Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I have to admit, Barbara Kingsolver was one of my favorite authors for a long time, so when her most-recent book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle was loaned to me by an Epicurean co-worker, I dove in, ravenous for what she had to offer.
The premise of the book is a hot topic in today's' green-minded culture. Eat local, eat only what you can raise yourself or what's in season, and relish the treasures of your community. Kingsolver and her clan moved to the Southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains with the goal of raising her family on the fruits of the land. She is not a vegetarian and I cringed when I read the part about her raising her own turkeys for food, but I'm also inclined to doff my hat to her; that she can raise her own food and feed her family. She is adamant about the sources of other meats, insisting on locally, grass-fed varieties, so that's all I'm going to mention about the meat-eating, but still, her approach is a noble one, ensuring that at least the animals she does consume, led a decent life eating good food too!
I haven't finished the book yet, but I am already under the influence. For years I tried to eat locally, (I think it's called macro-biotic), and with the exception of bananas or citrus fruit, managed to subsist fairly well. Today, I know a lot more than I did then.
Now, when I go to Whole Foods, because the farmer's markets have ended for the year, I scan the tags looking for locally grown food. Tomatoes, forget about it. The closest tomato I can find is shipped from Florida. Luckily I still have some growing on my back porch, but I've harvested the last few before the frost and dread life without tomatoes. Avocados? Lettuce? It all comes from California, and this is Kingsolver's main contention. We've been spoiled by luxurious produce shipped from all over the world, oblivious as to what the cost on our environment is. I spotted these lovely oranges that looked great for juicing, bu when I saw they were from South Africa, I quietly passed them by. Kingsolver, equates calories with gas mileage, and in one instance, says that eating an apple from Washington State for someone on the East Coast is similar to driving 3 hours to walk 3 miles on a treadmill. Kind of counter-productive. In a time when global warming is directly linked to issues such as these, I want to take my part in this mission and try not to eat something, just because it's exotic, looks delicious or I need it for my recipe. Chances are that that red, delicious apple, might not taste as tasty as it looks. My boyfriend thinks I'm crazy, but I put my foot down at unnecessary items that have been shipped across the ocean.
For a raw foodist like myself, it is especially difficult. We subsist on nuts, that are primarily grown in places like Thailand, and while I grapple with that issue, I must remember to choose other items that haven't travelled as far for the rest of the meal.
Right now, I'm really digging squash, all types, simply steamed and topped with my own fresh-grown parsley. You can also make a nice squash mash, with steamed squash processed with olive oil and herbs. In the northeast, pickings are slim, but this is also the time of year when home-cooked foods, like root vegetables and onions can make a great meal. Stews really benefit from local produce. Can't live without that avocado? Well neither can I, but at least if we take small steps in passing by those delicious fruits from South Africa, we are making a difference.

XM/Sirius merger

In our household, XM is on all the time. Whether it's talk radio, classic blues, dance or new wave and everything in between. It has been approximately one day since the XM merger with Sirius became final. What do we get? Well, for XM users, we get a lesser quality of music. I'm lost, all the stations changed names and the music is not what I get with XM> So, while Sirius users are reveling in all their music glory. I am cringing every other song, saying Fred would never play this.

One step forward, two steps back

Proposition 2 was a victory for farm animals. The day after the election, when I learned that Californians had voted for more humane farming techniques, I wasn't surprised, but I was pleased. I know how long it had taken PETA to convince KFC to stop debeaking their birds, and while some don't see it as a victory, baby steps, all the way. Nothing gets done over night, especially the big battle with corporate, greedy farmers who do see animals as dollar signs and not as sentient beings.
However, one week after Prop 2, the Supreme Court has ruled against the welfare of whales in the name of national security. The US Navy uses sonar off the coast of California to train their recruits and insist that sonar is a vital part of the training. You know, just in case Russia decided to invade us with submarines. Sonar is said to be damaging to whales, causing disorientation and other catastrophic effects.
So whales, our vital marine life mammals, who are slowly going extinct thanks to global warming and illegal fishing, have lost against the US Navy.

you can read an article about whales and sonar here, or just do a google search.

If you are interested in saving whales, think about joining an organization that makes that its mission. Click here for more details about volunteering to help bring attention to whales plight. It's a global problem and they were here before we were.

Coincidence? I think not.

This week, three major networks unveiled a similar type of comedy-news, each anchored by a prominent black comedian. Last week, if you recall, our country's first black president was also elected.
Was the media aware that Obama was to become our next president, or were they taking a gamble. Is making fun of black people more acceptable when a black person does it? Because, judging on what I've seen so far, that is exactly where they are taking this. Sometimes I really, truly believe that it is the media that runs this country.
CNN has the very un-funny D.L. Hughley anchoring, D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, and Bill Bellamy has a new show on BET. But the creme de la creme lies with the very talented David Alan Grier's new show Chocolate News.
I tried to watch DL Hughley last night, but it's a snoozer. He's never been very funny and I'm not sure what CNN is trying to do by hiring a half-rate comic to anchor a comedy show on a news channel. Perhaps they want a piece of the John Stewart pie. The only thing that kept me riveted to Hughley's show for the ten minutes I could last, was looking at his train-wreck of a face. DL Hugley has gotten some major face-work and has ended up looking like a cross between Diana Ross and a billy goat. You can plainly see the eye-tuck, the cheek implants and the botoxed forehead, so if you like looking at future disasters then this could be a very interesting show for you.
I probably won't give Bill Bellamy the time of day. I never watched any of those Rush Hour movies and don't think I would even get most of his references.
But David Alan Grier! I've been waiting for him to come out with his own show since the days of Living Color and finally it's has arrived. David Alan Grier's skits are so wrong they're right and I cannot tell you how hard I laughed during his latest post-election show. Highly recommended.
So that sums up the weekly review of all the recent 'news-comedy' shows that have emerged with the new president. Even if Barack doesn't take this country in a new direction, at least the media is attempting to do their part.

Whales back on top

Now that this whole election is over and the right man won, my efforts can be turned back to things that matter most. Whales!
Tune in tomorrow to Animal Planet's Whale Wars to watch American environmentalists battle those evil Japanese whalers.
Japan wants to turn whaling back into a successful, viable industry, while the rest of the world disagrees. (except for some backward countries like Iceland. Hey Iceland, maybe if you abandon your whaling, your economy might come back. Ain't karma a bitch?)
Whale Wars. watch it!

The Flight of the salmon

Attempting to leave town on Friday, the day of the Phillies parade, was much like a salmon swimming upstream, against the current. I felt I was battling ages and ages of tradition and at one point thought it would be easier just to join the revelling masses. However, much like a determined salmon, I got the hell out of Philadelphia, and after viewing the sea of Ugg-clad girls in sweatpants and Phillies gear with their drunkard loser boyfriends I couldn't have been happier with my decision to head upstream.
When they won the World Series, I was in my living room, alone, surrounded by the yelps of a million fans. Minutes later, Broad Street was flooded with hundreds of thousands of ignorant fans, looting stores and toppling shrubbery. Why the destruction, Philly fans? Is this the way you show love for your city and your team. I've never understood this whole sports thing. Why does one think that some guy who was not born in Philadelphia and is making millions more per year than most do in a lifetime, is doing this for them? But what I really don't understand is why they had to topple and uproot my favorite statue in the city, the man with the umbrella, and why they felt the need to loot businesses.
I'm not on board with this whole revelry, this spirit of destruction. But if there is one thing that will make the world notice Philadelphia, I guess this was it. Thanks a lot. The Phillies team may be world champions, but its fans are a whole bunch of losers.

Is she or isn't she?

As my partner cozied up in bed late last night, he whispered in my ear, "Jennifer Aniston is pregnant with John Mayer's baby!" My dreams were filled with thoughts of espionage and when I awoke the question still remained. Is Jennifer Ansiston finally going to be a mom? I trolled the scroll on CNN while watching the morning news, and searched People's daily headlines, but to no avail. Sure I found some unreliable sources that claimed it as fact, but until E news or People tells me so the question still remains: Is she or isn't she?