Let me re-direct you to my new food blog:
http://thinkingabouteatingplants.blogspot.com

Media analysis to follow!

MB

Maybe blogging and I don't get along well. I feel like this happens to the best of us. Blogging is hard, folks. I barely have enough time to sleep, let alone collect my thoughts OUTSIDE of class. Okay, that's not true. But sometimes writing them down is either a) incriminating or b) draining. The other day I decided that I spend an ungodly amount of time procrastinating in very unproductive ways. Mostly I sit around doing things that aren't homework and aren't hanging out with my friends/relaxing and hence, I am always thinking about work/being guilty that I'm not doing it even when I should be taking a (real) break. So, this has changed children. Though maybe not successfully yet as it is now Spring Break and I have yet to do anything but hike, get drunk in the middle of the day, BBQ, rock climb, and bake bread.

My roommate and I just watched Brazil which was a crazy-ass movie that I'm not sure I followed but mostly I learned that the world is ending because computers are tracking our every move and humans no longer know how to stop them!!!! OMG.

Also I can't stop listening to Tila Tequila or thinking about making this: http://www.noveleats.com/homemade-vegan-pizza or about going to Minneapolis on Tuesday.

Basically, sorry dudes. I have no intelligent thoughts. But I do have intelligent feelings. Or something like that? Who knows anymore.

So, it's been a while. Many apologies, blogger. You are feeling neglected, I understand--it's all my fault. I've been wrapped up in 3,000 little things and haven't had time to think let alone write. Ok that's not true. I've been watching a lot of Heroes and hence, all my free time is TV watching or girlfriend playing or octopus sugar stealing time. But! This morning my Smith class was canceled, little to my knowledge, and now I am sitting inside the empty classroom waiting until 11:50 so I can drive Smith Girl in My Hampshire Class to Hampshire. I've been making lots of mediocre breads and I'm dreaming of a pot pie for dinner.

What have you all been up to?

I have an interview with a gayyyyyy documentary production company on Friday and hopefully plans for Brooklyn for the summer. Something old, something new. My brain's been kinda fried lately from school and those instances when I'm sure my life is falling apart, only to find that I need to make muffins and it will be better.

I wanna talk about Heroes forever, but I think I'll formulate my thoughts more coherently and then spill them all. I've been writing blog posts (for class) about the displacement of race and surveillance, heteronormativity, and hyperreal scary things for white people over the past few weeks, so, soon! Expect a review of these past few seasons.

Maybe that's all! Ok but really, what are you guys up to? Share share.

More Sourdoughs

I have a weird feeling all over today, but I think I'm just sore from rock climbing/lifting yesterday and hungover. It's a bad combo. Plus I had tofu scramble for breakfast, which never sits well in my stomach. In any case! I have to get to work soon but I've been making so many sourdough things instead of homework.

I used a fairly simple recipe and made a sourdough pizza crust for my Cast Iron Deep Dish Pizza EXTRAVAGANZA.

Take 1/2 cup starter at 100% hydration, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup water, 1 tbsp olive oil and several pinches of salt, mix it all up and knead into a nice, soft doughy ball. Cover with cheese cloth and let rise for about an hour.

Meanwhile!
Saute mushrooms, garlic and kale in a small fry pan.

Also meanwhile!
Melt 1 tsp Earth Balance in the bottom of a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup soy milk and 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, stirring until well mixed. Toss in a tsp of flour, some salt and pepper and stir until thickened.

I just used a jar of marinara sauce that I had lying around (on sale for $1!), but usually I'll use a can of diced tomatoes, oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil to make a nice pizza sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Once the dough has sat out for about an hour, roll it out on a floured surface until it is about 10 inches in diameter. Oil your cast iron pan (edges and all!) and plop your dough into it, spreading the edges up the sides of the pan (to resemble a deep dish pizza).

Top with sauce, veggies and cheese sauce, baking for 20-25 minutes.

This was really incredible. The cheese sauce melted and got kinda brown, as did the kale and mushrooms.

Let it cool and then slide it out onto a cutting board. Serve to hungry people!

I'm also making bagels--however they won't be ready until tomorrow morning. More updates soon!

What's for dinner for you guys?

Some Thoughts on Inauguration Day

From A Forgetful Nation by Ali Behdad:

"The task of the national bard is to find consistencies and links between past, present, and future, perpetuating, like the myth of 'manifest destiny,' the nation's ritual of self-renewal that enables its forward move toward the future, a future that yields only new life and new forms to an ever-expanding nation. The past, like the symbolic dead in their coffins, only comes to life to be learned from, but the lesson that it offers is an idealist and monumentalizing vision that involves historical blindness, if not erasure. It is striking that immediately after the poet [Walt Whitman] 'learns the lesson' he is able to place 'himself where the future becomes the present.' History, in other words, is significant only to the extent that it enables self-renewal and patriotism. In such a monumentalizing mode of historiography, the violence of the past is to be forgotten through the nonviolent act of forgiveness." (83)

Thinking through national amnesia, patriotism (does the sight of an American flag make anyone else feel a little sick?), and self-renewal, as seen in Barack Obama's Inaugural speech. Full text below:

My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

9 Degrees and Still Fermenting!

Since it is abominably cold outside and I am still on Winter Break from school, I have been playing around with yeast. For some reason, it takes a particularly cold day to sit inside, kneading and waiting for items to rise. The other day, Nicole and I celebrated our Halfiversary and had dinner in Boston. On the way there we stopped at my dad's house, where I discovered an old book based upon the TV series CSI, which has been occupying my in-between risings time. I thought I wasn't going to get sucked in, but how wrong I was...

ANYWAY. I have lots of pictures and recipes to share!

Friday night I made pizza for Kelly and Nicole using my sourdough starter. I got overzealous/forgot to feed it more than an hour before using it, so it didn't get much of a rise but it made for excellent thin crust pizza.

We put it on the oven stone and got a really nice crunch. Topped with sauce made of diced tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, thyme, basil, green onions and nutritional yeast; caramelized onions, spinach, tomatoes and more nutritional yeast.

There were some big bubbles which means poor craftwomanship on my part, but they turned out delicious so it was fine.

Next I made Cinnamon Raisin Oat bread with the sourdough starter.

This is it all curled up in its bowl. NOM NOM. It took a while to get a good rise out of it, probably because the oatmeal made it very thick, but once it started it was really airy and delicious.

I let it rise overnight (the first two rises took about 5 hours and 2 hours each, respectively). I could have baked it after the second one, however it was nearing 2 am and I figured warm bread on a Sunday morning sounded better than staying up until 3 waiting around. This morning I woke up, popped it in the oven and prepped French toast makings.

I used a basic blended banana + soy milk + cinnamon recipe, dipping each slice generously in it and frying in a piping hot pan for about 5 minutes on each side. Serve with kiwi slices and syrup!

I could have eaten 19 more pieces.

Last night I also started making Raw Cashew Cheese. I soaked 1.5 cups of raw cashews in water, enough to cover them all in about 2 inches of water and let them soak for at least 2 hours. Once they're softened, drain them and put them in a food processor. Add 1/3 cup water, 4 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme to taste (so basically like 1/2 tsp of each, but I don't measure spices so...however much you want!), and lots of lime juice. Again, probably like 1 tsp. Blend that all up until it's very smooth, scraping the sides down every now and then. Scrape all this stuff into some cheese cloth and place in a colander over a large bowl. Let sit overnight, at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours at room temperature. It should smell cheesy and fermenty. Mine is still going, but it looks phenomenal. Put in the fridge for up to 5 days!

What have you guys been doing in the cold?

Personal Notes and Some Late Night CRT

I have done so many things and have not kept up with blogging about them! Let us begin:
Yesterday I hosted a [vegan] brunch party. (Side note: Whenever I'm conversing about things, say, margarine, I have to say vegan in front of it, even though the parties who I am speaking to know I am vegan. Or like cookie. Cookie is weirder. Why wouldn't I just say cookie? Discuss. We all do this.) It was very successful. I made tofu scramble, a nice salad with homemade Goddess dressing, assorted fresh fruits, tempeh bacon, banana and blueberry pancakes, and carrot-walnut-raisin muffins. We drank coffee, tea and mimosas and had lots of people in my cramped apartment. All in all, very warm in my belly.

Today my sister and I went on a hike in the Mt Holyoke mountain range and her leg popped out of its socket (or so she claims...), I drew a bit, read a lot and made my first successful sourdough bread. Two loaves, both mostly wheat with some white thrown in for good measure. Both delicious and from my starter! It's still alive and wants to make bread!

Later in this week, slam @ Hampshire, anniversary date with Nicole in Boston and Quiz Night, perhaps at WWII this week? Slam and trivia come on the same night, which is extremely upsetting. We must abandon Packards.

In other news, I am reading several phenomenal books and one bad one. I got a few from my dad for Christmas and have started reading Toni Morrison's newest novel, A Mercy; The Accidental American by Rinku Sen; and today dove into Ali Behdad's A Forgetful Nation, which is superb. It's slow reading, which is a nice change of pace from a fluff novel I am embarassed to name on the internet as it mostly has to do with a family of socialites who are really crazy and funny in their dysfunctional ways. I would still be reading it if it wasn't 600 pages and didn't get so boring after the first 100.

Behdad's analysis of Derrida's theories on hospitality is so interesting.

"The law of hospitality constitutes an aporia in which the claim of absolute hospitality--to offer to the other one's home and resources without taking anything in return--clashes with hospitality by right, that is, a more conditional form of hospitality in which the alien other is subjected to a broad range of immigration laws and forced to adhere to our cultural norms and social values. The relationship between the host and the guest, Derrida states, is paradoxical because it is governed by 'two regimes of a law of hospitality: the unconditional or hyperbolic on the one hand, and the conditional and juridico-political, even the ethical, on the other' (136-7). The incommersable difference between juridico-political laws of hospitality and the absolute law of unlimited hospitality renders the relationship between the host and the guest undecidable, making it constantly teeter between xenophilia and xenophobia, reception and rejection, inclusion and exclusion."
(Behdad, 14-15)

He essentially argues that these two discourses occur simultaneously about immigration in the U.S.: the invocation of being a "nation of immigrants" and a place of refuge for "your tired, your poor" belongs to the unconditional host. However, if you've ever had a house guest, you know you can say all you want about generosity, but what you really mean is: this is my house and we do things X,Y, and Z ways here. So the first discourse is invoked in order to fulfill an economic need (the influx of labor and population growth = good for the economy) while under the guise that it is in some humanitarian vein that we're having all these guests over. Of course, this allows for several things to happen. First and most detrimentally, it creates internal Others: constant "house guests" who, regardless of the status of their citizenship or "legality," are constantly thought of as marked transitory bodies who must adjust to the "American way of life." Secondly, this unquestioningly takes the melting pot model as law. This notion of hospitality means that Americans are being nice guys for letting immigrants come here, so you folks better learn the ropes around here and be grateful. This is complicated by this tension between "xenophilia and xenophobia" wherein policies are thrown on the table in Washington to grant amnesty and build walls along the Southern border at the same time. The American Project is highly dependent upon this relationship for economic and not humanitarian reasons. However, remind everyone of their great-great grandparents who took the boat over and were majestical heroes and you can't pull apart this fantasy tale of America as God's gift to the chosen, strong people--until of course, you expect that same narrative to apply to those who were empoverished by Great-Great Granddad. Now that's a different story.

It's a disgustingly true metaphor for how issues surrounding immigration are dealt with in this nation. Forgive my sarcasm. It is thinly veiled anger. Must keep reading..