No one worth possessing
Can be quite possessed;
Lay that on your heart,
My young angry dear;
This truth, this hard and precious stone,
Lay it on your hot cheek,
Let it hide your tear.
Hold it like a crystal
When you are alone
And gaze in the depths of the icy stone.
Long, look long and you will be blessed:
No one worth possessing
Can be quite possessed.”
―
My job responsibilities have grown, and I find myself in more Zoom calls with senior colleagues I’ve never met. A lot of people find my name hard to pronounce, so I make a point to introduce myself clearly when I enter the Zoom room. More often than not, people don’t remember, and they botch my name.
This didn’t happen in in-person meetings as much because people would make eye contact instead of attempting my name. It’s infuriating and brings back a lot of memories from school, when teachers could never pronounce my name. Should I interrupt these colleagues and tell them how to say it correctly?— Elaheh Nozari, New York
The headline”Say My Name, Say My Name, Say My Name (Correctly!)“ jumped out at me at me like a mad lion, and annoyed the hell out of me before I could even read Roxane Gay’s response. I had formulated my own- people who don’t take the time to learn an individual’s name are assholes, to me learning someone’s name and properly being able to say and spell it is a sign of respect. Names are important. Your colleagues reveal themselves when they don’t extend you the courtesy of pronouncing your name properly or asking for guidance. I have always taken the time when I don’t know someone’s name to ask kindly, how do you pronounce your name? Do you prefer to be called by that name or do you preferred to be called something else? There is a peculiar American resistance to the unfamiliar. As you well know, people will mispronounce your name, shorten it, bestow an Americanized nickname upon you without your consent, and act aggrieved when you expect the dignity of being called by your proper name, with the proper pronunciation.
The People United Will Never Be Defeated! Frederic Rzewski
Positively Purging-I welcome your feedbacks in the comments and your likes and passing the real life wisdom on to others as I embark on this new venture of “positively purging“, as I know each of these pieces represents something…urging“, as I know each of these pieces represents something…
I got an email that read “Damn you are so adventurous with your meals. What’s next?” I must admit this made me smile and laugh. I am unsure if I am adventurous or curious. In my latest curated box was Salsify. Seriously what the hell is Salsify? This item didn’t even look appetizing. The long black “sticks” reminded me of witch’s fingers, or if I were to place them in the food realm, super dirty carrots. I am a big believer we eat with our eyes before we eat with our mouth. This really reminded me of Hubbard Squash (as it belongs in the scary looking food category).
I learned Salsify comes in black and white varieties. They are a skinnier relative of the oyster plant and belong to the dandelion family. It’s also known as the ‘oyster plant’ because of its faintly oystery flavor when cooked. Let me be clear this oyster flavor was NOT faint, and the flavor of oysters should only come from oysters. Not one to be bested by a culinary challenge, I felt the best way to cook this was by roasting, as the dry heat of the oven caramelizes the natural sugars in vegetables, which brings about an amazing depth of flavor in most vegetables. This was NOT one of them. No one in my household liked Salsify, albeit the rooted vegetable provided laughter, plenty of funny facial expressions, and the best comment I heard all week which was “What’s wrong with these fries? I think they are spoiled.” Have you tried Salsify? If so, how did you prepare it? For the bold, here is my recipe.
How to Prepare Salsify. As a root vegetable, you’ll need to scrub the salsify under cold water before using. You’ll need to peel with the vegetable peeler. Cut into slices- think French fry thickness. Place in cold water with a s squeeze of fresh lemon juice as they will oxidize on you. Once all Salsify is cut, drain water. Give them a good rinse. Place in a bowl and toss in some minced garlic, sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, sea salt, and toss in garlic olive oil. Place Salsify in a skillet in an even layer. Roast them at 325, for 20-40 minutes. At the 20- minute mark, flip them over. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with a dash of sea salt.
