A Rocky Mother's Day

My grandfather's birthday was Mother's Day. We were all going to gather to celebrate this last birthday with him. He surprised us by not showing up for the event himself. The phone rang at 11 the night before the party with the news.

We all decided to gather anyway. I needed that time, I think we all did. Part of the time was spent looking at old photographs and laughing at the memories that go with each. One image was of a trip to Colorado on which my grandmother filled the trunk of the car up with rocks for her garden. Apparently, this is a hereditary trait. When I was little, I would collect rocks and fill up my dresser drawer with the "collection."

So, after a long weekend, and a trying drive back, I took the Kiddo to the park for some time to run and play. We came home with about 10 pebbles that she had to collect. I saved them. On the dresser.

My mother's day present is in the photo here. My spouse bought it for me before the weekend. What a strange life it is, that, even in the rockiest moments, there is humor and continuity. There is the realization that all things are connected; be it life and death, the generations of our families that continue throughout, or just a weird thing for rocks.

It seems so tiny, this life. Just like one of the Kiddo's pebbles. And yet, what is a pebble but rock? Small, yes, but the very same as the greatest of mountains. We are all One.

I struggle with this. I have faith in that One, but I'm human. Resting in my shade garden, evening sun on his peaceful countenance, the Buddha Rock smiles at me and waits for me to understand.

Happy Mother's Day.

Mother's Day Breakfast

If I were to get breakfast made just for me on Mother's Day ... oh, the possibilities. Just one more reason to teach your kids to cook young.

Shirred Eggs
Orange Brioche French Toast with Bananas Foster and Coconut
Breakfast Panini

Or perhaps, Bryant Terry's Soul Food Brunch?

Hell, I'll settle for scrambled eggs and an extra half hour of sleep.

A Long Goodbye, A Lot of Questions, A Bit of Laughter

Posts have been light lately. I've been missing this, the sites I visit, all of you. I've just hit a lull in my energy. Maybe, a wall.

Definitely, it's been a struggle to write about food amidst the global crisis. I feel a bit of guilt putting recipes out there, posting on the many choices I have. There is that.

There is some personal stuff, too.

My grandfather has been fighting to come back from a broken hip at age 90. On my last visit, I was pretty sure that was it. He was barely conscious. I fed him thickened water with a spoon to try and get something in. He tried to talk, but couldn't. At one point, he grabbed my hand and pulled hard. I was not sure if he needed to move himself, or if he was pulling me to him. I just held his hand and touched his forehead. I shouted, "I love you" a couple times while he was awake. Then, the next pain pill came, and he was drifting off.

A lot goes through my mind at this point. There is the little girl in me who loved climbing on his lap, this loving grandfather. The time he took me on my first fishing trip. The way we used to sneak the last sip of his warm beer when we thought he wasn't looking. How he taught us to "cheat" our grandmother at cards.

One night, when staying over at their house, I heard my grandmother exclaim, "Dammit, Paul!" and heard a huge thump, then laughter. Grandpa had, uh, "pooted" as our Kiddo says, in bed, then pulled the covers over her head. She kicked him out, literally.

I thought about him being my last tie to the past, to my father and grandmother who are both gone. Two people who loved unconditionally and with their entire souls. About how small my family is becoming. How much I regret the times I did not call, did not visit. The better days that we did not share. The difficult days we did.

I also stared hard at the reality of 90. My grandfather was not much older than I am now when I was born. If genetics were kind, and I am lucky, I have still have less than 50 years ahead. What have I done with my life? Have I been of value? Have I made a difference?

I think I just need a few more evenings running and laughing in the yard with the Kiddo. Nights like tonight. Each minute I fall deeper in love with my child. The questions I can't answer fade away. All I can hear is her giggling.

Maybe that's answer enough.

Honey and Vinegar

We had a play date over a couple weeks ago. Let's just say, the other kid was having a rough night. As I went to serve dinner, he screamed "No! I don't want that!" at me, and growled. The rest of the evening went about the same. I felt really bad for his mom. Having a run through the Terrible Threes is no picnic, much less a peaceful weeknight dinner.

When it was inevitably time for time out, the kid would not go. To up the ante, the mom's tactic was to put a bit of vinegar on her finger and give him a taste. I guess like soap, but without all the chemicals? I dunno. This is the point where I had a quiet chuckle, "Ah, that would so not work around here." I thought.

Around here, the Kiddo will darn near drink any kind of vinegar. I blame it on that whole theory that kids like what they get exposed to in utero. I ate salad with balsamic vinaigrette nearly every day.

When I put this recipe together, my helper was in the kitchen with me. She likes to use the whisk to emulsify the dressing. Once she stuck a finger in and found out it was lemon, vinegar, and honey, it was all I could to keep her from drinking the stuff.

The rest of the ingredients are a great way to use the arugula, herbs and spring onions that are fresh right now. In late summer, the cukes and tomatoes will be available locally as well.

Lemony Couscous Salad
Dressing
2 large lemons, juice plus the zest from one of them
2 tbs. honey
1 tbs. white balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Salad
1 lb. grape tomatoes
1 large cucumber, seeded, and diced
2 spring onions, white parts and 1-inch of green parts, sliced
2 cups, packed, arugula leaves
1/4 cup basil, chopped
1 tbs. mint, chopped
2 cups couscous, prepared
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the salad ingredients together, pour on the dressing. Lightly toss ingredients again. Chill and let the flavors marry at least two hours before serving.

Well, At Least He Managed to Unite the Parties

Nothing like a Bushism to bring together disagreeing political parties in India.

"At a time when millions of people in India are unable to get enough food to eat and suffer from malnutrition, Bush’s insensible remarks about India’s prosperity affecting global food prices are adding insult to injury," CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said.

Ouch. Somebody get W. out of the kitchen, huh? The remark blamed India and China partially for the increase in food prices since these countries have gained a bit of prosperity and now have diets that include a bit more meat, meat that requires the same grain to produce as ethanol. The biggest culprit in the crisis is likely fuel costs, but I doubt our president will want to bring up that issue.

So, imagine if you were poor, and worked your way up a bit. What's the first thing you would upgrade in your life? Food? Nutrition? Absolutely. Is there an issue with providing a "Western" diet for the whole world? Absolutely. We eat way too much, and way too much of the wrong things. But to deny a nation's right to improved food (when your whole country is in an obesity crisis), well, them's fighting words.

No big shock, the online Indian newspaper had "Americans Eat Five Times More Than India Per Capita" as a related headline. Good point, guys.

It would have been far better to acknowledge the need for us all, on this shared planet, to figure out how to solve the food issue together. But then, it was just another Bushism, after all.

NYC Passes Calorie Count Law, Plus Other News

New York City today passed a health code provision which requires restaurants that have at least 15 establishments nationwide post caloric information on menus and menu boards in the same font and format used to display the name or price of the menu item. Kudos to you, NYC. And thanks again for the trans fat ban.

In other news, the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production calls for urgent and major reform of confined animal operations.

“One of the most serious unintended consequences of industrial food animal production is the growing public health threat of these types of facilities,” the report said. “There is increasing urgency to chart a new course” in agriculture, which has been shifting over the last 50 years from family farms to large livestock meat producers.”

Details on study findings here.

Say WHAT?!

Among the legendary White House myths such as Al Gore inventing the internet, now we can add a new one: President Bush creating "Buy Local." Or, at least taking ownership of the concept in his speech today on the economy and food and fuel prices. He also tossed off that he proposed this measure to Congress, and they have not responded yet.

Frankly, given my own state's reps and their advocacy of big subsidies for big ag, I wouldn't hold my breath on a huge buy local push. As for Bush putting forth a proposal for us all to buy local, the farm bill as it is proposed offers little support for non-commodity crops like fruits and vegetables, even with the subsidy revisions.

Regardless of what the president says, buying local isn't something we have to wait for Congress to legislate, it is something we as consumers have a right to choose despite the failed farm bill reforms. It is now, and has been for several years now, a consumer-driven grassroots movement.

I have to admit, though, the headline on that one almost got me. The president with the worst environmental record in history, George W. Bush, promoting local food. It was like an April Fool's day post, just nearly a month late.

Putting the comment back into context, however, you can see how little our president understands the farm bill and issues surrounding buying local. In that same response to the question on ethanol and food prices, Bush advocates increasing production of ethanol as a solution to fuel costs, then he tosses out eating local as a solution to food prices. See below:

"Actually, I have a little different take: I thought it was 85 percent of the world's food prices are caused by weather, increased demand and energy prices -- just the cost of growing product -- and that 15 percent has been caused by ethanol, the arrival of ethanol.

By the way, the high price of gasoline is going to spur more investment in ethanol as an alternative to gasoline. And the truth of the matter is it's in our national interests that our farmers grow energy, as opposed to us purchasing energy from parts of the world that are unstable or may not like us.

In terms of the international situation, we are deeply concerned about food prices here at home and we're deeply concerned about people who don't have food abroad. In other words, scarcity is of concern to us. Last year we were very generous in our food donations, and this year we'll be generous as well. As a matter of fact, we just released about $200 million out of the Emerson Trust as part of a ongoing effort to address scarcity.

One thing I think that would be -- I know would be very creative policy is if we -- is if we would buy food from local farmers as a way to help deal with scarcity, but also as a way to put in place an infrastructure so that nations can be self-sustaining and self-supporting. It's a proposal I put forth that Congress hasn't responded to yet, and I sincerely hope they do."

Um. If more and more farmland gets diverted to commodity crops for ethanol production, how are we going to provide food for the world AND have land left for local farms? If just fifteen percent of the food price issues were caused by using farmland for ethanol, how is using more farmland for ethanol going to be part of the solution? Not to mention the massive input of fossil-fuel based fertilizers that are used to grow that commodity crop conventionally. Or, the fact that current demand for local food may become greater than what can be supplied with only four percent of our nation's farms growing fruits and vegetables.

I'm not going to touch the one on why certain nations may not like us. Or drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

There are more holes in this logic than a block of Swiss cheese. So, it was not April Fool's. Just another fool in April. On the chance that this "new" buying local concept of our president's may sour you on the idea, please just keep buying local, it's your movement. Your choice. Your actions that are real here.

As for President Bush's new "green" image? Nice tie, I mean, nice try.

When Urban and Agriculture Collide

This land all used to be farms, in just a few short years, it is now enveloped by McMansions and strip mall after strip mall. It seems surreal to see the massive subdivision as a backdrop to the horses and other farm animals.

The unstoppable sprawl is now absorbing 15 square miles south, without allowing the town or residents there a voice or choice.

How do you get local food when there are no local farms? What a waste.