Hooray for you, Mari Sasano.

So, a teacher at my old high school got suspended for handing out zeroes in his class.

Maybe he was obnoxious about it (the school board cites his “defiance”), but I definitely agree with how he has dealt with his classroom. It makes sense, and it’s fair: students who fail to submit their assignments get a zero; students are allowed to hand in their assignments by the end of term with no penalties.

I can see how confidence needs to be built in elementary grades by emphasizing work rather than grades. I don’t mind the idea of not grading elementary level students at all, actually. But at the high school level, these are young adults. Self esteem needs to be built on taking on responsibility and mastery of subjects, which is what young adults naturally seek at that age. This teacher seems to be striking a good balance: he shows the students the consequences BEFORE he assigns them a zero, then he gives them a chance to make it up.

In a my classroom, I tell them what the deadlines are, and to stick to them. But I also tell them that we are all adults: if there are extenuating circumstances, they need to tell me. I would rather have a slightly late assignment than an assignment that didn’t fulfil its pedagogical goal. And I certainly would prefer reading an assignment that is written well than one that is rushed and terrible! As workers, we are all sometimes required to hand in work late. That’s life. But as adults, we need to let people know when that will happen in advance, and why. Negotiating timelines is part of the work world.

That’s precisely what this teacher has done. He has given his students an opportunity to learn how to deal with a client, boss, or teacher– not as an arbitrary disciplinarian, but as a colleague. It’s admirable, actually. I can’t believe how many students are unable to talk to their teacher. And I’ve had students come to me to ask for their grades to be bumped up. They come to me in tears, but without any reason why I would help them. I tell them that a negotiation means they come in with reasons and evidence. If they can’t give me any, then they get what they get. It seems to surprise them, but it’s true: I’m fallible, so if I have missed something on their assignments, then I would be open to raising their mark if they can point out where I’m wrong.

But failing to hand in an assignment at all, after all of that? A zero seems more than fair.

(except those neo-Nazi dudes, I suppose.)

In the wake of the International Day for the Elimination of Racism, today’s alleged Blood and Honour rally downtown, and Trayvon, I need to get get a few things off my chest.

First of all, I know you are “not a racist”. You keep saying so. That’s great! However, I tell you, it’s not enough. You need to be ANTI-racist. You need to do, say, and act in ways that show that you don’t passively accept our society’s greatest ill. You don’t have to be aggressive or confrontational; far from it. In my experience, a light touch can lead to some great conversations and a little enlightenment. Being a jerk about it shuts things down and makes closet racists even more so. Try to be gentle. A simple, “I don’t agree with that,” or “What do you mean?” will usually do. Continue with that conversation, even if it weirds you out. Believe me, it weirds ME out. But the outcome is usually good.

Let me tell you a story. An organization I used to work for had an employee who would often say problematic things. Terrible things. Once, in a meeting with one of our business leaders (she was in SALES!) she said, “Could you do something about the African guys who hang out on the sidewalk? They scare me.” My jaw dropped. But the fellow we were having our meeting with had a perfect response. He, an older German-Canadian man, said: “They are just socializing. If they’re doing anything criminal, you can call the police. But when an immigrant comes to Canada, he usually likes to find other immigrants to socialize with. It was the same when my family came to Canada from Germany. People weren’t very friendly, so we socialized with other Germans.” Gentle, factual, and firm.

Another thing: I’ve head a couple of times today, “why isn’t it OK to feel proud to be white?” Here’s my answer. There’s a Black History Month and an Asian Heritage Month. The history of minorities in Canada have until quite recently, been hidden or marginalized. This is a way to show their contributions to our society, plus there is an explicit invitation to those not sharing that particular background to join in and learn. Now, I would definitely argue that there ARE opportunities for white people to show pride in their background. It’s just so ingrained that you don’t even notice it! We just had St Patrick’s Day, for example. The Germans have Oktoberfest! And our Scandinavian history is acknowledged every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Feel free to bring me a lefse and acquavit on any of those days. If you are a white person and don’t feel enough reasons to celebrate your background, you are not trying hard enough, or you are taking it for granted.

But I don’t think that’s enough for the white supremacists. I think they mean me, and other people of colour AND those of you who aren’t racist, some harm. That’s the problem. You don’t get success from dragging other people down, but that’s exactly what they think is going on. Multiculturalism isn’t a zero-sum game; we all benefit in the many cultures, traditions, and languages that we bring to our society.

So please, let’s all work together to show the neo-Nazis that there are better ways to express themselves, and that we do not approve of their methods. We are the majority, we are nice but we would very much like to not have the crap beaten out of us, thanks!

Oh my god! I forgot to tell you how to make miso soup. It is so easy.

You can get miso pretty much anywhere now, so you need to choose what kind. White miso is milder and sweeter, red miso is sharper. Your call. I like white miso.

You heat as much water as you want soup. Then you dissolve some miso into the water (my dad says never let it actually boil). I scoop a little into a ladle and swish it with water until it’s all dissolved. I estimate about 1/4 cup of miso per 4 cups water or so, but if you’re not sure just do a little at a time until it tastes right. If you want to be really authentic, you can throw in a little dashi, which adds a little more depth to the flavour. You can buy instant dashi at T&T. Just a teaspoonful is enough for a 4 bowl portion.

You can add cubed soft tofu, green onions, sliced vegetables, wakame or whatever. I’ve heard of people putting in bacon, even. Weird. I usually have some dried wakame in the pantry. You should too! Again, hooray for T&T.

That’s it! It’s no mystery, and it’s pretty healthy for you. Now you go!

Thankfully, it’s not only possible but it’s delicious. But take note! Margarine is sneaky. Most brands have whey, which is a dairy ingredient. Some brands also have gelatin, which is animal collagen.

Most recipes seem to call for some shortening, but quite frankly, that’s disgusting. So I just used an entire cup of vegan margarine, creamed it with my mixer, then added about 3 cups of powdered sugar, then mixed it some more. It looks a little questionable at this point, but don’t worry. You add a couple teaspoons of vanilla, then a tiny bit of soy or rice milk while beating until it’s smooth.

Lick the beaters.

I have vegans in my family, but that doesn’t mean they have to go without the good stuff. I’m in charge of some baking for Father’s Day/everyone’s birthday (seriously: two of my siblings were born today, and my brother in law. Plus we skipped my dad’s birthday earlier this month ’cause he was out of town). My sister, who turns 40 today, gave me this recipe. it’s very easy and very good. I make this instead of regular chocolate cake. It’s better!

Combine dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt. Sift together, or do as I do and just mix it a lot, anxiously, in the hopes that it’s as good as sifting. I’m using whole wheat flour today. Wish me luck!

Then mix liquids: 1 cup warm water, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used olive), and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar. Mix the liquids into the dry ingredients, pour into a greased cake pan (I used olive oil), and bake half an hour at 350F. I’ll probably skip the icing. I’m not that advanced. I suppose I can make a buttercream with margarine. Off I go to get margarine!

Anyhow, it’s perfect. Can’t wait til Father’s/Birthday dinner!

The house I now live in once housed a little old lady. She liked owls and the colour green. And like most little old ladies, she grew rhubarb. Planted it, on purpose, pretty much in the middle of my backyard. And it’s very happy there.

So happy! It’s huge! And I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I mean, I’ve had rhubarb pie before, and I like it fine. There is rarely a pie I disapprove of. But this freakishly large plant is so daunting, and isn’t it somewhat poisonous? And, bleah, cooking stuff. I haven’t been in the mood. A strange admission for a food writer, but yeah.

In any case, I got a cheap pair of garden shears and I whacked it to bits, discarding the perilous leaves (and leaving them in an ugly pile in my garden. Martha Stewart, I ain’t.) Once safely indoors, I washed the stems and chopped them into 2 cm bits. Most recipes recommend boiling them in their own juices, which is a freaky thing. You just throw all the pieces into a pot with about a half cup of sugar and let it sit for a while until they BLEED. Then you can turn up some heat until it boils for a bit, then turn down the heat to simmer (covered) until the bits are soft. Taste it to see if it’s sweet enough for you. Then let it cool some. In fact, let it cool and put it in a tupperware and refrigerate it. Yeah.

It’s tangy and sweet. My mom gave me some rhubarb compote just like this and said it that she eats it on ice cream. This is very good. You can also stir some into plain yogurt, or blend it into a smoothie. But my very, very favourite thing that I ate it with was pork chops. Oh myyy! So much better than apple sauce!

Did I mention that rhubarb is very high in fibre and (aside from the half cup of sugar) is pretty healthy? Oh, and that plant in my yard has grown back its severed stalks, and then some. I don’t think I hurt it one bit.

We are exceptionally lucky to have this very excellent Salvadorean restaurant mere blocks away. It’s incredible food (and most things come with a salad– this is a pet peeve, ordering a meal that doesn’t come with a vegetable. I mean, really!) and the prices are reasonable. Also, I didn’t mention that they will make most of the meat dishes vegetarian if you ask. Our neighbourhood also hosts an annual Pupusa Festival, too. My neighbourhood is awesome.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Rancho+inspires+craving/3730324/story.html

I’ve been doing office work for the last month (for Elections Canada, actually– if you’ve never been an election worker, I recommend it!) so instead of my usual routine, I’ve had to get up quite early and head to the office every day. This means that time is a precious thing in the morning, so breakfast has usually been a bowl of granola. This gets boring after a while.

Then I remembered an old trick: breakfast sandwich. You know that eggs can be microwaved, right? Yeah! In a coffee mug, I pour about a teaspoon of olive oil. I crack an egg into it, give it a quick scramble, and microwave it for about 40 seconds. While this is happening, I cut open an English muffin (toast it if I’m being very luxurious) and lay a slice of processed cheese on one side. When the microwave beeps, I take the mug out, slide the egg onto the muffin and let the heat melt the cheese.

Just as good as store-bought! But better, since the eggs I use are free range and organic, and the English muffins are whole wheat. There is nothing to be done about the processed cheese slice. I just like the taste of it, OK?

Anyhow, if you have one minute in the morning, you have your own version of a breakfast sandwich. And you don’t even have toxically idle your car in a drive-thru to get one!

My friend Malcolm Azania is an activist, educator, and novelist. But he’s started a new project that I find pretty interesting on a culinary as well as cultural level: he is now making pies, bean pies in particular, as Desserts of Kush.

Bean pies have an apocryphal history, with origins possibly in North Africa, or the Middle East, or New York. Who knows? But the sweet treat has been appropriated by Muslim African American communities as the go-to dessert. You can see a short video on bean pies here.

Malcolm’s bean pies comes in two varieties: Dream Girl (the classic bean pie) and the Brotherman (the chocolate version). I had to try both, and he hand-delivered a couple to my house the other day. “You have to eat them with vanilla ice cream,” he said. Who could argue with that? So, we ran out for a tub of Haagen Dazs and dug in.

The Dream Girl is a smooth, starchy, sweet, and lightly spicy pie (cloves?). It’s like a denser pumpkin pie. And the Brotherman has a hint of chocolate on top of that. Japanese sweets are overwhelmingly bean-based, so it’s a familiar flavour, but the texture is so much smoother. The beans aren’t mashed, they’re whipped in a blender, so you don’t get that beany skin stuff. It’s very nice!

This is his first run of pies, a market test kind of thing. He’s looking to get them into a restaurant and/or a farmer’s market. At the moment, the only way to get one is to email him directly. I hope he does well with them, because they are very tasty. You won’t get anything like it, unless you travel south!

The Journal is running my mushroom article this week!

Mo Na Foods is a pretty nice company. And of course, you can make some barley risotto with it!