Things That Aren’t History: Racism in America

We progressive types like to think we’d have been heroes in the past.

When I read about history, I automatically assume I would have been awesome in other generations. I’d have been an abolitionist during American slavery, probably with my own underground railroad station in my basement. I’d have fought in the Resistance, and refused to cooperate with the Nazis. I’d have been working at Hull House, or reporting undercover like Nelly Bly, fighting turn-of-the-century urban poverty. Protesting Japanese internment. Refusing to take land from Native Americans. You know, awesome.

With the smug 20/20 vision of hindsight, I wonder how all those bystanders, all those people who were neither fighting injustice or enacting it, could live with themselves. How can you know about terrible things, and then do nothing to fix it?

But I think I owe an apology to the lackluster people of the past, because white supremacists keep killing people, and I haven’t done much.

In so many ways, I have surrendered to the racism in society without ever really fighting it. I shamefully want to know how much I have to stay informed before I can stop learning more horrifying things, because it hurts my heart so much and I feel like I can’t do anything.

I don’t know what it was about this particular set of murders, but since the shootings in Charleston, I see my self-preservation as the cowardice it really is: a broken heart is the price you pay for being aware in this world. I’m not looking away.

There’s a lot of discussion of what being a white ally in a world of racial violence means. Here are some things I’m trying:

  1. I am absolutely going to stop referring to segregation, prejudice, and racial violence as if they were something in the past, or like we somehow solved them as a society.
  2. I’m not going to pretend that this is a Southern problem.
  3. I would have been BFF's with Lucretia Mott.
    In my imagination, I would have been BFF’s with Lucretia Mott.

    I will not shut up about “benign” racism in jokes, or pop culture, or things people say to me because they think I’ll agree with them.

  4. I will not cry “white lady tears” when someone points out my own racism.
  5. I will listen to people of color more than I talk.

What are you going to do?

Heatwave!

It’s hot out this week. After a June full of rain and low temperatures, summer has really landed here in Chicago.

I generally spend hot weather lying in front of a fan, sipping ice water, and arguing with my partner about turning the air conditioner on. I have the heat tolerance of a popsicle, anything over 80 makes me want to hide in a cave until fall, the queen of seasons.

However, I understand that many of you adore the heat. And good for you! In celebration of summer, here are a few vintage takes on the heat.

First off, Miss Piggy, singing the classic “We’re Having a Heatwave.”

Bonus: The penguin back up singers are much more comfortable than the racial stereotypes in the original Marilyn Monroe number.
Bonus: Miss Piggy’s penguin back up singers are much more comfortable to watch than the racial stereotypes in the original Marilyn Monroe number.

Next, this great collection of photographs from British heatwaves (warning: Nudity!) throughout the 20th century.

Followed by the perfect sun hat. In fact, I’d take any of Unique Vintage’s pretties. My current sun hat is losing its shape, and their hats are just peaches.

And finally, a reminder about heat safety—be careful, and check on your elderly friends and neighbors.

 

Canning Without Death and Destruction

canning strip

Many people don’t can food at home because they think it will kill or sicken them.

This is a kind of extreme position.

Yes, indeed, it is possible to can at home very unsafely. However, following basic precautions and using common sense goes a long way towards keeping your canned food safe to eat.*

I think we can relax a little. I can a lot, and have not yet been poisoned. While this evidence is anecdotal at best, there’s also science on my side. Short story: if you heat things enough, and the acid is high enough, the bacteria will be dead. DEAD. Because of SCIENCE.

Safe canning is not a mystery. We know a lot about bacteria and how to prevent them from hurting us. Loads of research has been done, and basic precautions have been developed because they work. If you follow the accepted safety standards, you’re going to be fine.

The elephant in the room is botulism, of course. Botulism is fairly rare, but what it lacks in frequency it makes up for in deadliness. Unlike some other kinds of bacteria, Clostridium Botulinum, which can trigger botulism, flourishes without oxygen, in low-acid environments, and loves temps from 40-120 degrees. So food that is canned inappropriately is a perfect combination of factors to encourage it to blossom into poison. Your canning must be hot enough and/or acidic enough to knock it out, or you’re in danger. Neurotoxic danger.

Some foods are safely canned in boiling water baths, because they are high in acid. Clostridium Botulinum does not like acid one bit. If your food is low-acid, it must be pressure canned. Even if your grandmother canned green beans in boiling water for years without poisoning a single person, it’s still not safe. Don’t do it.

Botulism is at the high end of risk. You’re way more likely to ruin your canning with some other thing. Other risks include mold, yeast, and other kinds of bacteria. These may not give you deadly neurotoxic food poisoning that inhibits your breathing and disturbs your vision, but they can still make you sick or ruin all your hard work.

Reduce this risk by:

  • Canning things in the appropriate manner. Pressure can anything low in acid.
  • Using good, not rotten or over ripe produce.
  • Using clean jars.
  • Keeping your work area clean.
  • Canning for the recommended length of time.
  • Check to make sure your jars sealed.
  • If anything looks or smells weird when you open it, don’t eat it, silly!

The nice thing about home canning precautions is none of them are hard. It’s not like you need to follow elaborate procedures with a centrifuge only under a full moon to be safe. Just be clean, heat things up, follow directions and pay attention to the acid content. You’ll be fine.

*These are all my opinions, and not a substitute for legitimate safety advice. Check out your University extensions advice for canning safely in your location and altitude.

You can can!

 

can all you can edit

Canning at home is one of those things that makes you seem like magic.

Making your own jams and spreads, pickles and chutneys, sauces and delicious things, and preserving them for another season is a fantastic combination of art and science, frugality and fanciness, and demonstrates your mastery over death and decay. At least of the fruit and vegetable variety.

Basically, home canning relies on a couple basic scientific processes–sterilization and oxygen removal. Heat and water are the mechanisms by which these processes work. Whether you’re canning by boiling water bath or pressure canner (the only two methods recognized as safe in the United States), your goal will be to create an environment in which bacteria, including good ol’ deadly Clostridium botulinum which can trigger botulism and KILL US ALL, just like in East of Eden, when Kate covers up her slow poisoning of the madam at the brothel by making it look like the home canned green beans weren’t safe. Canning is Steinbeckian, y’all.

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The Music Box: An Old-Fashioned Movie Date for the 4th of July

This Fourth of July,  the fellow and I went to one of my absolute favorite places in Chicago: The Music Box Theatre.

Me under the marquee!
Me under the marquee!

The Music Box Theatre retains its gorgeous 1929 architecture. It seats 800 people, and has plaster wall decorations and twinkling star lights in the ceiling. It really is a step back in time. Billed as “Chicago’s year-round film festival” it shows a variety of contemporary independent, art-house, and foreign films, as well as frequent classics.

This time, we went to see the 1949 noir classic, The Third Man, starring Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, and Alida Valli.

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