Green Curry (Thailand)

For Christmas this year, I received a Thai cookbook that has a recipe for my go-to dish, Green Curry. This sweet curry packs a special kind of heat that intensifies with each bite, but doesn't overwhelm the delicate flavors. Typically it is served with green beans, basil and chicken, but I always throw in some shrimp. I've probably made the recipe for Green Curry at least three times since December, diminishing the last of the beans from my garden and making a frozen bag of shrimp a pantry staple. It may be the second favorite thing to have entered my life from Thailand in recent years;) 

This blog started as an exercise in exploring the intersect of culture and food in the life of our family, and in recent entries (sporadic as they may be) I've strayed somewhat from that intended goal. An article that I read this week changed that for me and I find myself drawn back to the computer to sort it all out in the name of my beloved Green (shrimp) Curry!

Just a week ago, the Associated Press shared a year long investigation into the use of Burmese slaves in the Southeast Asian fishing industry that supplies upwards of 20% of the seafood in US markets. The report literally followed the fish from the boats with the slaves to the supplier, Thai Union, and onward to the US companies that contract for their seafood, Kroger, Safeway, Wal-mart, and Sysco to name a few. There are additional reports that Darden Restaurants, which owns Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse among others, had been aware of this link to human trafficking and chose not to change their suppliers.

So what can we do about the scourges of human trafficking from half a world away? It breaks my heart to know that the beautiful homeland of my son is listed along side North Korea, Syria and Iran for its human rights violations. But I cannot wallow in my helplessness with a broken heart. In this case, I need to follow the story, Thai Union has already taken steps to sever ties with suppliers, but I can wait to see what happens in the US as well before I spend my valuable dollars on any sort of seafood. My money makes and difference!

This season of lent we spent time with a small group from church examining our own practices as people of faith. Often what we realized is that small choices and actions can lead to a larger impact. Here is my list of how to start to process and affect change.

Educate yourself on difficult topics. Read the news, analysis, and commentary, even when it is difficult to digest and consumes a lot of time. 

Ask questions. Where does my food come from? In the store, in restaurants, and in my own home, I must be diligent AND prepared to walk away from companies that ignore violations in human rights.

Share your voice. I'm doing that now, but in this day of viral media posts, word travels fast, and many times one voice becomes many, and that pressure makes a difference. Look at what is happening in Indiana. A national outcry by citizens and businesses alike might just change the tide of intolerance and discrimination once again.

Be vigilant and demand justice, especially in your own backyard. Human trafficking isn't just limited to faraway locales. In every state in the US, our young and vulnerable neighbors are being pressed into sexual slavery. As our own city prepares to host the Super Bowl in 2018, an event notorious for high levels of human trafficking, we must demand that our leaders prevent the exploitation of our neighbors.

Sometimes justice is lonely, exhausting work, but it must be done, on the smallest of scales and the largest of stages. What can you do today?

One Per Family

Yesterday, I volunteered during one of the amazing Chinese New Year programs put on annually at my children's school. These programs are put on in a venue that seats over 1,700, and each of them were sold out. The children have worked most of the school year to this point on their singing and dancing, and while the shows are long, they are a joy to watch.

With two performances to attend, we decided to volunteer some time during the performances to contribute to the day, save on ticket costs, and break up a long period of sitting. I ushered while John supervised the kindergarten boys' bathroom. One might assume that the easier of those two jobs would be the one that didn't involve masses of 5 & 6 year old boys attempting to tear a public restroom down to its studs.  One might assume that handing out programs to the incoming audience would be simpler, quieter, and drier. Only one of these assumptions is correct though, so if you guessed that I didn't need any towels to perform my job, you win!

I arrived an hour before the show in my black pants, red top and comfy shoes as instructed. I was given a name tag, a door assignment and a basket of programs with a festive red bow. I was paired with a college student, who worked in the theater and would direct people to their seats.  And then I was sent on to my station with the words, "Just pass them out, one per family."

The programs were beautiful. Over-sized white card stock in tri-fold emblazoned with the red print of a sheep intertwined with Chinese characters amid a backdrop of blossoms and other new year symbols, the lovely work of a very talented student. Information on the inside, in both English and Chinese, about the performance of each grade level, as well as the gracious thank yous on the back.  The school always  does a fine job of showcasing and appreciating the varied talents of its students and staff.

But oh, how those three little words...one per family...brought out the spectrum of humanity at its most privileged over the next hour. Perhaps I was naive, or in denial, to ways in which people would react to hearing those words. Some people were indignant, and insisted they receive more than one. Some people left for their seats in a huff. Some of those people returned a short time later claiming they had not received a program and must have one now. Some people looked shocked or puzzled and wandered off in a daze. Some people looked irritated or disappointed, but accepted the words. Some tried to rationalize their need for more. Some tried to bargain for another. And yet, some were gracious and accepting as they moved to their seats.

No matter how they responded, if someone pressed me for another program, I gave it to them. i wasn't going to fight that battle. But I didn't give it to them without a little judgement.

(okay a lot)

I think there is a name for this phenomenon: First World Problems. Isn't that how the hashtag goes? Having to share, being given a limit, conserving resources that one feels entitled to. That's what the school was doing...managing resources in a responsible way. When a non-profit organization undertakes an event of this magnitude, the details are hard to even imagine. Over three hundred adults and almost 600 students worked to put together this show on grant money and meager ticket prices to cover the basic costs. The programs were designed and printed with a spirit of celebration and well wishes that I don't know if everyone in that audience truly appreciated.

The lessons of this event were about celebrating Chinese culture and wishing each other "magnificent beginnings for an auspicious and prosperous year!" While the children embraced this message with the enthusiasm of their songs and the spirit of their dances, it seems some of the adults in the audience still have some work left to do.