Thinking Big

If seventy-five percent of Americans do not have passports, it is not surprising that George Bush was  popular when he defended America’s right to global supremacy at the expense of other countries. Before he became president, Bush hadn’t even traveled to Europe let alone Canada. And one doubts he would have dipped his toe into Mexico had it not been so culturally, financially, and historically linked to Texas.

Travel is said to broaden people’s perspectives, so I say give every American a passport without them having to sign up for it: if you’ve paid taxes, the passport is in the mail.

Imagine a world where Americans actually understand the problems of others and learn to empathize with them. Maureen Dowd, the journalist I hate to love, recently dropped some of her mordant commentary to wonder at the perversity of American’s love for everything big. “How big do we need to be to still feel American?…How big can our cars be? And how big is our clout abroad these days? …How do we come to terms with the gluttony that exploded our economy…how do we  make the pursuit of the American dream a satisfying quest rather than a selfish one?”

That world imagined above might just be dawning. It is as if president Obama read Dowd’s questions and answered it at the G20 summit yesterday, in response to a question from a foreign, er, Chinese, reporter. He said, “Look, I’m the president of the United States. I’m not the president of China. It is also my responsibility,” he added “to lead America into  recognizing that its interest, its fate, is tied up with the larger world…Unless we are concerned about the education of all children and not just our children, not only may we be depriving ourselves of the next great scientist who’s going to find the next new energy source that saves the planet, but we also may make people around the world much more vulnerable to anti-American propaganda.”

And that is exactly what Bush accomplished, if he accomplished anything: a world full of anti-American propaganda. The worst thing the press can do is discuss the “American way of life” or the maintenance of our life-style as if it were either deserved, God-given, or the be all and end all of a person’s, let along the world’s happiness.

Americans are capable of thinking big. And this economic crisis may be the best thing to have happened to America in generations. It provides the greatest opportunity we’ve ever had to show just how big we can think: by having a not-exactly humble, (perhaps reasonable is a better word) and brilliant president who acknowledges that our strengths are also our weaknesses: Michelle’s taboo breaking but instinctive and natural arm around Queen Elizabeth showed that genuine affection trumps protocol; Obama’s acknowledged  fumble regarding “foreign” journalists corrected immediately,  humorously, and unselfconsciously  by saying “well, foreign to me ” shows that we all make the same mistakes and are all capable of learning and moving on.

So before we call for a chicken in every pot, let’s rally ’round a passport in every pocket. In that way, foreigners can be turned into friends, “foreign” countries “familiar”, and “US interests”, “universal interests.”

Big, Bold and Delicious Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups walnut pieces

1 cup oatmeal (not instant), divided in two

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp coarse salt + 1/2 tsp sugar mixed together

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place nuts on one baking sheet and the oats on another.
3. Bake 12 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant. Watch the oats carefully. They should get lightly browned
4. Remove both pans from the oven.
5. Toss the butter into the nuts to coat, then sprinkle with the salt and sugar. Cool.
6. When cool, chop the nuts into slightly smaller than pea-sized pieces.

Meanwhile:

1/2  cup jumbo raisins

3 Tbsp Jack Daniels bourbon whisky

1. Mix together in a heatproof bowl and microwave for 45 seconds. Stir and set aside.
2. Grind the remaining unbaked 1/2 cup of oatmeal in a food processor until finely ground.

3/4 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1 large egg

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Place both in mixer and beat on medium speed until fluffy.
2. Add the cinnamon, salt and nutmeg and mix well.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and mix. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again.
4. Mix the  ground oats, flour and baking soda together.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture in the bowl.
6. Mix on low speed for one minute.
7. Add the toasted nuts and oatmeal, raisins and chocolate chips.
8. Mix only until the chunky ingredients are incorporated.
9. Scoop the dough onto a piece of parchment paper into a log about 18″ long.
10. Roll into an even log and cover both ends.
11. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
12. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F.
13. Using a sharp chef’s knife slice into 1/2″ rounds.
14. Place on baking sheets and bake for about 9 minutes or until browned around the edges.
15. Cool and enjoy!

Winter Garden

The best thing about Watergate was reading new revelations daily. Like a soap opera, it never ended and the venom one felt towards Nixon could only be expressed in then unthinkable expletives.

The best thing about the current financial crisis is that just when you think things have reached rock bottom, and a new source of venom is brewing,  something happens to make you feel like things may be on the upswing. The worst thing about it is that unless you are a professional blogger, trying to keep up is almost impossible.

Take, for example, what I wrote two days ago:

“Today’s Sunday New York Times is rich with advice and commentary. In the business section  Kelly Holland writes that good leaders tell their troops the truth about a situation. In this way, people can assess their status,  understand why certain actions are being taken, and make informed decisions.  She also says that being fair doesn’t mean necessarily treating people equally, especially when it comes to layoffs.

Thomas Friedman’s op-ed says Obama “should have gone on national TV and had the fireside chat..a talk where he lays out exactly how deep the crisis we are in is, exactly how much sacrifice were all going to have to make to get out of it…and then [ask the AIG executives] to return their bonuses “for the sake of the country…Inspiring conduct has so much more of an impact than coercing it.” Mind you, this comes two weeks after the press was calling for Obama to stop with the doom and gloom pronouncements and be more upbeat. Friendman suggests Obama follows  Holland’s advice.

Yes, Obama said during the election that everyone would have to sacrifice, but that implies a voluntary renunciation toward a shared goal. When there is no fairness when big banks get bailed and home owners with mortgages don’t; when rich executives get bonuses while workers get laid off; does it surprise you that anger is expressed by people  calling for the tumbrel’s rumble down Wall Street’s narrow alleys towards the people at AIG who engineered this mess?”

That was yesterday’s thinking.Today the curtain is raised on the toxic asset plan. The market soars, and three quarters of the AIG executives return their bonuses. Ok, scratch one for sacrifice. Obama didn’t even have to appeal to the executives directly. They did their civic duty while AIG supplied their homes with body guards.

Everyone is so eager for good news that even my SO talks about things getting better. Overnight? When there are banks still on the brink? When we don’t know if the toxic assets can be tamed?

Enter Michelle Obama and her new broom-or rather shovel- approach to being the First (Green) Lady.

Maureen Dowd, the one journalist who can turn a silk purse into a sow’s ear, wonders if “the wrong Obama is in the Oval” based on Michelle’s no nonsense expectation that even the president would be out pulling weeds “whether [he] likes it or not.”

Those muscles she likes to display in her favourite sleeveless attire are symbolic of who she is: not just brain but brawn too. Finally a woman in the White House who is feminine and forceful, secure in who she is and more importantly what she stands for.

Out in the cold, those scuplted pecs covered  in a dark cardigan, she was doing more than just digging an organic garden last week. She was showing all of us how we will  have to rely on ourselves (and our kids) to dig  out of this mess.

Mark my words, it won’t be president Obama who sows the seeds of a new age, it will be Michelle who already has planted the future in the White House lawn.

Green and Root Vegetable Stir-Fry

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 shallot, sliced

1″ fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 turnip, sliced in 1/2″ rounds, then into 1/4″ strips

1/4 celeriac, peeled, and cut into 1/4″ dice

12 French green beans, cut in half

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce, or any spicy condiment, such as a curry paste

1/2 cup cooked rice

1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan until hot.
2. Add the sliced onions, shallots, and ginger and cook over medium heat until slightly caramelized.
3. Add the turnip and celeriac and raise the heat until the edges are browned.
4. Add the broccoli florets and the stock.
5. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and allow the broth to cook down to almost nothing.
7. Add the green beans and the rice, toss to mix.
8. Add the chili garlic or other condiment paste and heat through.
9. Sprinkle with optional cilantro and feel virtuous with your virtually green meal.