#this is a Cole slaw appreciation post

[apnourry]

after craving pulled pork for a good 38 hours I uh just made some????bc apparently that's a thing you can do?????anyway 13/10 will do again

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to Throwback Thursday!

On this page, ‘Throwback Thursday’ is about memories. So, what do you remember? If I was to say the word SANDWICH, what immediately comes to mind?

I remember the first time I went to New York and enjoyed my first salt beef sandwich at a busy Manhattan delicatessen. There was a long queue of hungry workers waiting for their lunch and, behind the counter, the production line was hustling! Naturally, as an English kid, I’d been enjoying polite, bite-size, white bread sandwiches all my life, so I was not prepared for this! This was my first experience of American excess/generosity. Their portions are either big or VERY big! All I wanted was hot salt beef on rye bread but I literally could not get this thing in my mouth! I seem to remember a huge, pickled gherkin and a tub of cole slaw too! This was NOT a quick lunchtime sandwich; this was a huge plate of food! Ate as much of it as I could. Delicious but too much! They allowed me to take away the rest.

So, on this Throwback Thursday, what kind of memories does the word SANDWICH conjure up for you?

Many thanks to everyone that contributed to WEDNESDAY WORDS yesterday. There were some very cool submissions. I hope you enjoyed reading them. Words are beautiful, innit? We’ll definitely try it again next week.

My wife did something so brilliant the other day, I literally had to stop and appreciate her. We use A LOT of kitchen towel to dry our hands and we throw that kitchen towel in the bin. So, The Trouble had just finished frying some chicken, she didn’t want to throw the oil down the sink, and this is something we were talking about a few weeks ago. People throw their cooking oil down the sink and this contributes heavily to the HUGE ‘fatbergs’ that clog-up our sewers! My wife took used kitchen towel out of our bin, put it in the frying pan to soak up the oil and immediately put it back in the bin, thus recycling kitchen towel at the same time! Which meant, when she washed the frying pan, there was minimal oil on there. Common sense!

On Sunday night, I posted a quick TikTok video about Linda Lewis, how her death had saddened me, and how it reminded me of the very first British black music wave: The Real Thing, Billy Ocean, Delegation, Kandidate, Cymande, Osibisa, Heatwave etc. This is even before Robbie Vincent and Greg Edwards! And, then, last night, I got a chance to attend a private warm-up gig by former Central Line member Camelle Hinds, with help from former Direct Drive/First Light singer Derek Green, Light Of The World member Nat Augustin and former Brand New Heavies lead singer Jaye Ella-Ruth. Sometimes, I forget how good it is to be Lindsay Wesker. It was an absolute honour to be in a rehearsal room with such good musicians and singers. I was one of only six invited guests. If you’re going to see Imagination this Saturday at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, please make sure you get there early so you can see this band. They are superb! Hopefully, Boisdale will employ them soon? They would be perfect for the Margate Soul Festival and Soulstice!

Have a throbbing and thrusting Thursday (with hopefully a few thrills through your thoroughfare?) I love you all.

[resistancekitchen]

the brisket of belonging

This is a guest post from NB Talkendo, a title abstractor and sometime philosopher in Chicago. They can be found on twitter @talkendo.

I love coffee. My day doesn't feel like it's truly begun until I'm sitting with a cup of coffee and its warmth and bitter, lovely caffeine. It really does make everything better. That said, there is one task I will joyfully start before coffee: LIGHTING A DAMN FIRE. Not just any fire, tho. This sort of fire:

Smoking meat usually means I'm cooking for more than us. It means guests, it means gathering. And if, like today, it's a brisket? Well, that probably means a damn party. So it is 7:15 in the damn morning, I have the day off and I'm still already up and awake. Cuz I've got people coming and a brisket to cook.

Last night, before putting my son to bed, I pulled this behemoth (this one's nearly 15 pounds, half again as big as my usual brisket -- there will be leftovers) out of it's vacuum-sealed bag, cut it in half*, and coated it fairly liberally with my standard rub of half salt, half pepper (I should experiment, but I like only changing one thing at a time, today I'm trying a bit more heat than usual).

*Listen, I know this sounds like I'm a damn heathen, but this smoker doesn't have the diameter to hold a full brisket, and I have yet to find a good vertical rack for one. If you do, let me know.

It takes about 15 minutes for the coals to get going in the chimney starter and a good heat to start. Those get dumped in the fire box and some more charcoal added and a couple pieces of soaked wood. I'm using apple and cherry in combination, but you can use basically any hardwood for this. I get a lot of oak deadfall in my neighborhood and that has done some wonderful things to meat, but hickory or fruit woods or even mesquite could work. I use charcoal, but I hear fine things about propane and electric smokers too; I just love charcoal. Do you.

My uncle smoked a brisket for literally every family gathering I can remember until I moved to Chicago. I imagine he still does, but I don't get to many. When I was old enough to be left unsupervised with fire, I got to occasionally tend the smoker while he did whatever other errands he needed to (usually go get more beer; there was never enough beer, apparently). I learned a lot about heat, about meat, about patience. I do a lot of things differently now than I did then when I was helping him (I don't use a sop, for one), but it laid a lot of groundwork for what I do now.

Once the heat's settled, it's time to pull the meat out of the fridge and put it in the smoker. You can pull it out of the fridge when you start the fire, but I won't put it in the smoker until I'm satisfied with the temperature. Now comes the hard part: remembering to check the fire regularly. If this were a normal day, I'd be out on the patio with it, but it's fifty-damn-seven degrees today, so no. Just, do what you gotta to make sure that those coals DON'T DIE. I will tell you from personal experience: you will hate yourself and everything else if you have to rebuild this fire. If you're one of those folk who use an electric smoker, just make sure you keep your smoke medium (chips, pellets, whatever) supplied.

This gives you a lot of time to think. You can do other things, but I like to think; it's fun and sometimes rewarding. Recently, I've been thinking about what it means to belong. More specifically, what it means to belong to something that doesn't seem to want you. Watching the news, or scrolling a Twitter feed, one can see how deeply the U.S. has become a place (or maybe it always was) that simply doesn't want so many of us. So many of us who have claimed for years that we belonged, that we were a part of this, that the U.S. was made up of us, too. And there has been so much lately that tells the already-marginalized that: NO YOU DON'T BELONG. What does that belonging mean? What is it, how does it work?

People will tell you there is an Objectively Best way to cook a brisket. Those folk are LIARS. You need two ingredients other than brisket to cook a good brisket: love and heat. The heat's obvious: apply some to meat and you get food. Apply love and you get a feast. If you don't love the people you're cooking for, it's going to show up in your food. If you don't love what you're cooking, it's going to show up in your food. If you do, if you love those people and you love that food, then you'll find the best way to get those people that food. It may take some time and some practice, but when you do, there will be great rejoicing.

I think that sort of love is at heart, or is at least a good part of, what it means to belong, especially to something bigger than us. I mean, there's lots of meanings to belonging, lots of ways to belong, but the one that I'm most interested in is that sort of group belonging. What IS it to belong to a group, be it family or friends or larger social groups like "nerd" or "American". We sometimes talk about claiming these as identities, rather than belonging but I think that's an artifact of how we correlate "belonging" with "ownership." The sentence "That suitcase belongs to me" indicates a belonging that is a state of being owned. Which isn't what I want to talk about. What is the thing that compels us to be part of a group? What does being part of a group (belonging) mean? What is it when the group turns on you?

Brisket takes a long time to cook, usually 6 hours or more, depending on heat and size. There's a lot of waiting, spurts of activity and then, as if by magic, everything's done and there's 20 people on your patio ready to eat. Twenty people you've asked to join you. Twenty people you hopefully love, appreciate and want to keep around and you're about to cut into this brisket and feed them. You took a chunk of a dead cow, seasoned it, added some heat and now you're going to give it to someone else. You're creating or developing or maintaning a connection with these people through food. You're forging a belonging with this group.

Theoretically, a group revolves around something shared: goals, values, behaviors, history. Sometimes, the happenstance of birth or of being in the same place. But there's core of sharedness that all participate in. It gets problematic when that sharedness revolves around oppression, which is the part of our cultural moment that makes a mess of everything. That sharedness is something we cling to and defend; it holds to people in the here, in the past, in the future. It takes a lot of work, that sharednesss that is belonging. There's a lot of waiting, spurts of activity and then, as if by magic, you've found yourself in a community of people who lift you up and support you.

Sometimes, though, that belonging breaks. Which is where we've found ourselves. Many people who thought there was a shared ideal that was "America" are finding out that ideal isn't quite as shared, or maybe it means something entirely different to different people. And some of us have found, in the fracture of that sharedness, a sense of loss and a sort of rootlessness. So many of us are still working out how to recover from that.

Growing up, brisket was always a symbol of celebration for me. If there was brisket, there was a party. In trying to cultivate a sense of belonging in wake of this disruption, I keep sharing this festive meal with folks. Sometimes, when the brisket's cut and everyone's had their fill and a sort of calm settles over everything, I feel a sense of joy, of quiet, even of peace.

I think it's called hope.  

BRISKET OF BELONGING

INGREDIENTS

1 brisket (I dunno, like 9-10 pounds.. 15 if you like leftovers or have lots of people coming) A lot of salt A lot of pepper optional: any other spice you think might go well on a big ol’ hunk o’ meat, I'm not the boss of you

DIRECTIONS

If necessary, cut the brisket in half to fit your smoker. Combine the salt and pepper (and other spices). Rub them on the brisket, covering it fairly thoroughly. Set in the fridge for at least overnight.

The next day, light a fire or start up your gas or electric smoker, getting the temperature to around 150-175 degrees (hotter if you're daring and willing to see what happens). Put brisket in smoker. Check occasionally to see if the heat or smoke medium needs replenishing.

About 6 hours later, check the temperature of the meat. If it's equalized to the temperature of your smoker, either smoke for another hour or finish in the oven for an hour on low. If not, keep smoking and check everytime you check your heat or smoke.

Be sure to let it rest briefly before cutting. Cut and serve with any of the following: cole slaw, potato salad, Ranch Style beans, mashed potaotes, cornbread, rolls. BBQ sauce is optional, but go for tangy over sweet.

[wordsbetweenthelines]

hey there self

last night you forgot to post because you were stuck reading this other really long thing an didn’t think to just open another tab and then fell asleep which is a shame because yesterday was SUCH GREAT THINGS

so in the morning you did the things with the feeding of the dog and the cats whatever

but then it was haircut time!

and you got there and they were like “oh shit she quit this morning? we tried to tell you? but the calling thing was not working? um......can you come back in an hour?” “is your name stephanie [your last name]” to which you were “um....okay?? and no” 

but then they were “we think you are supposed to be stephanie? so you can have this appointment with this person who has an undercut and seems really cool right now and you don’t have to come back in an hour yay” so you did

and she was helping you figure out the number for the clippers for your cut, which was really helpful instead of just doing it and keeping the secrets like the last stylist did, and she explained what number her own hair is to help you visualize. you really like her!

so she started releasing you from your hair suffering and the owner working at the next chair over was like “negasonic! she wants to be negasonic that’s the hair you need to give her. you’re going negasonic again, right? you looked so good with it before” which just. warm fuzzies. 

and then later he was like “didn’t you used to have really long hair? like..........really long? *gestures to the actual length of your hair before*” and you were “yup that was me. I only do things in extremes lol”

it’s kinda nice to be memorable?

anyway, for the record: you have a #2 clipper cut.  it seems to be a good length. but keep track of at what point you stop liking it, so you can know when to cut again.

so you felt SO MUCH BETTER and HAPPIER with the lovely fuzzy buzzy hair, and you came out and asked mom what she thought and she was “................I know you like it short” which. anyway.

you got home and dad was “you got a buzz cut!” and you were “YEAH I did!” and he was “can I touch it can I touch it can I touch it” which brought the happy back from mom’s dampening

so you puttered around the house for a bit, tried out your new shoes (you are pretty sure you like them, you think you’ll keep them), walked cobalt long enough to poop and got dad to play 4′33″ which was entertaining and he did not properly appreciate. he turned the music off before you could suggest mozart’s “leck mich im Arsch” which woulda been HILARIOUS

dad had errands to run so you went along. it went like this:

gardening store for mole deterrent. you met a cat. his(?) name is xander and he is a maine coon and has great big paws and you love him. there are, apparently, plural cats there, and dad knew and didn’t tell you. you could have been loving on them for years! anyway, now you know, so you just have to contrive reasons for dad to go back. shouldn’t be too hard. he likes it there.

bit of an adventure on the driving when there was a road closed, but that just gave more time for important discussions like: what is the best donut.

(dad: you never try [my favorite] because you always say you like yeast better! you: ......I? have never? gotten donuts with you? from this place? so it’s literally impossible for us to have had this argument? much less multiple times? so you must have had it in your head in the shower [some back and forth and talking over each other] dad: .........wait what does a shower have to do with it you: don’t you have arguments with people in your head in the shower? dad: no I get clean in the shower you:  dad: you: .....weird. dad: YEAH ‘CAUSE WHO’D DO THAT)

dad dropped you off at housesitting to close the job while he got his hair cut (not as short as yours! ha!)

then you got pulled pork and cole slaw from this food truck you saw on the way and it was delicious. (note: summer hours are tues-sat 11-7)

mom and dad had wine club and were supposed to take an appetizer. mom’s plan: take shrimp out of freezer, serve as coctail shrimp. easy. dad’s plan: maple bacon shrimp sounds good? let’s try that!

so you and dad figured out how to do them and it worked out pretty well. yum.

dad put the leftover bacon ends on to fry, then left you in charge of watching them while he changed into his “wine drinking clothes”. you burned them.

but you scrambled some eggs in the leftover grease and those were delicious. ALSO you cracked BOTH eggs PERFECTLY with ONE HAND WITHOUT BREAKING THE YOLKS YOU ARE SO IMPRESSED WITH YOURSELF

there was lots of stream happening so you hung out in there rather a lot. good times.

and when mom and dad (finally) got home, they brought you desserts! a tiny chocolate thing that was super yum, and a cupcake which will be your breakfast today

in other, forgotten news: you had another running-hiding dream recently, and you don’t remember the details? but you think there were children involved.

today

WAKE UP

clothes

to housesit

feed dog

let dog out

feed cat

breakfast

walk cobalt

pack

acquire food 

try on socks

shows

help make dinner

feed dog

[silveradogolfcourse-blog]

Announcing our 7th Annual League Appreciation Dinners

ATTENTION!! ATTENTION!!! ATTENTION!! ATTENTION!!!

All League Members

Announcing our 7th Annual League Appreciation Dinner

Silverado wants to thank all league players by having dinner with you.  We know that you are an integral part of our course and this is our small way of thanking you.

This will also give us a chance to meet you in a more relaxed setting and also allow you to socialize with each other.  Finally, it will afford us the opportunity to inform you of our program for 2017-2018 and allow you to address any concerns or suggestions for the upcoming year.

Dinner Details

Dinner will be served at 5:30 ~ Open Bar 5:00-6:30

Dinner will be Baked Ham, Beans and Cole Slaw and dessert!

Cost: $5 per person

You are invited to bring (1) GUEST with you for the same $5 fee

***PLEASE RSVP through your league coordinator in pro shop by Monday, March 13, 2017***

All Monday Leagues – Tuesday March 21

All Tuesday Leagues – Wednesday March 22

All Wednesday Leagues – Thursday March 23

All Thursday Leagues – Friday March 24

All Friday Leagues – Monday March 20

Guarantee your league spot for 2017-2018 by signing up that night

The post Announcing our 7th Annual League Appreciation Dinners appeared first on Silverado Golf & Country Club.

[blogdccollaborative]

NMAAHC Field Trip

Submitted by: Katie Greer, DC Collaborative Programming and Marketing Intern; and Rebekka Nickman, DC Collaborative Development and Communications Coordinator Tickets courtesy of: Dorothy McSweeney February 15, 2017

Visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture 

DC Collaborative interns Katie and Rebekka were able to visit the brand new Smithsonian - The National Museum of African American History and Culture. The tickets were generously provided by DC Collaborative Board Member Emeritus Dorothy McSweeney. If you haven’t been able to get tickets yet, don’t worry! (Limited amounts of same-day tickets are released at 6:30am every day. Check here for availability). Here is an overview of their visit and some helpful tips for getting the best out of your experience! 

“The African American experience is the lens through which we understand what it is to be an American.” - Lonnie G. Bunch III, Founding Director, NMAAHC

View from the main level lobby

Tip #1: Start on the Bottom Floor, Work Your Way Up

The lower three levels of the museum are organized chronologically. To begin, a large elevator transports guests back in time to the early 1400s. The exhibits progress from early European slavery to American colonization, through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, all the way to present day. 

The upper levels of the museum celebrate African American culture through sports, music, dance, and all different forms of art. The second floor had an interactive education space and classrooms for workshops. Overall, the museum was filled with people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities. There was a sense of community and interest, as well as excitement and reflection.    

Sensitivity and Age Suitability 

“The Early Childhood Education Initiative (ECEI) at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) seeks to empower, enrich, and educate young children, from birth to eight years old, and provide resources and support to the parents, caregivers, and educators of early learners. The ECEI seeks to promote positive identity development with all children and begin age appropriate conversations on race. Programs will introduce American history through the African American lens to our youngest visitors through the museum’s collection and content” -NMAAHC

This museum has an clear and evident commitment to making their exhibits suitable for all ages. On our visit, we encountered many young children with their parents and saw people of all ages engaged and participating. Click here to view the NMAAHC’s Early Child Education Page.

Educational Potential

Here are our ideas for what types of school field trip experiences could be best for certain student age groups: 

PreK-3rd: 

Pre-visit classroom lesson on African American history 

Short guided tour of lower levels

Supervised time on upper floors with guide 

3rd-5th:

Pre-visit lesson of African American history

Bottom floors with an established tour guide

Age appropriate show at the Oprah Winfrey Theater 

Supervised free time on the upper floors 

6th-12th: 

Integrated or scheduled coinciding with school history curriculum

Bottom floors with educational worksheet to be filled out

Significant free time on the upper floors 

Post-visit reflection writing, presentation, or project

School Topics and Curriculum

This museum has tremendous educational potential. To overcome the time constraints of a field trip and make the most of your visit, we would suggest focusing on a specific topic, era, or movement to create a more in-depth educational experience.

This museum offers educational opportunities for elementary school, middle school, high school, and even undergraduate or graduate students. 

History: The bottom floors provide excellent content for many diverse time periods and movements relating to African American history. Example topics: European Slavery, Colonization of America, and Civil Rights  

Sports and Culture: The Michael Jordan Hall contains Olympic history, jerseys, and all different types of sports paraphernalia. There are also TV, news, and popular culture exhibits with videos, pictures, and in-depth historical information. Example topics: The Olympics, Men and Women in Sports, Physical Fitness, Journalism, and Hall of Fame 

Art History: An art gallery on the top floor features works and installations by African American artists of all different time periods. Example topics: Abstract Expressionism, Diversity in Art, and Art & Politics

Theater and Dance: The top floor contains features of African Americans starring in movies, musical theater, broadway, and dance. Example topics: Diversity on Broadway, Alvin Ailey, Musical Theater, and Diversity in Cinema

Music: The top floor highlights music in both a historic and contemporary context. An interactive music room allows guests to search through thousands of recordings and a music mixing station encourages creativity. Popular music from different eras plays throughout the exhibit. Example topics: Motown, Jazz, Hip Hop/Rap, and Classical Music

Diversity: Overall, this museum provides a comprehensive look at African American history and culture and a unique perspective that is both informative and interactive for all guests. Example topics: Race & Ethnicity, Discrimination, Feminism, Right to Protest, and Censorship

Telling Their Stories

Artifacts, video projections, and interactive stations illustrate the stories of well-known civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks among many others. 

From past to present, guests can view artifacts such as a plane flown by Tuskegee Airmen, a bar stool from the 1960 Greensboro North Carolina Sit-In, a dress that was handmade by Rosa Parks, to the latest videos from the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

“There was so much to see and read! In the interest of time, I found myself having to pick and choose what I focused my attention on. Otherwise, I would have been there all day.” -Katie 

Culture and the Arts

There is a distinct shift of tone and atmosphere in the upper levels. Visitors can explore the popular culture, music, and dance of bygone generations. Featured artists like Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, and many more incite a feeling of nostalgia and excitement.

Guests can sift through old record albums and play their favorite tunes, watch an excerpt from Alvin Ailey’s Revelations, marvel at a sparkly red dress worn by Whitney Houston, and the list goes on...

For the sports lovers, there is an entire exhibit dedicated to African-American Achievement in sports. In the Michael Jordan Hall, guests can see jerseys worn by Babe Ruth, watch highlight reels of the best plays in the NFL, see a leotard worn by Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas, and reminisce on some of the greatest African-American athletes in history. 

Tip #2: Don’t Just Look, DO! 

Throughout the museum, there are opportunities for people of all ages to interact and learn. In the image pictured above, visitors of all ages are invited to learn how to Step. A video teaches you the basics and you can follow along on the provided dance floor. 

In another exhibit, two large sound boards give you the opportunity to mix your own music and play it back. Visitors decide to be either the musician or the engineer and work together to create a melody. 

Upstairs there is a room with an activity called “Issues on the Table.” This room provides a safe space for you to write on a piece of paper and place it in a slit in a box to be read and potentially put on display. They prompt guests with questions like: “What issues matter most to you, your family, and your community?” and “What actions would you propose to create change?”

Not only does this museum engage guests in new ways, it also facilitates a dialogue aimed to help solve problems in our communities. 

Tip #3: Notice the Architecture 

This museum’s architecture is extremely unique. Hidden corners of the museum provide stunning views of the National Mall and Monuments. From every side, enormous windows flood the top and main floors of the museum with natural light and provide panoramic views of DC.

The museum has a flow from the bottom going up, and while it is easy to get focused on the exhibits, don’t forget to look up and appreciate the beautiful building! 

*Note: Sunset happens around 5:30-6pm*

Pictured above: Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich, Cole Slaw, Mac & Cheese, and Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownie 

Tip #4: Experience the Food!

Have lunch or dinner at the Sweet Home Cafe, the newest Smithsonian culinary experience. Guests have the option to pick between four different regional offerings: The Agricultural South, The Creole Coast, The North States, and the Western Range. There is something for everyone whether you want fried chicken, shrimp and grits, or a cupcake treat for desert. 

“I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I was sitting down with a large plate of southern comfort food in front of me. The cafe is a great place to sit down after you’ve been walking around the museum all day and enjoy some delicious food before you leave!” -Katie 

The Mobile App

For tech savvy museum-goers, a NMAAHC Museum Mobile App is available for free download. It contains a map of the museum, current shows, and exhibit information. It functions as an extended mobile brochure for your visit and it can help provide assistance while deciding what to do or see first. For people with younger visitors, the “Stories for Families” section provides age- appropriate language about exhibits as well as thought provoking questions. Use the app to check ahead of time to see what is going on in the museum that day! 

Final Takeaways

In short, this museum lives up to the hype. It provides guests of all ages a new lens through which to see our nation’s history. It educates and appropriately addresses sensitive material, and it creates a safe space for everyone to learn.  

The museum does not currently offer any school field trip experiences with the DC Collaborative Arts and Humanities for Every Student Program. However, a potential partnership may be on the horizon. Stay tuned! 

In the mean time, check out the��educational opportunities the NMAAHC currently provides for students and families.

Quick Links 

NMAAHC Website

NMAAHC Early Childhood Education Page

Smithsonian Website

DC Collaborative Website