Honor Guard

Last night's Sixty Minutes show was dedicated to stories about wounded soldiers.  It was very moving.  Perhaps the thing that surprised me the most was the need of wounded soldiers to return to the battlefield for a more proper departure.  I would never have understood that, had I not heard about a program that does just that.  There is just something about going back, and re-visiting the site of the place they left so abruptly, that is helpful in beginning the healing process.

I do so very much appreciate all those who serve in the military, even though my own personal choice would always be to avoid war.  That, of course, is not always possible, even though I wish it were.   I have my own personal/life experience reasons for not wanting to think about the military very much, and to leave it all in the past.

But I will say, that every time I see or experience any Military Honor Guard doing their rituals, I am always deeply moved.  There is just something special about the discipline.  Or the beauty of the precision.  Or the compelling sight of them moving in unity that touches my spirit.  Maybe it has to do with the bond among soldiers, and their willingness to lay down their lives for their comrades, which they often do.

Many times when I was officiating at a graveside service, and the deceased had been a soldier,  I would get chills to hear the bugle player, always out of sight, playing taps.   That sad, soulful sound would waft through the air.   Day's end.  Life's end.

Thanks to the brave young men and women in uniform,  who do what they do to serve their country, and our freedom.  May they be safe.

Favorite Snack

I watched Dr. Oz one day while cooking dinner, and discovered this snack, which I have now had several times.  It it called "popcorn cauliflower."   Only recently have I been tuning in to Dr. Oz from time to time.  He has lots of good tips on health and food and eating.   Prior to this recipe, I would definitely not have said that I was a big fan of cauliflower!

But honestly, cooked this way, now I am!   You remove the florets from the stem and break them into small pieces, actually about the size of popcorn.  Toss in a bowl with a little olive oil, or spray oil.  Add some salt and pepper and roast in the oven until brown.  One could add a bit of parmesan cheese to 'fancy it up' a bit.  It does not really get crunchy, as the name might imply,  but it is very tasty indeed.

Just wanted to share this little snack.  Now, every week when I go grocery shopping,  I buy a head of cauliflower to enjoy!

Commencements

Sunday is Cornell Commencement.   I used to work at the university and in those early years, I was always so thrilled by the Commencement Day festivities.  Specifically,  I enjoyed the Procession to Schoelkopf, and loved to hear the then President Rhodes give the address. No one could do it better!  I was usually working on those occasions, helping with the college gathering on the Arts Quad.

Gerry still does work at Cornell, and every year he participates in Commencement Day.  He has eight advisees graduating this year, and likes to be there to greet them, and perhaps their families.  It is only in the past couple of years that he has bought his own gown, and also his doctorate hood.  In earlier years, he would rent the gown, like the students do.

I think perhaps my favorite part was really the Procession.  A procession in my profession would mean that a group of clergy process down the aisle of the church or cathedral or gathering place.  This is nothing like that at all.  First, all the colleges gather on the Arts Quad.   They line up by college alphabetically, because each group enters Schoelkopf as a college, each with banner carriers.    Once everyone is in the stadium,  there are so many people, that folks sitting in the bleachers can barely see the graduates, who are so far away and so many.  To really see all the fun part,  one really has to watch the Procession.   The procession is half way across the campus, and takes at least an hour, if all goes according to plan.  There you see the unique things grads have written on their caps, or are carrying so their loved ones can see them in the crowd, or are wearing, either on their feet, or under their robes.  
There was always some sight that was very touching that would bring tears to my eyes.

There are probably thirty thousand people gathered in and around Schoelkppf, and three or four thousand graduates.  There could be nothing more disruptive than a deluge of rain during the morning hours.  There is really no other place to put that many people.  There is a back up plan, of course, but it loses its punch if the crowd splits to a variety of locations.   Mostly, in all the years that commencement has been held outside, it has not rained.  

But as luck would have it, when my firstborn Brenda graduated in 1992, it was 37 degrees and raining!  I remember it vividly.  The day before, it had been 85 and humid, and I was out shopping for sun screen!  But not on the day of commencement.  As I recall, we enjoyed it anyway, laughing at our bad luck.  

New York weather in May is just unpredictable!  My mother happened to come for Brenda's graduation, and that was the weather we got.  A few years later, she came on Mother's Day, and it snowed.  Seriously!!

On Cooking and Eating

Like everything else in my life,  my relationship with food has evolved and changed a great variety of times.  During the first stage, I ate the food of my childhood, southern food, mostly fried, and very vegetable oriented.  Meat was more of a side dish.  We had lots of fresh tomatoes, greens and cornbread with the 'pot liquor, ' creamed corn, and the like.

When I became a northerner, I had to learn a new way of cooking and eating.  For much of my adult life, with a sizable family, cooking was on a limited budget, and involved casseroles, pasta, spaghetti, and hot dogs.  Eventually,  I completely lost my taste for such things as black-eyed peas, which I now detest, and fried okra.

There is another layer to all of this, which is not the topic of this blog, and that is my relationship with food and its affect on my weight, a life-long struggle.  I would say that at this time, I understand the limits of what I can eat, and need to eat or not eat in order to be healthy.  That means that I have totally eliminated all fast food, and almost all processed food.  Much of this was in an effort to overcome a two decade long battle with acid.   I have definitely won that battle, an accomplishment of which I am greatly proud.

Another interesting aspect food and life, was my discovery of the Food Channel a few years ago.  This opened up a whole new world.  Up to that point,  I had only watched my own mother cook. I had to unlearn a lot of things associated with that.  Believe it or not, my mother always did her "chopping"  [which we now do on a cutting board]  in her hand!  She would hold the onion in her hand and slice it crosswise both ways, and cut off the diced pieces into the pan or bowl.  I don't think we even owned a cutting board!

In the ideal world, I would practice more of a European approach to cooking and eating. (at least this is my perception).   I understand that in many parts of the world,  where there are no super stores or Wegmans, people go to the market every day to procure their food for the day.   If one eats primarily fruit and vegetables, then going once a week just doesn't work very well.   Maybe I will eventually figure out how to do my shopping in two parts, twice a week.

I just started reading a novel and the main character is a fictional Food Channel star, which is what sparked this blog.  She made a comment:  Food is the new fashion.    I would change that statement  a bit and say that food is the new art form!   I have a daughter and son-in-law who are big "foodies".  (they eat out in fancy restaurants a lot).   And I have learned from her the art connection.  She often posts pictures on Facebook of the food art they consume.

It is interesting to ponder one's relationship with food.  We all have our passions. Everyone's is different,  for better or worse.