MLK Symposium

“America is at it’s best when times are the worst,” actor Louis Gossett, Jr. told the audience, referring to the aftermath of 9/11 and Katrina. “But when it’s done, we go home and close the doors. We have to learn to keep the doors open in our hearts and minds.”

“It’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day every day, 24/7, for the rest of time.”The Button, her dad, and I were in the second row at Hill Auditorium this morning for the opening lecture of the University’s 22nd Annual MLK Symposium. Though calling it a “lecture” was a bit of a stretch. On stepping up to the lectern, Mr. Gossett admitted that he hadn’t brought a speech or any notes. “If I don’t know what to say by now…” he said, shrugging.

And at first, it was a bit like watching your dad ramble off track during the toast at your sister’s wedding. The award-winning actor was all over the map. But he ultimately found his path.Mr. Gossett told the audience of about 1,000 people about growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s and 1950s, when the strong matriarchal influence–starting with his great-grandmother –provided the “connective tissue” that passed on values and strength to the children.

He also explained how he and other children benefited from being taught by educators fleeing the Black List in New York City, as well as sharing classes with the children of those men and women. Today, Mr. Gossett said, many of those children have grown up to be leaders in society. How did you do it? he asked. “We learned it’s a sin not to dream,” a friend explained.

Clearly wishing to underscore the parallel to Dr. King’s most inspiring speech, this brought Mr. Gossett to his main point. “Teaching in the home is not happening!” he exclaimed. “Where do our young men learn that it’s okay to have babies with different women, or to ‘cap’ someone?” he asked, “they don’t pick that up all by themselves!”

“Grandmothers. Family. Men. They all should be teaching a values system in the home,” he said. “We need to take responsibility for our own.” And we need to be teaching our children that it’s a sin not to dream.Mr. Gossett closed his talk with the Prayer of St. Francis for peace (view clip). “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace…that where there are shadows, I may bring light.”

“Martin Luther King had a dream, and we must keep the dream alive,” Mr. Gossett concluded. “and remember, it is more than Dr. Martin Luther King’s day, or Black History month. It’s a 365 day, 24/7 job!”

The Cheese Whisperer

“You’ve got to let the milk tell you what it wants,” we were told. “When making cheese, you can’t speed it up, and you can’t slow it down.”

That’s what cheese expert Simone Jenkins explained to the twelve folks participating in the “Introduction to Cheese” class at Morgan & York on a recent cold Tuesday night. Only Simone wasn’t exactly whispering. Actually, she was talking rather loudly and animatedly in an adorable Australian accent. So imagine the Cheese Whisperer meets the Crocodile Hunter, and you'll have a better picture.
Morgan & York specializes in “farmhouse,” or “artisan,” cheeses and Simone was looking to spread the gospel. To start, we learned that the three most important elements in cheese making are the land, the animals, and the craft. I was intrigued by the animals. “Where are all the goats that produce the goat cheese we eat?” I asked, perplexed. We see cows everywhere, but it’s not like you drive down the road and see herds of goats that often. Simone explained that it doesn’t take many goats to produce the cheese, and that goat farming tends to occur more in the west. And the east part of the country is known for sheeps’s milk cheese.

We also spent quite a bit of time discussing the craft, particularly how cheese is made in the farmhouse (farmer makes the cheese from milk from his own cows) and cooperative (cheesemaker makes the product from milk delivered by farmers) traditions. But, it’s always the slightly gross stuff that’s most intriguing. For instance, “How do you know if it’s good mold or bad mold on the cheese?” a fellow student asked. Simone explained that molds in the green, blue, and slightly mauve shades are okay to eat, while pink and orange are bad. And, she added “if you see mold in the shape of a fingerprint, that’s bad news.” No kidding.
Basic background covered, we turned to the twelve little samples of cheese Simone had laid out for each of us. We started with fairly mild, soft cheeses and progressed until closing the evening with some fairly stinky (but yummy) examples of the cheesemakers’ craft. The fresh ricotta ($8/lb) from S Serra Cheese in Clinton Township was revelatory– sweet and buttery, it didn’t taste anything like the stuff I bought at the grocery the last time I made lasagna. The Jasper Hill Cabot Cheddar ($30/lb) had a wonderfully layered, full flavor. And we learned about that little crystally, crunchiness you sometimes encounter in such cheeses. I happen to like that texture, but I’ve never been sure if it’s in fact considered a good thing. It turns out that those little crunchies are crystallized amino acids, and they're an indication that the cheese has been aged for at least a year.

My favorite cheese of the evening was a Tomme de Savoie ($18/lb). It’s “semi-firm” which means new enough to still be slightly soft, but not quite as gooey as a brie. This cheese had the most fantastic mouthfeel! It was like biting into the perfect summer cantaloupe, only the flavors that sprang into your mouth were nutty, buttery, and earthy.

We wrapped up with the Colston Bassett Stilton ($28/lb) and the Roquefort Carles ($36/lb). Blue cheeses like these are created when the wheels of cheese are pierced with needles to allow the mold to grow inside. With the Roquefort, the mold is introduced from old rye bread. Simone told us that Monsieur Carles is the only cheese producer in France who still actually uses bread loaves to introduce the mold to his cheese, rather than a commercially produced, powdered mold product. I liked the Stilton well enough, easily imagining it gracing the top of a lovely strip steak. But, with apologies to M. Carles, the Roquefort was honestly just a bit too strong for my taste.

Speaking of mold, have you ever wondered if you’re supposed to eat the moldy rind on the outside of the cheese? According to Simone, in the cities of France they’d be quite distressed if you ate the rind. But for the most part, it’s okay. Particularly with soft cheeses like brie. With the harder cheeses, Simone pointed out that you really “get the taste of the farm” in the rind. To me, that sounds suspiciously like a euphemism for “tastes like cow poop.” So I’ll just take the Cheese Whisperer’s word for it.

For more information about farmhouse cheeses go to the American Cheese Society. Or contact Simone Jenkins, the Cheese Whisperer, directly at simone@morganandyork.com.

The Un-Primary

A once-in-a-lifetime sight at Kerrytown this Saturday morning? Hopefully...

What a Great Time to Be a Democrat!

I have to admit I didn’t even pay attention to the Republican debate Saturday night. It was on in the background as I caught up on some reading, tho I did raise my head now and then to garner a few superficial impressions. For instance, while Fred Thompson may give great gravitas on “Law & Order,” the glaring lights of live TV are not his friends (especially in HD). John McCain is funny on "The Daily Show" and late-night TV, but he worries me in these “debates.” He’s like your uncle at Christmas dinner – funny and charming until he asks you when you’re going to lose a few pounds. And honestly, is there some way that we as a State can disown Mitt Romney? Ick.

Leading into the Democratic debate, George Stephanopolous pointed out that Clinton needs to “show some passion about the economy.” Unfortunately, ABC moderator Charlie Gibson didn’t give ANY of the candidates an opening on this topic. Come on Charlie, 20 minutes on nuclear terrorism? In New Hampshire?

For Once, Three Great–and Smart–Candidates

Like many women in my demographic, I’ve been struggling with my feelings for Hillary Clinton. The other night, a friend asked me “would you want to have a beer with her?” Well, to be honest, no. But the bigger issue is that, country-wide, she’s just too polarizing. Yes, Democrats are just pissed off enough that we could probably get her into office. But, then what?

At least a couple times a day, friends/acquaintances who should know better drop cheap-shot, political joke emails into my inbox. And Hillary Clinton is the butt of the majority of them. Some of them are out-right sexist, which of course makes me fume. But many have to do with her record, and her husband’s past. A commentator on “Meet the Press” this morning said that Clinton represents old-school politics. For non-Democrats who also want change, there’s just too much baggage in the Clinton camp, and that’s not what our country needs.

To quote The Daily Kos “the fact is, people want change, and there's really nothing she (Clinton) can do to present herself as a greater representative or symbol of change than either Barack Obama or John Edwards.” I couldn't agree more, and let me tell you, I love the message of change and the pure charisma of Barack Obama. I saw him in a restaurant in Washington DC last summer, and he was like a rock star. His victory speech after the Iowa caucus was a thing of beauty to behold. If I can’t in good conscience cast my ballot for the first female chief executive, I’d love to vote for the first African American president. So, if a year from now we’re referring to President-Elect Obama, you could count me a happy camper.

But…

John Edwards Understands "It's the Economy"

We all know charisma doesn’t necessarily equal substance. I’ve spent a bit of time noodling around the candidates’ websites, and John Edwards (and presumably his campaign manager David Bonior) has done his homework. Edwards’ plans have actual budget figures and deadlines. I’m not savvy enough to know if they are realistic, but heck, at least they tried to include hard numbers.

It’s not particularly sexy, but I like Edwards’ ideas for dealing with predatory mortgages and credit card companies, and for helping people build their savings and get low-cost emergency loans. And in particular, his health care plan, with its “Health Care Markets” concept, is innovative and makes sense (see Susan Blumenthal on The Huffington Post for a great comparison of the Democratic candidates’ health care plans). Make healthcare insurance REQUIRED, make it competitive, and make it standardized across the country.

Pundits call it his appeal populist, but I like that Edwards isn’t afraid to use the word “poverty,” and that he has a plan to cut it by one-third in 10 years. What does “populist” mean, anyway? Is populist the woman who skips getting her teeth cleaned this year because she lost her dental coverage? Is populist the guy who took a buyout, but isn’t sure what he’ll do when that money runs out? Is populist the family that’s paying two mortgages because they can’t sell their first house? When so many are just one life-changing event away from being unable to pay their bills, the term “populist” seems to apply to more people than it did even five years ago.

So run, John, run. I can’t vote for you on January 15 (thank you very much, Michigan Democratic Party and Democratic National Committee), but I’ll be “uncommitted” for ya.

It's the Economy, Stupid

Yesterday’s above-the-fold, front page headline in the Ann Arbor Snews screamed “Foreclosure Rate Jumps 90%.”

Every weekend I scan the real estate listings and am reminded of how the value of my home has shrunk (thank heavens–and the good sense lessons of my ex-husband–that I didn’t buy my townhouse last year with an ARM mortgage). I pay $300 a month for health care insurance. I drop probably $100 a week at Busch’s. Last night it cost me $40 to fill up the tank of my little car.

I had imagined the economy was a regionalized problem, that we here in Michigan are feeling the hurt the most and it’s not as big an issue in other parts of the country. But whether you’re living in Anchorage or Tampa, I think economic stresses are impacting everyone’s day-to-day lives. It’s our anxiety touchstone. At the close of last night’s facebook-sponsored debates in New Hampshire, a live poll asked facebook members which topic they wished the Democratic candidates had talked more about. 42%, the largest group, said they wished the candidates had talked more about the economy.

Yes, the war in Iraq and national security are still important. Yes, we’re still worried about healthcare and the environment. But nine months from now, as we enter the home stretch of the presidential election, the economy is going to be the top issue.

2-Bit Review: Mis Saigon

One or two visits. A few hundred words. Sometimes that’s all it takes.

In what is perhaps the space’s second or third incarnation, Mis Saigon is tucked in the corner of the strip mall at the intersection of Stone School and Ellsworth. We visit the tidy little Vietnamese/Chinese restaurant at least once a week, usually picking up an order to go.

Among the appetizers, The Button and I prefer the cream cheese puffs. They contain two of her favorite food groups– cheese and bread- in a perfectly serviceable Asian interpretation. I usually don’t order a soup, but the other day when the thermometer hit 20 I strayed and had the hot and sour. What surprise! It had just the right amount of bite, lots of chicken (not pork), tofu, and mushrooms, and didn’t have that oiliness that is too common at other restaurants.

Aficionados of Vietnamese food (which I am not) will probably be unsurprised that the Pho Ga (soup with chicken, photo left) is my favorite dish, and Mis Saigon's is outstanding. With Pho, the ingredients arrive in two separate dishes. The “dry” ingredients of rice noodles, chicken, fresh bean sprouts, onion, and basil in one large bowl, and the broth in another. Add the broth to the dry bowl, throw in a generous dash of chili and hoisin sauce along with a splash of fresh lemon, and you’ve got hundreds of years of Vietnamese comfort food in one dish. I kid you not, I have this wonderful meal at least once a week. My only caveat is that I would recommend you request a knife to slice the rice noodles into a more manageable length, otherwise they’re hard to wrangle and you splash soup everywhere.

The Button has been a vegetarian for almost two years, but we were able to convince her to concede to eating shellfish as a protein source. So we’ve ordered shrimp in just about every iteration you can imagine from half the restaurants in Ann Arbor. Her favorite meal from Mis Saigon is one of their Chinese dishes, the Shrimp with Garlic Sauce. Lots of plump shrimp in a spicy sauce, with the usual mix of vegetables like broccoli, baby corn, and water chestnuts.

Mis Saigon is a family operation. Mai and Thuy Le are the owners, their outgoing niece Trang often waits tables, and I think there are usually several family members back in the kitchen. One day I asked Mai about their most popular dish. “Definitely the Pho,” she told me, “but the noodles are really popular, too. Especially in the summer.” I’ve had the Bun Ga (noodles with chicken) before, and was a little underwhelmed, so I decided to give it another go and ordered the Bun Bo (noodles with beef, photo above right) with Lemon Grass. This dish was definitely a success. With a judicious splash of the vinegar sauce, I appreciated how the lettuce made it seem as though the meal wasn’t a total artery-clogging experience.

Over the course of our visits to Mis Saigon, we’ve gotten to know Mai (pictured below) and Trang a bit and always enjoy chatting, often catching up on school and the neighborhood activities. And one of my favorite customer service stories involves these friendly folks. A while back, Pepper was suffering from a bad cold. Too worn out to scare up dinner for her brood, she called Mis Saigon to order carry out. Mai recognized Pepper as a regular, could tell immediately that she was under the weather, and thus sent husband Thuy to deliver the order.

When was the last time you heard a story like that?

A Brouhaha New Year!

Midnight, New Year's Eve, in snowy downtown Ann Arbor.
Heather O'Neal and her companions arrive at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti after "trekking" along the Huron River from Ann Arbor. The hikers left Heather's house on the Old West Side at 5pm in the afternoon, and made it to Ypsi just as the snow started really coming down.
Candice and Rachel hoist rather large glasses during the festivities at Corner Brewery.A noisemaker at Corner Brewery...Chris Pawlicki, owner of Old Town, did NOT save a glass of champagne for me!Cheers to a great 2008 Ann Arbor, and Go Blue!