what will you do today? go on a walk around the silverlake reservoir :)