Food IS Political

And comforting…Mac & Cheese Hugs Pub #23

Hello All! I hope you are all finding ways to comfort your souls this week. I have gone back and forth about what I want to write and share this week, and a part of me just wanted to bury myself in a hole, but in the past weeks of scrolling and absorbing ‘way too much’ in the form of Social Media. Reading the good, the bad, and the ugly, the one thing that has stood out to me is people getting angry with content creators for sharing their political views or support of a candidate, especially food creators, at least that’s the bubble I follow.

In my day job, I teach about the politics of food, how our government and big agriculture control most of our food system, and what that looks like and means. I rarely talk about my political views online. But you know what…Food IS Political, and people should use their platforms for change. So, while I don’t often share content that follows my political viewpoint, I also don’t hide that I vote blue down the line, always have, and probably always will. 

In my deep dive into my feelings and thoughts this week about whether to talk about the election or not, I went back to why I named my newsletter “Kitchen Gossip”. For me, the kitchen is the heart of the home. It is where we gather first thing in the morning to say good morning and break our fast. Where I cook food that shows my love and caring for my people. Where we have stood around the island having the most intimate of conversations. Almost all important conversations take place in the kitchen or at the dining room table, at least in my home. It’s where I’ve talked about the struggles with raising kids with my girlfriends, whose Fantasy Football team is going to win, the sad moments of heartbreak and loss, the sometimes touchy conversations around religion, and of course politics. 

So, of course, this is the place, the kitchen is the safe spot for these conversations and all of them are surrounded by food. So, here I am baring my soul and feelings to all you Kitchen Gossipers!

Last night I was messaging with a dear friend and she used the word paralyzed for how she has been unable to articulate her thoughts about the election this week, and that felt so reflective of how I have been feeling myself. I am not typically someone who reacts well on the fly. I’m that person that needs time to process, that days later think, damn, I wish I would have said this... My husband often gets rattled when I am upset because I can’t articulate myself in a way that makes sense when sharing how I’m feeling, and he can’t follow what I am trying to express. I need time to process, sometimes minutes, hours, and sometimes days. I can’t say I have fully processed all my feelings, but I have some that have come up for me pretty strongly in the last couple of days. 

First, I am not surprised at the white male vote, the 26% of you that voted for humanity, women, Trans, LGBTQ+, and the environment, this is not about you, and thank you!

Secondly, the one I’m most upset by is the women's vote, the white women’s vote. I feel so betrayed by the majority of women in our country right now, and some I know personally. Upset and betrayed! Why do women still do this to each other? Why are we voting for people that do harmful things to us? Why can’t women champion, cheer on, and lift-up other women? Especially strong women, educated, working to break that stupid glass ceiling. We are our own worst enemy when we put someone in power that wants to stifle and keep us “in our place”. 

Finally, I am angry, angry at the rhetoric that now that the election is over we need to unite and work together. Accept that we have a difference of opinion. A difference of opinion is I want Italian for dinner and you want burgers. What we have here is a difference of morals and values. I value humanity, making space for all humans, I believe in women's rights and not removing access to healthcare, I believe that bigotry, racism, and hate are wrong and have no place in society. I believe we should be moving our country forward, not backward. Women do not need men to protect them, they need them to see them as equals, allies, and partners. I don’t know what they value, I can guess, but I don’t want to get into name-calling.

To protect my heart, soul, and mental health, I have been doing something I dislike doing. Unfollowing, and removing people from my feed, because I need a safe bubble right now. I hope that’s not always the case, I hope this is temporary, and I hope one day soon we can agree on all human rights, but right now I can’t just scroll past them anymore. 

So, for a few more days I am going to mourn, mourn the country I thought we were becoming, the people I thought were safe, and do things that feed my soul. Keep my family close, stand with my like-minded people, and continue the fight that I had hoped wouldn’t be needed anymore.

I will be hibernating this weekend refueling in my coziest pjs and sweater, curled up on the couch with a good book, a glass of wine, and some rich and decadent Mac & Cheese. I had hoped to have the recipe photographed, thoughtfully composed, and on my website, but I did not have that much brain capacity. Here is a rough draft and the real thing in techno-color will be live on my website on Sunday.

Thank you all for being here, and for allowing this space for me to share with you. If you are struggling and have thoughts, please know I am here to support and stand with you!