The Night my Belly was Really Happy!

Kitchen Prayer

May this kitchen be so filled with peace

that all who eat food prepared here receive peace.

May this kitchen be so filled with happiness

that all who eat food prepared here receive happiness.

May this kitchen be so filled with good will

that working here is a joy.

Bless this kitchen.

Bless all who work here.

Bless the food that is prepared here.

May this kitchen and the work done here be a blessing to all

who live.

Written by: Jared Robins

from May All Be Fed : A Diet for a New World

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This past weekend there was a small feast in my apartment. After a long day at work, to my delight I found my roommates Rupal and Jun busy cutting veggies and stirring sauces. My mouth watered as I smelled the aroma of savory spices filling the room. Rupal's close friend Rashmi also joined in on the cooking adventures, helping to produce a wonderful three course meal.

COURSE I.
A colorful display of veggies sauteed with a secret sauce, a recipe created by Rashmi's mother, was poured over fried tilapia and white rice for course number one. The mild taste of the rice and tilapia was the perfect match for the spicy sauce.

COURSE II.

A cheesy layered Eggplant Parmesan casserole graced the table for course number two. The layers included a light savory red sauce, green peppers, mushrooms, mozzarela cheese and fried eggplant. 

COURSE III.
My belly ached as we reached course number three. Despite my belly's rumbles, indicating that I should stop stuffing my face, I reached for dessert. Dessert wasn't simple, as we had an array of choices sitting upon our counter top. Choices included mango smoothies, chocolate cake paired with vanilla ice cream, and homemade tiramisu (pictured below). I treated myself to all three!

Although I did not contribute to the evening's cooking efforts, I honored our three wonderful chefs by heading up the clean up crew. Cleaning was a small price to pay for such a beautiful night of delicious indulgence!

In need of Handyman Services? Look no further...

 Walking through the Pilsen neighborhood the other day, I came across this grocery cart. Locked to a bike rack with a heavy chain link and pad lock, I couldn't help but wonder who was the owner. In the day of  internet, television and fancy billboard advertisements does a simple sign like this bring a person business? 

If business is booming, this sign is genius as it is very cost effective. If business is slow, I admire the effort and hope my blog entry will bring about new revenue.

Despite the profit margins of this business venture, this sign is awesome for two reasons:

1. Enthusiasm! Exclamation points are used liberally, showing this individual is very excited about their work.

2. There is a $ placed in the 's' of the word discount at the bottom of the sign. Bonus points for creativity!

Dead Man Walking & the end of Capital Punishment in Illinois

"Forgiveness is never going to be easy. Each day it must be prayed for and struggled for and won."

Above is one of my favorite quotes from the book, Dead Man Walking. I read Dead Man Walking after meeting the spunky charismatic nun and author, Sister Helen Prejean. I met Prejean in 2008 during her visit to DePaul University to support students working on Anti-Death Penalty legislation for the the state of Illinois. Listening to her speak about innocent men put to death, the disproportionate application of the penalty on poor and minority people, and its overall financial drain on tax payer money was heartbreaking.

A couple months later, I found myself heartbroken all over again as I finally read Dead Man Walking. The book chronicles Prejean's journey of becoming the spiritual advisor of two death row inmates; Patrick Sonnier and Robert Willie. Additionally, it sheds light on social inequalities and crime Prejean observes while living in the housing projects of New Orleans. Despite the book being repetitive at times, I found it engaging. Her ability to intertwine well researched statistics and information with her spiritual beliefs rooted in biblical text is unprecedented.

Three years later I share my influential encounter with Prejean and her book because of Governor Pat Quinn's decision to abolish capital punishment in the state of Illinois earlier in March. I am truly overjoyed that Illinois is now the 16th state in the union to rid itself of the death penalty!

As the signing of the bill moves out of the headlines, I long for Gov. Quinn's decision to influence other states. Richard Dieter of Washington's Death Penalty Information Center is quoted in a Huffington Post article stating that Illinois may have the power to influence other states "...because it was a state that used it, reconsidered it and now rejected it".