It’s always good to question the culture we live in. Here’s a cultural critique.
My husband and I have noticed that for years now home builders have showcased homes with built-in bars, either on the main floor or in a finished basement. Also, furniture makers push “gathering height” tables and chairs in order to have “that bar experience at home.” Really?? Do I want to have a bar experience in my home? Yuck! Nauseating to even think about.
Furniture makers also feature beer can holders and even entire coolers built right into sofas and recliners. Open any Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel catalog and find entire furniture and serve ware sections devoted to storing liquor, serving liquor and drinking in general. What’s going on? Are furniture retailers getting kick-backs from liquor manufacturers?
Are Americans so unaware that they simply plop down in front of the TV, requiring beer (or even soda) at their fingertips? Or worse, entertaining guests as if they were in a bar? Wow. This is a desirable way to live?
I don’t have a problem with an occasional drink or serving a glass of wine with dinner. But I do question home furniture and entire rooms designed specifically around drinking.
The other day I noticed that there are a lot of places I don’t go to in the grocery store anymore. I don’t go down the bottled water aisle, for example. I haven’t been down the frozen food aisle for more than a decade now.
Making our own no-knead artisan bread and homemade pitas, we never have occasion to visit the bread aisle. Likewise, the bakery aisle is visited only on rare occasions. Bagels are an occasional treat.
Since we only purchase muesli, cut oats and kasha, the cereal aisle is a 30 second trip. About four years ago we stopped buying soda pop and snacks – so that aisle isn’t on my list anymore.
Basically we purchase fresh fruits & veggies, eggs and cheese, a little meat and fish, coffee and tea along with nuts, dried beans, spices, flour and some pasta. We try to cook with fresh ingredients almost every day.
In fact the cleaning aisle and paper products section only see limited visits from us these days. We use cloth. We clean with vinegar (makes a great dishwasher rinse agent) and baking soda most of the time. Lemon or lime juice is one of the strongest disinfectants you can use. After juicing one for a recipe rub it on cutting boards, sinks or knives.
Of course, none of these are absolutes. When a guest is coming who enjoys sparkling water I will purchase it. The same is true of crackers or other items. However, they are no longer a weekly item on my grocery list.
A couple of years ago my cousin and I purchased a soy milk machine. Now we make our own rich, creamy soy milk for pennies – and share the machine.
In the summer the farmer’s market gets most of our attention. Over time we continue to adjust and change what we purchase and how we cook.
All in all, it’s interesting to notice where I don’t go in the grocery store these days.
In the previous post I discussed how increased income disparity caused by the power of global multi-nationals is creating a world we do not want to live in.
But what can you and I do? We are not victims, nor are we uninvolved bystanders, we are participants. We are not powerless, we vote with our dollars, time and actions.
I promised you some suggestions. Here are ten for your consideration. If you are already doing some of these – yeah!!! If not, start now!
1. Social change starts inside. We can explore our own values. Know what they are and live in a way that brings integrity to the best within ourselves. Eliminate any violence (physical, mental, emotional, verbal) in your own life. Meditate. Reflect. Pray.
2. Education. We need to become educated regarding the real nature of poverty. Get your news from sources other than American news companies. Read how other countries perceive events in the world. (Jerusalem Post, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Der Spiegel).
3. Read. Read. Read. Most of what we need to know can’t be found on TV. TV is junk food for the mind. Read how U.S. policies have affected other countries. Books like Mark Kramer’s Dispossessed and Jeffrey Sach’s The End of Poverty provide a good foundation and a bibliography of other resources. Request that these books and others be available in your local library. Other books include The Blue Sweater, Three Cups of Tea and Half the Sky.
4. Volunteer and donate to non-profits such as Bread for the World or Mary’s Pence, working with networks of women to solve the problem of poverty – not just provide charity.
5. If your church or community offers mission trips to poverty stricken areas – go. Talk to those struggling with poverty. Listen and learn from them the problems they face every day for clean water, food, housing. We would not last a day in their world. Or arrange a dialogue with some of the working poor in your city through your church or community organization. Find out what life is like for many right in your own community.
6. Buy Fair Trade and local products whenever possible. Buy produce from your local Farmer’s Market. Know where the things you purchase come from and how those who make them are paid.
7. Learn how extreme weather caused by climate change particularly impacts the global south, the two thirds world – creating more poverty. Drive less. Carpool. Walk more. Use public transportation when you can. Consolidate your trips. Fly less often. Shop less. Consume less. Live more simply.
8. Work to end sexism, racism and “isms” of all kinds. Discrimination moves billions of dollars unfairly from one group to another. Begin with suggestions in a previous post here. In the Twin Cities we have an inter-faith discussion group. Join us or start one in your community. Learn about the different (“different” not worse) values and perceptions of other faith traditions. Hear others’ stories and share your own.
9. Become active in local politics. Meet with your local politicians. Participate with many others in “A Day on the Hill” – a joint religious advocacy gathering today at the State Capital. Or work with MICAH for affordable housing in your community. All change starts locally.
10. What else can we do?
The ability to develop deep relationships beyond our own family (clan, social class, nation) and connect with others who are different than ourselves is what it means to become truly human. This is compassion. This is what brings depth and meaning to life.
We are part of the human family and the web of creation. Just like with our own families – this family will not be healthy and whole until each member is healthy and whole.
This is not an easy task. Certainly it is not an instant or quick-fix task. But neither is it an impossible task. Rather, it takes education, listening, connecting and be willing to make different choices. Come with me on the journey!
When visiting Israel, I noticed that people in coffee shops and restaurants were tucking into big bowls of salad for breakfast. Could that be true? Yes! Israelis love salad for breakfast and they grow fabulous vegetables year ’round. So why not?
We try to do the same at our house too. DH cuts up more than a dozen vegies to create a colorful, flavorful salad that we keep in the fridge and use all week long. We use it as salad, to stuff in pitas, toss into soups and sprinkle into omelettes or frittatas. When it’s fresh, crunchy, already chopped and in a clear container on a shelf at “eye height” it’s much easier to remember to use it.
Photo A. Meshar
Here’s a good tip: if you store the salad in a large mixing bowl, place a tiny bowl or sauce dish upside down at the bottom. It will keep any juices away from the vegetables so they stay fresh longer.
Otherwise look for a plastic container with a grid on the bottom, for the same purpose.
Breakfast salad might be served with an egg (fried or boiled) placed on top. Often the salad is topped with a dollup of yogurt, feta cheese or fresh herbs. Pita or toast can be served on the side.
So tomorrow morning, consider a fresh, Israeli salad for breakfast along with your cup of coffee. Your mouth and body will thank you all day long.
Tonight we dined on a tagine dish delivered to us by our friend J. I believe her recipe had carrots, squash, caramelized onion, chick peas, raisins, clove, turmeric, cinnamon and preserved lemons. I added the rice and slice roasted chicken breast. The flavors are intense, rich, sublime – and delivered! What more can you ask? I am delighted that she made extra and took time to get it to us.
Tagine is an ancient Moroccan way of cooking using a clay pot. Placed in the oven with the food in the dish that forms the base, vegetables and meat come out tender, caramelized and very fragrant.
She also gave us a beautiful jar of preserved lemon (and recipes) during the holidays. I’m looking forward to making a tagine dish myself. Thanks J.!
