Raw food...um...movement

Last week was unusal in the sense that I ate a lot of healthy food on purpose. And I'm not talking about salads and protein shakes, I'm talkin bout "live" food and fake meat. Hello, I live in the Bay Area.

I helped my friend Cat move into her new place and we went to Cafe Gratitude so she could, you know, thank me. I have to say, if you live in the Bay Area and have guests that say, "We want to experience the essence of Berkeley in all its hippie glory," then after walking up Telegraph, stopping by the nude parade, and taking a turn in the drum circle, take them to Cafe Gratitude for lunch/dinner.

When you walk in, you are greeted by the desserts. They might as well say hello because they are made from what the hippies call "live food", which means that nothing has been cooked or baked or processed. It's alive, living, unbaked, half-baked, or what have you. The hostess seats you and you have your choice: a two-seater in a high traffic and therefore inadequate place or at one of the many communal tables. Natch.

So we sit at one of the communal tables (where someone is wearing tye dye, I kid you not) and we are told about how the cafe started---from a board game. I won't relay the whole story here - just go and find out for yourself. FYI, the board game isn't a whole lotta fun. It's like getting socks and oranges for Christmas.

We were given menus that ironically smelled like sour milk. Must have been recycled, unbleached hemp paper. I looked at the menu and wondered how on earth I would be able to order and keep a straight face: every dish is an affirmation. So when you order you say, "I'd like the: I am succulent. I am terrific. I am aloha."

Yes. You do.

And then they serve you: "You are succulent?" I nod my head. "You are succulent. You are terrific. You are aloha. Enjoy."

The servers have mastered the art of the question asking. They have to be careful not to question that you are terrific or beautiful or creative, but rather identify who ordered what. Because they don't want you to think they disagree or are putting a judgment on what you ordered, disrupting the tipping karma.

I was really gungho about ordering once I got past the hippieness of it all. I was really stoked to be trying raw food because I think it's unbelievable and fascinating. It's practically art. But my dining companion killed my buzz a little when she told me to take it easy my first time because, "It does a number on your system if you're not used to it." Grrreat.

A lot of people seem to come to this place to celebrate their birthdays. Twice the entire waitstaff came and sang to people. Those people must have ordered the I am embarrassed and I am dying on the inside.

A couple of days later, I went to The Breakroom, a trendy little cafe in Downtown Oakland near where I work. Everything is vegetarian or vegan, down to their cookies and cupcakes and facon. I ordered the Turkey Bacon sammich, and it was deliciously cozied up to their homemade pickles. In fact, I went back this week because it was so good.

So I think I'm turning into an accidental vegan. It might be contagious.

I might just have to get it out of my system, and when you want to clear your system, there's only one place to go. Cafe Gratitude, anyone?

Here's the menu:

God's heart!

Have you read the news today? A 7.9 magnitude earthquake in China that's left 9,000 dead. It was felt as far away as Pakistan, Thailand, and Bangladesh.

Have you read the news this past week? A cyclone in Burma killed over 100,000 people and their government withheld the aid supplies for FOUR DAYS. The regime in power got a warning 3 days in advance, but chose not to tell the people. Now, the survivors cannot escape the stench of the rotting bodies.

There is no clean water. Think about that the next time you have the privilege of taking a shower. Brushing your teeth. Washing your hands. Getting a sip at the water fountain. Thousands of people do not have water to drink or money to afford food, even if it were readily available.

This past month? How about the rice shortages in developing countries?

This is what God's word says, America:

Isaiah 58 (the Message version)

Your Prayers Won't Get Off the Ground

 1-3 "Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell my people what's wrong with their lives,
   face my family Jacob with their sins!
They're busy, busy, busy at worship,
   and love studying all about me.
To all appearances they're a nation of right-living people—
   law-abiding, God-honoring.
They ask me, 'What's the right thing to do?'
   and love having me on their side.
But they also complain,
   'Why do we fast and you don't look our way?
   Why do we humble ourselves and you don't even notice?'

 3-5"Well, here's why:

   "The bottom line on your 'fast days' is profit.
   You drive your employees much too hard.
You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
   You fast, but you swing a mean fist.
The kind of fasting you do
   won't get your prayers off the ground.
Do you think this is the kind of fast day I'm after:
   a day to show off humility?
To put on a pious long face
   and parade around solemnly in black?
Do you call that fasting,
   a fast day that I, God, would like?

 6-9"This is the kind of fast day I'm after:
   to break the chains of injustice,
   get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
   free the oppressed,
   cancel debts.
What I'm interested in seeing you do is:
   sharing your food with the hungry,
   inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
   putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
   being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
   and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way.
   The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer.
   You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

 9-12"If you get rid of unfair practices,
   quit blaming victims,
   quit gossiping about other people's sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
   and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
   your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
   I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
   firm muscles, strong bones.
You'll be like a well-watered garden,
   a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
   rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything,
   restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
   make the community livable again.

 13-14"If you watch your step on the Sabbath
   and don't use my holy day for personal advantage,
If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,
   God's holy day as a celebration,
If you honor it by refusing 'business as usual,'
   making money, running here and there—
Then you'll be free to enjoy God!
   Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all.
I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob."
   Yes! God says so!

Does POVERTY, INJUSTICE, SUFFERING seem desparing, draining, hopeless and impossible to you?

READ THIS:

Mischief-making on the Sabbath: put on the full armor of God, foos

4 things you should steal to improve the quality of your life

Go Ahead

Take stroll down the street
See somebody cute that seems really sweet
But you don't let your eyes meet or say hello

Enjoying time that's frivolous
You refrain from a moment of bliss
Caution chaps your lips; you maintain status quo

I'm a carpe diem enthusiast
I would steal a glance and I would
Steal a kiss
Seize the day, seize the day
If you want me to return what I'm stealing
I think you'd find the process rather appealing
Seize the day, thieve away

Set your foot upon a stage
Unexpected darling of the theater page
Directors fight agents for the front row

The baseball hasn't left the mound
When your pinstripes contact 3rd-base ground
Bat cracks that home run sound; you win, 2-0

I'm a big fan of all the world's a stage
One day you'll steal the show
One day you'll steal a base
Seize the day, seize the day
Go ahead, express what you're feeling
I think I'd find the process simply appealing
Seize the day, thieve away

Go ahead, you don't need permission
Just lock up your indecision
Go ahead, create imposition
I'm not above avoiding suspicion
Seize the day, seize the day
Theive away, seize the day
No shame in showing what you're concealing
Make sure you get a good lead if you go stealing 
Seize the day, seize the day
Seize the day, seize the day
_______________________________________________________________________

I was challenged to write about a theme (Stolen) and after much brainstorming, I was struck by what is possible to steal that fills a void, rather than creates one. I thought it was an interesting turn around. Stealing, in its main definition, means taking something that's not rightfully yours. It creates distrust, is unexpected, and stems from all kinds of motives: thrill, boredom, loneliness, because you can. That you can "seize" a day, and in essence, get over fear, take a risk that has a potentially beneficial payoff, instead of one that has certain negative consequences, plays into the theme quite nicely, I think.

So, instead of listening to your fear (which you should do if you have criminal tendencies - that's called your conscience), you should dismiss it in these instances in order to deepen relationships, achieve ambition, and entertain a crowd.

EM

Weekend Themes

My room is clean, hallelujah. I can breathe!

Upon surveying the works of my hands and declaring it good, I also declared that my walls look too bare and need some art. So I went to the thrift shop around the corner from my house and set my sights on finding some good oil paintings.

Except I didn't find any. But I did find a chair for Alma's room, and some housing accessories, and some really sweet earrings, Wayne's World on VHS, and a skateboarding video that I figured would help my skating, surfing and future snowboarding skills. It could happen.

My friend Jason was coming back from Fairfield and being the considerate, unweirded out by thoughful consideration between genders guy that he is, he brought me a sammich from Chick-fil-A, only the BEST fast food ever (In-N-Out - yuk). He stayed for a little bit and we had some honest to goodness open conversation. I've been having a lot of these lately, it seems. It's quite a breath of fresh air. Like sitting in my clean room.

One thing that stuck out to me was how it's hard to live in the moment. There's always nostalgia, regret, or hindsight of the past, coupled with worry and anxiety about the future, and it's hard to enjoy the present. Gina and I had a similar conversation at the ballet the week before. I read this article which said that "worry is a useless emotion."

I think one of the keys to living in the moment is having a heart of thankfulness for what your ephemeral treasures are at that moment. In recognizing they are ephemeral, I think it helps you appreciate them.

Nathan, Christi, Blake and I went to Leroy's "art show" on Saturday night at Urban Blend...and I guess the real thing got cancelled, so we looked at what he had up, and he talked about how in his paintings, he's trying to be intentionally in the moment, too. Instead of delaying ideas, he's more willing to explore when something hits.

Daphne cut my hair that day, and she talked open and honestly about her life. Ashley and I, after we watched Wayne's World, concurred that there are a lot of people around us that just talk incredibly openly about everything and how refreshing - and a little scary - it is. To me, it feels like walking on a high wire - can I trust? can I learn? will I fall? will I be exposed? But still, I feel that's what it is to grow.