7/7/07
Yesterday, millions of people worldwide gathered to watch concerts and town hall meetings about the climate crisis from Democratic candidates. I hosted one of these parties in Stillwater, with 12 people in attendance. While this was a success, there were some questions that arose that should be addressed.
1) Why could folks sign up for these parties in three different places? www.algore.com, www.moveon.org, and www.liveearth.org? One must triplicate efforts in order to achieve maximum results regarding awareness for party planning and availibility, etc.
2) Why did moveon.org choose to interview the Democratic candidates only about the climate crisis? Surely there are Republican, Independent, etc. candidates who care what we have done to our planet...
and thirdly) Why did the party promoters assume that each person who would host a party would have television and an internet-connected computer? Thankfully, I was able to locate a friend who has the internet and a DVD burner on his computer, because the DVD they were supposed to send me did not arrive in time. Suppose I didn't have this friend? I went to the public library to try and perform this task, but not one computer in the entire library was equipped with a DVD burner. Only CD. This is irritating to me, because it assumes that all people who care about the environment and political activism are wealthy enough to own a computer, or want to have cable television. Doesn't democracy fight against the class divisions of the bourgeois and proletariat, and the elite?
Despite my criticism, the event was a great idea. I got to meet 10 new people, only one of whom I had already met before at the Trash Off Stillwater day, and we discussed solutions for cleaning up this mess of an environment we've made. Plus, the Indian food was really good. And super easy to make. Following is the recipe if anybody wants it. And this isn't some official recipe, just my concoction with the help of a Bengali friend.
Aloo Gobi
serves at least six people, depending on how hungry you are
served with real yogurt (from the Asian food market), Punjabi samosas, Jasmine rice, and naan
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut or broken into florets
2 brown potatoes, med to med/large, diced into same size chunks
cook each separately, and either combine or serve side by side
4-6 cloves of chopped garlic, according to your taste
1 medium onion, chopped
fresh cilantro or ground coriander, whichever you have
turmeric
curry powder
paprika
cayenne pepper
ground ginger
cumin
salt
I use a wok on medium/low heat with a gas range. Skillet will be just fine. You need some sort of lid to keep the steam in the pan
put a little oil in the pan. i use half veg and half sesame, or half olive and half sesame. just use what you have. Chop 1/2 an onion and fry on lower heat until onion gets soft and brownish
Add 2-3 cloves chopped garlic and
1/2 teaspoon of each:
turmeric
curry powder
paprika
cayenne pepper
salt
cumin
coriander (i don't use because i chop fresh cilantro and toss at the end)
1 tsp of ground ginger
cook for a few minutes to get the raw spice flavor out and brown the garlic
Add your cauliflower and stir thoroughly. cover. stir every few minutes, add a little water if it doesn't soften. it usually takes about 20 minutes or longer. set side and cover to keep warm.
Do the exact same process with the potatoes. you can raise and lower the heat as you need, but it shouldn't get really hot or really really low. make sure to use your nose and turn it down, and stir often. you can't walk away and go watch tv or something.
This recipe is medium spicy. If you like more, add a fresh hot pepper or more cayenne pepper. If you like less, decrease the amount. Also, taste and add more salt if necessary.
1) Why could folks sign up for these parties in three different places? www.algore.com, www.moveon.org, and www.liveearth.org? One must triplicate efforts in order to achieve maximum results regarding awareness for party planning and availibility, etc.
2) Why did moveon.org choose to interview the Democratic candidates only about the climate crisis? Surely there are Republican, Independent, etc. candidates who care what we have done to our planet...
and thirdly) Why did the party promoters assume that each person who would host a party would have television and an internet-connected computer? Thankfully, I was able to locate a friend who has the internet and a DVD burner on his computer, because the DVD they were supposed to send me did not arrive in time. Suppose I didn't have this friend? I went to the public library to try and perform this task, but not one computer in the entire library was equipped with a DVD burner. Only CD. This is irritating to me, because it assumes that all people who care about the environment and political activism are wealthy enough to own a computer, or want to have cable television. Doesn't democracy fight against the class divisions of the bourgeois and proletariat, and the elite?
Despite my criticism, the event was a great idea. I got to meet 10 new people, only one of whom I had already met before at the Trash Off Stillwater day, and we discussed solutions for cleaning up this mess of an environment we've made. Plus, the Indian food was really good. And super easy to make. Following is the recipe if anybody wants it. And this isn't some official recipe, just my concoction with the help of a Bengali friend.
Aloo Gobi
serves at least six people, depending on how hungry you are
served with real yogurt (from the Asian food market), Punjabi samosas, Jasmine rice, and naan
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut or broken into florets
2 brown potatoes, med to med/large, diced into same size chunks
cook each separately, and either combine or serve side by side
4-6 cloves of chopped garlic, according to your taste
1 medium onion, chopped
fresh cilantro or ground coriander, whichever you have
turmeric
curry powder
paprika
cayenne pepper
ground ginger
cumin
salt
I use a wok on medium/low heat with a gas range. Skillet will be just fine. You need some sort of lid to keep the steam in the pan
put a little oil in the pan. i use half veg and half sesame, or half olive and half sesame. just use what you have. Chop 1/2 an onion and fry on lower heat until onion gets soft and brownish
Add 2-3 cloves chopped garlic and
1/2 teaspoon of each:
turmeric
curry powder
paprika
cayenne pepper
salt
cumin
coriander (i don't use because i chop fresh cilantro and toss at the end)
1 tsp of ground ginger
cook for a few minutes to get the raw spice flavor out and brown the garlic
Add your cauliflower and stir thoroughly. cover. stir every few minutes, add a little water if it doesn't soften. it usually takes about 20 minutes or longer. set side and cover to keep warm.
Do the exact same process with the potatoes. you can raise and lower the heat as you need, but it shouldn't get really hot or really really low. make sure to use your nose and turn it down, and stir often. you can't walk away and go watch tv or something.
This recipe is medium spicy. If you like more, add a fresh hot pepper or more cayenne pepper. If you like less, decrease the amount. Also, taste and add more salt if necessary.