“how to raise racist kids”

26 02 2010

I received one of the nicest compliments about being a parent this week. And it had to do with race.  I started thinking about this after I read an article entitled “how to raise racist kids” posted by a friend from Wired magazine. You can check out the article for yourself here.

Dave and I go to a multi-ethnic church where we worship Jesus with Koreans, Africans, Latinos, African-Americans, Dutch people and everything in between.  We wanted to go there because we believe that we learn more about who God is and how to love people by being in relationships with people who look different than us. After all, God created the wonderfully beautiful array of ethnicities and cultures- it’s a shame to not have that be part of how we understand and worship God.

Each Wednesday I go to a moms group at my church where childcare is provided.  Rita, an older african american woman has been serving in the nursery for 20 years and has been caring for Reuben ever since we’ve been bringing him to church.  They developed a connection early on- she would lavish him with hugs and kisses and listen to him coo as a baby. He’d break out in a big smile whenever he saw her in the infants room each week. As he got older and could talk we would be driving by our church on errands and he’d ask “are we going to see Ms. Rita?” which made our hearts melt.  Even though he isn’t in the room with her anymore, he’ll still run over to the infants room to give her a hug every time we’re there.

Telfair Museum, Savannah, Georgia. Photo: UGArdener via Flickr

This week Rita and I were talking and she commented how blessed she has been that Reuben isn’t afraid of people that don’t look like him, and more specifically she’s so glad he isn’t afraid of her as a black person.  She shared about other families she knew even with adopted black kids that were afraid not just to be held by people, but to be held by black people in the nursery. Their parents would explain that they weren’t around black people much and consequently they were scared.

Rita’s compliment that she was thankful that we’re teaching Reuben about the importance of friendships with people from other ethnic backgrounds was one of the few moments as a parent that I’ve felt like I’ve been able to see how our values are being instilled in Reuben. You know when you’re kid is learning good stuff like colors and the alphabet, but knowing that you’re instilling your child with a value for multi-ethnicity or hospitality is much more difficult to quantify. Rita’s comment and the Wired article reminded me that it’s important to talk about race- not just as a politically correct, multi-cultural feel good experience to become better people, but because learning how to love and respect one another in all of our diversity is pleasing to God and just plain fun.


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Categories : church, parenting, race issues

the healthy snack attack

24 02 2010

Stereotypically men crave more salty snacks and women crave sweet snacks. Which serves to confirm my theory that I think more like a dude when it comes to eating habits (not to mention other areas of life).  Since trying to fight the february flab I’ve tried to be more conscious about eating fruits and veggies and adding strength training to doing yoga & walking. I am always amazed at how quickly the body begins to transform when you add lifting weights into the routine!  Happily, the muffin stuffin’ has decreased from code red to code orange in just two weeks of being more aware of what I was eating & spending some time doing workouts from exercisetv.tv. Wait, I think code orange is terrorist attack, or is it missing child? There aren’t any missing children or terrorists in my stomach to clear things up.

Anyways, in an attempt to try and get more fruits & veggies into my day I’ve had to rethink the snacks that I eat. I much prefer eating smaller meals & snacks throughout the day. Typically I eat three snacks during the day/night & try to make at least two of them fruit or veggies.  I always feel like veggies are more difficult to work in- sitting down with a bowl of creamed corn or roasted cauliflower doesn’t sound very appetizing even if it does fullfill the salty craving. Carrot sticks with dressing gets old after awhile & you also need to chop them up if you don’t like baby carrots/

Lately, I’ve been eating edamame for one of my snacks during the day. And actually I’m snacking on them right now as I type this post! These have been a great way to get a serving of veggies & hit the salty craving.

yummers! you can get these in the frozen food aisle most places- and in bulk at costco

These fill me up, satisfy my salty snack craving- are high protein and fiber & low in carbs. Plus they’re easy to cook in the microwave and are fun to eat sprinkled with a little sea salt.  It’s a little like the vegetable alternative of eating sunflower seeds- popping them into your mouth from the pods yet tasting the salt that has been sprinkled on the outside.

"me & jenny, we's like peas & carrots"

What are ways you work fruits & veggies into your day? Have you found any good salty or sweet snacks that are still relatively healthy?

Real Simple just featured a soup including edamame & yummy asian dumplings that I’ve been wanting to try. Here’s the link for the recipe if you’re feel the urge to try some edamame and want to incorporate them into some other recipes.

doesn't this look good? photo from realsimple.com


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Categories : cooking, food

what gets in the way of your happiness?

22 02 2010

When I was in college, my roommate Marla stressed about finding a major exclaimed in frustration; “I wish we were back in the old days of women just having to choose if they wanted to be a nurse or a teacher! There are just too many options!”  At the time, I chided her for not embracing the myriad of options women have available now more than any other point in history.  Yet, as I read the chapter in Find Your Strongest Life entitled “Of Choice and Men” Marla’s comment came to mind.  In his research to learn what helps women to feel strong and successful, Buckingham learned the following- I’m quoting from a few of the highlights on page 45 if you have a copy of the book:

1. Over the last forty years women have gained more opportunities and more responsibilities. Very few if any, have been relinquished. Consequently, your greatest challenge in life is to make wise choices.
2. More choice doesn’t correlate to more happiness. More choice can in fact, add to your levels of stress and make your life harder.

hilarious "super-mom" action figure available at: http://www.happyworker.com/catalog/item/supermom-action-figure

3. In developed countries, women and men work the same number of hours. (Women’s increasing levels of stress seem to be caused less by the actual number of hours worked, than by the sheer variety of what needs to happen within those hours)

To these observations I say, “preach it Marcus!” When I was at Wheaton taking a class this past December, I had lunch with some classmates and the department chair of the Intercultural studies, a woman named Evvy Campbell. I asked her what it was like as a woman leading in a high capacity role like department head. I immediately felt embarrassed I had called attention to her gender (do you ever feel like it’s taboo to point out gender? Especially for women?) She talked about how God had called her to the role & that Wheaton had been a great place to develop as a leader. Then with a wink and a nod she said, “I do my work here as department head & then go home to vacuum the floors & do the dishes too! That’s what it’s like being a female department head.”

oh Angelina, you make it look so easy and glamorous!

This is exactly the kind of thing Marcus is writing about- though we may have more responsibilities and opportunities, all of the same ones (like vacuuming the floors, and helping to assemble the school project, and exercising, and cooking healthy meals) remain. His premise is that women feel stressed because during the course of one day we feel pressure to be “Martha Stewart, Michelle Obama, Katie Couric and Meg Whitman and Angelina Jolie and Danica Patrick, all rolled into one unattainable package.” It isn’t that there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything, it’s that there are too many things going on to focus well on any one of them.

He’s got some great suggestions later in the book about how to deal with this, but it made me stop and reflect how I try to do this as well. It does feel great when you can fully give yourself to the attention of making dinner, reading your child a bedtime story, composing that difficult email, or cracking out a few hours of studying….without thinking about them all simultaneously. I am totally guilty of this!

Dave and I have tried to make some rules to help us stay focused on being present to what we’re currently doing- we don’t check our computers/email/facebook before breakfast. I know that might seem silly, but when you’re focused on everything at once, it’s tempting to crack some eggs, check an email while the toast is toasting and reply to the email while you’re waiting for coffee to brew.  In the mean time, you’re missing out with time to connect with others, settle into the day and be present to nourishing your body and relationships.  Even making this one rule for our family has helped me to realize- whatever is in my inbox can wait! My family is more important than my iPhone! Eggs are delicious! And I have felt less stressed because we’re not letting technology invade that time as a family. It helps me remember that the people I’m with at that moment are more important for the 30 minutes of breakfast than the people who are waiting for my replies to emails.

What are some thing that you feel like is getting in the way of your happiness? Any ways that you’ve simplified your life to stop unhealthy multi-tasking? How has it affected you? What do you agree/disagree with about Marcus’ findings?


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Categories : grad school, mom blogs, parenting, work, working moms

friday fluff- the McOlympian

19 02 2010

I read this blog on NPR today & cracked up about McDonald’s being a sponsor of the Olympics.  I’ve thought about the irony of Mcdonald’s being a sponsor for the most prestigious athletic competitions in the world for awhile & how no athlete is going to fuel up on protien and carbs from a big mac & fries! That said, I generally try to not be cynical but this blog echoed my sentiments exactly. It seems like their sponsorship of the olympics is a way to manage their tarnished image from movies like supersize me.

That said, since most of us will never compete in the olympics but still want to take care of our bodies can you actually eat healthily at McDonalds?  Where do you eat when you’re in a hurry but want to eat healthy? My sister was telling me about the shocked look on the face of moms from her son’s school when they suggested going to McDonald’s for lunch when Rachel’s son asked “what’s McDonalds?” If you know my sister, you’ll roll your eyes because she is a gorgeous woman who is also an amazing cook and loves food! Besides, her poison is Taco Bell :)

I actually am a sucker for the golden arches. more than any other fast food restaurant that is where I go if I’m in a rush, there isn’t a panera or jimmy johns available for healthier options.  The funny thing is that  I used to feel like all was lost if I stepped into a Mcdonald’s- like I needed to eat a big mac & giant fries, washed down, of course, with a diet coke- that it was the worst option or no option. Just because you eat there doesn’t mean you need to eat everything there!

Even at McDonald’s I try to stick with my strive for five principle, ordering a side salad off the $1 menu or some apple dippers without the carmel sauce.  True- it won’t be the best salad in the world but at least it’s vegetables that aren’t fried!  If I do get fries, which I try not to do that often, I’ll order a small & split it with Dave so I can enjoy the taste without the supersize. Splitting fries with Reuben is a lost cause- even if I steal one, he’ll cry out in horror- “that’s MY french fry!!!” I once spit the partially chewed fry back out to see what he’d do. He ate it anyways. My son has a deep love of french fries.

Even small choices at McD’s can save you calories- a 6-piece mcnugget is 280 calories compared to a double cheeseburger at 440 calories. You wouldn’t think it’d be that big of a difference- but every healthier choice ends up paying off! If you’re on the road a lot and don’t have many healthy options, it’s worth it to check the nutritional information for fast food locations listed online to know what you’re eating.  Spending 5 minutes doing a little research can help you make healthier choices every time you’re in the drive-through.  Better yet- skip the drive through and eat what you’ve got at home or pack a meal for the car!

cost-effective & healthy- the classic brown bag lunch!


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you know you’re depressed when….

17 02 2010

you have an irrationally sad reaction to reading that Kevin Smith has been booted off a plane for being too fat. I’m a fan of Smith’s work- my faves being Dogma & Mallrats, but really- getting sad for a day knowing that he was publicly shamed and embarrassed about having to buy two seats on a plane and then having a tweet-fest about it is a little odd even for me.

as if it isn't bad enough dealing with weight issues on your own- imagine it being on NPR's website :(

I started to think about the other reasons I’ve been sad lately and how I’ve responded besides feeling ridiculous amounts of uncharacteristic empathy for Kevin Smith- things like: eating 1/2 a bag of Doritos (my go-to junk food of choice), sighing at the grey cloudy weather when at 8am Reuben asks me every day “is it the daytime?”, being angry and uncomfortable and stinky that my lactose intolerance has returned after a 2-year hiatus and a list of other things out of my control that I’ve reacted on a scale of “big-time jerk- to debbie downer” to when I realized- the book I just finished for one of my grad classes Searching for God Knows What

"this book made me terribly sad" isn't exactly the best endorsement- but I'd recommend reading it anyways

by Donald Miller made me tremendously sad. If any of my Wheaton cronies happen to read this post- I’d especially love to know what you thought/felt about the book if you’ve read it. The book is a wonderfully narrative picture of what a relationship with Jesus could be like and is like for Miller and many other people who follow Jesus.  It challenged the way I think about sharing my faith, the ways I talk about Jesus and how I pray.  But the worst part about this book was how it was like looking in a mirror and being horrified at all the ugliness reflected back at me.

Miller writes about the learning tool that many of us have pondered over in some sort of sociology lesson- “if there are 10 people in a lifeboat with X, Y and Z characteristics and you have to choose one to toss overboard, who would you choose?”  Basically, the question of “who has worth and value in our culture?”  He started to refer to this kind of thinking as being in the lifeboat & elaborated very eloquently & hilariously about the ways we try to find acceptance in other people, manage our images and secure love from others to “not get tossed out of the lifeboat.” The Kevin Smith article was just another reminder of the ways we judge one another & then how bent out of shape/hurt we are when we do this to one another.

Writing about it here in summary sounds trite, but the ideas (or perhaps the Holy Spirit) started to wear on me over the few days I read the book.  All the ways I manage my image- what I wear,

I almost bought this hat the other day- then I was worried people would think I was turning into a pimp. I will probably still buy it and chastise whoever dares to make pimp jokes about it.

what I say or don’t say, what I eat, what I write are all ways that I’m looking for people to in some way fawn all over my fabulousness/smartness/mad skillz. The sickest part of the book was the ways that religious people, in scripture and in culture today (including myself) do this- saying who is in and out, acceptable and not acceptable to God, what belief in Jesus looks like according to certain theologies/political agendas/morality. Pretty soon I/we get so caught up in all of this we forget that following Jesus is learning to love him and become more like him as we experience his friendship.  This was the thing that made me most depressed- to know that there are millions of people, people I love, people I don’t like, people I’ve never met that have a caricature of Jesus that has become so distorted by what I along with other Christians say and do that they don’t even want to experience knowing Jesus themselves.

No wonder I’ve been feeling depressed. However the best part of this book was the reminder that a friendship with Jesus isn’t about a list of what someone says you should or shouldn’t do- it’s the most mysterious, challenging, heart-pounding, thoroughly loving relationship you could ever have. It’s not a formula, it’s not a set of precepts- it’s an invitation to find out who God has created each of us to be and to actually become more human. I know that some people who may read this blog will have the caricature Jesus pop up in their minds after reading this last sentence.  The one you immediately associate with the cruel ways you were treated by people in a church/youth group/someone who claimed to follow Jesus.   They ways you associate Jesus with being demeaned, told you’re wrong, and not being “in the lifeboat.”  All I can say is I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that this was the Jesus you experienced and I’m sorry that I’m part of the problem. I pray that God himself would heal the wounds that I, along with so many others have caused because of my own self-focus.

Even in the midst of being depressed over my own brokenness and all the ways I see it play out in our obsession for affirmation everyday I was reminded of Jesus’ words about image management in the sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter 6.  In the verses before this Jesus is talking about how we don’t need to stress about what we’ll eat or what we’ll wear- that God cares for us and is able to provide for all of our needs- especially our need to be loved, affirmed and valued:

photo by lauren archer

“if God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

It was a good reminder to me, and hopefully in some small way a reminder to you of God’s care for your life.  I want to be caught up in God-reality rather than image management. I’m praying that my caricatures of Jesus will fade away and that and you & I, blog lurkers and blog readers will see the beauty, mystery and love found in getting to know Jesus for who he actually is.


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Categories : books, fashion, grad school, inner world, jesus, spirituality

what does your strongest life look like?

16 02 2010

A few weeks ago I invited women to join me in the challenge of reading “Find Your Strongest Life” by Marcus Buckingham.  Did anyone take me up on the challenge?  Perhaps you’ve been too busy living your life to stop, read & find out about how to strengthen it :) .

If you are intrigued by this book, but only have like, 5 minutes to spare, take the quiz to see if this book is something that you may want to read when you have a little more time. I am always eager to take quizzes in my perpetual quest of self-discovery and am always slightly disappointed that I don’t learn more about myself.  However, I do think every thing we do to discover how God has wired us is a good thing.  If you took the quiz, what did you come out as? I was pegged as a teacher/equalizer. I think I have some of the qualities found in influencer and advisor as well.  Do you ever feel like skewing the results so you come out as what you want to be/be perceived as rather than what you actually might be?

What do you think some of your strengths are? One of the things I’ve appreciated about Marcus Buckingham’s books is that they provide a language to talk about strengths in a way that is accurate- not bragadocius or prideful, but reflective of the unique strengths each of us bring to the table. I love the whole concept of strength based leadership- I know I’ve been given the passion/skills/strength to become an awesome public speaker/preacher but I will never have a filing system or linen closet that is envied by anyone. The great thing is these books support the idea that I should spend my time developing what I’m good at rather than stressing about the fact that my hand-towels, table cloths and christmas decor is all jumbled together. I would rather spend my time writing a sermon anyways :)


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Categories : books, work

exercisetv.tv, my new best friend

11 02 2010

Last week I posted a blog about setting some goals to tackle the february flab that was starting to creep in.  After I posted the blog I thought- “crap! the worst thing about blogging about health goals is that you feel like a tool if you don’t follow through on them.” So, for the three people that read my blog, you’ll be happy to know that I began a friendship with exercisetv.com this past week even though there were multiple hurdles to overcome.

As Dave and I were driving home from Cleveland I thought- o.k.- no excuses, I’m doing yoga when we get home. then I felt exhausted from the trip. no yoga.

the next night I thought- no excuses, Jillian Michaels and I have a date tonight. The workout dvd wasn’t where I thought it was & I couldn’t find it. no excuses, find something else to use to workout with.

jillian- where were you when I needed you???

I couldn’t find my running shoes. no excuses, wore my old pair even though they have no support.
shape.com has crappy routines that aren’t helpful at all. no excuses, there has got to be something else online!
find “exercisetv.tv” scroll through the workouts & find a multitude of free full workout videos! The one I did was a little hokey, at a few points some of the moves made me feel like Balki from Perfect Strangers doing the dance of joy. However, it was a solid 20 minute strength & cardio workout & I was sweating by the time it finished!

Today I did make me over in 40 and it was another great video.  I have not been able to muster the self-discipline to get outside and walk, especially because I’ve been shoveling like a crazy person with all this snow. Every time I choose to care for my body through exercise, I’m amazed at the positive domino effect it has on the rest of my life- amazing how God connected everything to influence our bodies, minds and spirits! I’m not saying exercise is a cure-all, but afterwards I was feeling more motivated, less sad, wasn’t craving the foods I wanted before the workout & then I slept like a baby that night! Check out this article on how exercise affects your mood if you need some extra motivation to get moving.

So what have been your “no excuses” motivations to stay healthy this winter? What are your small steps that you’re taking forward to reach your goals?

perhaps "scooter lee's" hot tracks will help you gain momentum in your health goals? I just love this picture.


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cleveland rocks

9 02 2010

This weekend Dave and I visited Cleveland for five days to explore the job/life/housing situation in Cleveland as we pray about our next stage in life with InterVarsity.

as Drew Carey once said "Cleveland Rocks!" I really can't believe they made a cd from this show.

About two years ago I took a regional job where I work with 50 InterVarsity chapters in a four state region- Cleveland is waaay more central to the work I do than Grand Rapids is. So there are some pragmatic reasons for moving that would make travel more easy, less costly and a better way to serve the students I work with. We’ve been praying about moving to Cleveland for two years, which just seems like forever now that I’m writing it, but we didn’t want to make this decision hastily.

These past few months especially Dave and I have felt a sense from God that we’re supposed to go to Cleveland for more than just pragmatic reasons, though they are some good ones.  I keep thinking about the passages in scripture where God tells Abram (later Abraham) to leave everything familiar to him- his family, the land and the country and go. It’s always been amazing to me that Abram goes obediently, though I’m sure he was pretty freaked out at times. He goes, not knowing what “go to the land I will show you” will look like, but he trusts God when he tells Abram that ”I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.“

I’m not trying to compare myself to having the faith of Abraham, I’m pretty freaked out about the possibility of  moving too- leaving my family, a place that I’m comfortable & familiar with, friendships that I’ve been thankful for over the years & networks of people who have blessed us tremendously. But, similar to Abraham, I do feel like I too can rely on the promises God has for my future, whatever it holds. I’m reminded of the promise that God shared in Jeremiah- a comfort to so many who have been in transitions where they aren’t sure what will happen next: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.“ This promise was spoken to the prophet Jeremiah when the Israelites were in exile- a pretty crappy time in their history.

All that said- we had a great time over these past few days. It doesn’t feel like we’re at a crappy point in life, unlike the Israelites- it feels like an exciting time to trust God with the future, take steps forward even when it feels risky, and keep an open mind about what may be in store for us in Cleveland.  This weekend we loved spending time with people who made us feel so welcomed and cared for, people we love having fun with and could see ourselves serving with, and homes that- holy crow- are amazingly priced with TONS of potential, in sweet locations. Even that was an answer to prayer since we don’t have a ton of moolah to spend on a house.

So- stay tuned dear blog-o-philes in the adventures of Dave and Jess as we see where God leads us!


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Categories : work

fighting the february flab

3 02 2010

I thought my jeans were tight the other day because I had just washed them. Then I noticed some muffin’ stuffin when I looked in the mirror.

thank God that the low-rise jean phenomenon is over!

So it wasn’t quite like the one in the picture, but it was enough for me to do a double take & realize that “dun-laps” (as in “my stomach dun lapped over my belt!) disease had caught up with me this month. It’s easy to freak out and think about cutting all the goodies completely- but when I’ve done this in the past it shoots me in the foot. So, I decided to:

Losing a few pounds over the course of a month is a feasible goal- but to help me get there I decided I needed to set some mini-goals. I like the way I look (and even did when I weighed 20 lbs. more) as my grandma told me as an awkward 7th grader- “honey, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.” Oh, grandma. So wholesome. Anyways- the issue is more about clothes fitting comfortably, staying on track with healthy eating during the winter months and not giving up because it’s freezing outside and there are warm cookies inside :)

Since it’s the easiest thing to do, I decided to resume a more active pursuit of Strive For Five each week to get my five fruits/veggies a day, set an exercise goal of strength training three times a week and cardio (walking) twice a week. I think the other thing that’s helped the muffin-top develop is well, all the muffins I’ve been eating. I love to bake and it’s so cozy to bake in the winter. But then all those chocolate chip cookies, lemon pound cakes and peach muffins stick around my house (and my waistline a little too long). That, coupled with less exercise = the fight of the february flab.

So, anyone else setting out this month to keep up their new years resolutions, starting to tone up for summer or drop a few pounds in the next month? What are your mini-goals? I


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Categories : baking, exercise, food

january good reads

1 02 2010

During my sabbatical I’ve been in uber-nerd mode reading like crazy. I am on a study sabbatical, so it’s what I am supposed to do & I’ve really been enjoying it. If you’re looking for something good to read during these long winter months here are some of the books I’ve enjoyed:

Books for class:

Sister Aimee: The Life of Aimee Semple McPherson

While most biographers take a fairly negative view on this woman who paved the way for modern evangelism, Epstein treats her well without glossing over the negative areas in her life and ministry. It was fascinating and inspiring to read about this prominent female evangelist! It was also a good warning for what can happen to leaders when they are burned out, try to vindicate themselves or are misunderstood by the public.

Other books for class: The Making of A Leader by J. Robert Clinton. This seminal book on leadership is a must read. I had learned some of the principles over the years working for InterVarsity but it was great to read them from the source.

That the World May Believe- The Life of John R. Mott. An insightful look at a man who believed God wanted to work powerfully in a generation of students to change the world. I was amazed to read that he won the Nobel Peace Prize for mobilizing people to care for war-torn areas in Europe.

Books for Personal Development:

Climate Control: Improving Communication with Your Spouse by Creating a Healthy Environment
This book isn’t even out yet but I was asked by Al Hsu at InterVarsity Press to review it. It was difficult to keep my “reviewers hat” on because it was so helpful as a wife to learn about ways I can improve my marriage & communication with Dave. I highly recommend reading it when it comes out this year!

Out of the SaltShaker & into the World. O.k. this is kind of embarrassing. I’ve never read this book before. It was voted by Christianity Today as one of the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals. In addition to that, it’s by a woman evangelist! I even had breakfast with the author, Rebecca Pippert at Urbana a few years ago to ask her questions and advice about being a woman proclamation evangelist. I sure as heck didn’t tell her that I hadn’t ever read her book. There is just no excuse for not reading this sooner but I’m glad that I am now! I’m about 1/2 way through it.

Books for Fun:

The Soup Peddler’s Slow & Difficult Soups. This has been such a fun read! I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet but I’m looking forward to whipping up a pot of Armenian apricot soup this week thanks to this funky recipe included in this book. It’s a great story of a guy who was sick of the corporate world, moved to a hippie area in Austin, Texas and began selling soup from the back of his yellow bicycle. He has a great vocabulary and a knack for shaping a story in such an amusing way. Plus, since it’s winter it’s nice to have a few new soup recipes to try to stay warm. None of his soups actually look all that difficult to make- he does make his stock from scratch, but you could easily sub in canned broth for any of his recipes. I’ve been reading this before I go to bed, which hasn’t been the greatest idea because I go to sleep hungry for soup!

What have you been reading lately? Anything fun? I’d love some parenting book recommendations now that I’ve got a toddler!


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Categories : books, cooking, food, grad school


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