Balance: thoughts and soup for convalescence
It is possible that I will continue writing in this blog at this point. Right now I am on a break from a masters program and have made the trek from Michigan to New Jersey. What else am I supposed to do here?
There have been so many internet explosions the past few days about gun control, school shootings, violence in the media, mental illness and journalism mishaps. I am aware that there is almost nothing I can contribute that is different or more accurate. But I do know that there is a failure in simplification. We believe that if we can find the origin of the problem, the reason for the outlier, then we can understand the incomprehensible. The origin does not exist, there is no objective reality here. This is not to say that we are incapable of understanding all of the different contexts contributing to the multifaceted reality of the Newtown shooting. Start thinking about tragedy in the context of capitalism and dare I say, the pathology of white masculinity. Start considering the possibility of multiple solutions to multiple problems. And if I hear one more person say that increased police presence in schools will deter mass shootings, I will vomit. Disaster can not again become the catalyst for more regulation of adolescence, criminalization and authoritarianism. I think we need to stop equating constitutional rights with the right to consume at will without regard (read: guns). Consumerism is not an inherent quality of humanity and I do not support your "right" to purchase weapons without regulation.
I appreciate one thing I have been seeing on the internet: that we need to let ourselves FEEL sadness, confusion, discomfort, etc. Instead of rationalizing it, justifying it with blame and faux-political discussion, why don't we let it flow over us and reveal how difficult it is to have an authentic, vulnerable experience of collective sadness. Then maybe we can lend those feelings of empathy to all of children who die every day as a result of gun violence and U.S. WAR.
Here is a recipe. The parsnip gives many nutrients: get your potassium, vitamin C, dietary fiber. But beware of it's protective leaves and shoots for they burn your skin on contact. Luckily, most people do not need to battle the natural chemical weapon in the fields, so we can just peel or not peel and reep the benefits.
Parsnips and Celeriac Soup for your State of Convalescence:
4 parsnips, peeled and chunked
1 bulb of celery root, peeled and chunked
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
earth balance
3/4 cup of white wine
2 bay leaves
sprig of thyme
4 cups of broth
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup of cashews soaked and blended into 1-2 cups of milk
1 Tb honey
salt to taste
pepper to garnish
Saute the onions with some salt in the earth balance until sweated. Add garlic, stir, immediately add wine. Cook off for 30 seconds and add roots. Stir and pour in the broth with the bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a low boil, sprinkle in the pinch of nutmeg and simmer for 20-30 minutes. remove bay leaves and thyme, blend. Add in blended cashew milk and heat through with the honey. Adjust seasoning. Serve with black pepper.
With Love and Respect,
jp
There have been so many internet explosions the past few days about gun control, school shootings, violence in the media, mental illness and journalism mishaps. I am aware that there is almost nothing I can contribute that is different or more accurate. But I do know that there is a failure in simplification. We believe that if we can find the origin of the problem, the reason for the outlier, then we can understand the incomprehensible. The origin does not exist, there is no objective reality here. This is not to say that we are incapable of understanding all of the different contexts contributing to the multifaceted reality of the Newtown shooting. Start thinking about tragedy in the context of capitalism and dare I say, the pathology of white masculinity. Start considering the possibility of multiple solutions to multiple problems. And if I hear one more person say that increased police presence in schools will deter mass shootings, I will vomit. Disaster can not again become the catalyst for more regulation of adolescence, criminalization and authoritarianism. I think we need to stop equating constitutional rights with the right to consume at will without regard (read: guns). Consumerism is not an inherent quality of humanity and I do not support your "right" to purchase weapons without regulation.
I appreciate one thing I have been seeing on the internet: that we need to let ourselves FEEL sadness, confusion, discomfort, etc. Instead of rationalizing it, justifying it with blame and faux-political discussion, why don't we let it flow over us and reveal how difficult it is to have an authentic, vulnerable experience of collective sadness. Then maybe we can lend those feelings of empathy to all of children who die every day as a result of gun violence and U.S. WAR.
Here is a recipe. The parsnip gives many nutrients: get your potassium, vitamin C, dietary fiber. But beware of it's protective leaves and shoots for they burn your skin on contact. Luckily, most people do not need to battle the natural chemical weapon in the fields, so we can just peel or not peel and reep the benefits.
Parsnips and Celeriac Soup for your State of Convalescence:
4 parsnips, peeled and chunked
1 bulb of celery root, peeled and chunked
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
earth balance
3/4 cup of white wine
2 bay leaves
sprig of thyme
4 cups of broth
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup of cashews soaked and blended into 1-2 cups of milk
1 Tb honey
salt to taste
pepper to garnish
Saute the onions with some salt in the earth balance until sweated. Add garlic, stir, immediately add wine. Cook off for 30 seconds and add roots. Stir and pour in the broth with the bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a low boil, sprinkle in the pinch of nutmeg and simmer for 20-30 minutes. remove bay leaves and thyme, blend. Add in blended cashew milk and heat through with the honey. Adjust seasoning. Serve with black pepper.
With Love and Respect,
jp
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