This year I have a recipe of the month calendar, The World in Your Kitchen, and while in March I waited until the very last day of the month to make the recipe, when I turned to page to April, I wanted to dive into the recipe. And I did. One night last week the boys and I whipped up a batch of gibneh beydah, traditionally a goat cheese dip, though I made it with feta. It was easy and so, so yummy, as evidenced by the boys and I gobbling it down on pita chips in a matter of minutes.
And just like that, I was back in it. I've been pouring over my copy of Extending the Table, stopping by the Asian market, and plotting my meal plans for the days ahead. I sat down with the cook book and planned my garden based on recipes I want to make this summer, and I've been thinking about upcoming events for which I can bring a new dish.
This blog has been slow for awhile now, which has been a reflection of where my mind has been these last months in terms of thinking about culture, race and adoption. It wasn't about the food, because I have been cooking up a storm during these long winter months. And it wasn't about my kids, because we still talk about those Big. Life. Issues. that we deal with as a family. There was just a point last year where I felt almost over saturated with books, discussions, blogs, classes, documentaries, fundraisers and more. So I checked out for awhile.
This month I've checked back in when I flipped the calendar.
I was invited to a book talk on The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander. So I purchased a copy and am reading about the new racial caste system that is the incarceration of African American men at an alarming rate in our society. And also my worst nightmare for my precious, intelligent son who will someday change the world. I don't want to think about the possibility of my son being snagged into a corrupt and racist system, but I don't have the choice to ignore this epidemic.
I began following NPR's new blog on code switching (http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/). This online discussion on race, ethnicity and communication is fascinating, and the blog happened to go live the week in which my students read of Scout's exposure to this phenomenon in ch. 12 of To Kill a Mockingbird. In a few short days, this blog has already raised questions for me about how my children and I interact with the world around us and what my responsibilities are for providing my children the necessary tools to maneuver successfully in this society.
And finally, I've been reflecting on my own white privilege. The reality of my 'break' is that it was only possible because my skin is white, thus I am allowed to not think about race simply because I don't want to. If I am being honest, the break was good for me. I feel like I am able to explore these new resources before me with fresh eyes. But I also feel guilty. Because for all my work and reflection and investment in this journey, I still have work to do. Work that sometimes gets pushed to the end of the month, the back of the line, the bottom of the list. It would be my greatest regret to fail in this endeavor though...
So I check back in...
