I Don't Think Jesus Done it That Way

Crunchy Shrimp Tacos

Just when you think you know things, by chance you catch a late night video of two gals making tacos in a new way that changes everything.  America's Test Kitchen approaches cooking scientifically.  They try 500 ways before reaching the best baked potato recipe, for example.  Initially I sneered at their methods and ingredients.  They aren't approaching food with soul, I thought.  It Has to come from the gut.  Their ridiculous notion of baking tacos had me in a spin.   Which in hindsight is silly on my part because I have been baking tostadas now for some time. Um...a taco is just a folded tostada lady.  Don't bother me kid, I'm trying to defend some hard core Mexican traditions here. 

But in recent years I've learned, you don't have to do things as they were done in the past simply to keep the tradition alive if indeed a better, healthier way is discovered.  These folks are paid to waste food in order to trial and error every possible technique.  Home cooks could never do that, but we can benefit from their labors.  Baking tacos works, it totally works.  Might I add, a true bonus to be able to do a sheet pan full of tacos at once.   Less oil is used, it's definitely less messy and I love a crispy shell.  Brushing on the oil and baking at high heat, saves you calories and accomplishes the same, perhaps better, results.     

Sometimes we can get a thing all wrong.  Morgan Wallen, the country singer, is banned from attending the CMA awards this year, where ironically he's nominated for Album of the Year.  They refused to nominate him for an individual category, such as Entertainer of the Year based upon his social rating, which is fair if you look up the criteria for the award.  Banning him from attendance, is another thing entirely.  

Back in February, he came home stinking drunk with friends and some sick individual video taped his private farewells to friends and shared them with news stations and social media.  We don't know anything about that person.  That neighbor, who deliberately set out to ruin a life.  I'd like to take away that person's career and social standing but that's just me.  Because when you really consider this story, yes, people could be hurt hearing that word but remember, no one would have heard it, other than that white friend that he said it to in a non-derogatory way (which, for me, is key), from his own yard, if some prick opportunist wouldn't have taped it and shared it to the world=TMZ.  What's the more evil of those two acts?

What kind of world are we living in right now?  Shouldn't our first consideration be context?  And the second, to prove intent?  This guy is guilty alright but of what half of our youth is and that is assimilating the black culture by using the brotherly slur that dudes address each other by every day on the streets, in music, everywhere you go.  I hear that word said in non-derogatory slang allllll day long, at least here in Brooklyn.  He's wrong to use it, but it's certainly not cancel worthy and it sure the hell is not my definition of a racist.  Black men have learned to reverse the N word and use it for bonding, thus giving it power.  They did something unique and necessary for their own.  Somewhere in the story, it became part of our US culture.  You sell enough records using this word as a bro-descriptive, then fauxpaus are bound to be heard.    

I would never say it, but I grew up in another time when and where that word was said most definitely in a defamatory way.   And yes, I do get why it should be off limits. Words can matter but not sure I agree they always do or should.   Maybe Wallen needed to learn some history, why it's not okay for him to joke with his friends in private.  Or, or just maybe we need to understand that when a free individual is with family and friends, no matter what color they are, they should be free to say any of the words, right or wrong.   

What could have been a quick easy self correction has click baited itself into a shit storm.  How much did the media make off of that non-story?   Companies, in this case, the CMAs are cowering to the shut down crew, operating out of fear they'll be targeted or boycotted, financially hurt.   The social justice progressives gain more power, the media sees the high financial opportunity and we all know they have no scruples and then the coalitions and organizations stand to gain big financially as well.  It's become a true money making scheme machine.

Meanwhile, real people are hung out in the public square as if to demonstrate our own loss of freedoms.  It's a bully tactic, that I've become well aware of in my workplace.  The real story might just be this guy has a heavy drinking problem that went along with his new star rise. (as I sit thinking, God forbid, a camera followed me and my chosen words at 27)  To say he's an evil, white, country redneck racist is a sexier picture for sure.  

He's being used as an example that if you are going to be a successful anything in America going forward, you better bow down and stay between the approved ideology lines and never be caught, even in the wee hours of the night, of your own private life, committing an unapproved behavior.  You can lose everything, even if nothing is related in the least to your craft.   And by the way, these rules are not in effect for everyone and that is one of the more disgusting facts of this new game.  What is allowed is not controlled by common decency laws either, but by some unlimited cyber collective's ongoing, ever-changing whim.  You want to degrade the Catholic Church?  No problem!  You want to take away the rights of others?  If it serves the cause, absolutely.  Can you openly joke about those who believe in God?  Go right ahead friend.  Just be sure to look the other way when real atrocities are being committed by protected groups.

I don't know much about this Morgan kid, only that his fame rose very quickly and he has an interesting voice.  Based on that video, I think he's carrying the cross for true card carrying racists in his industry, which I don't doubt exist but don't see anything pointing to his guilt.  He's just a bit ignorant, like a LOT of people, including you and me.  But I do believe he was guilt tripped if not coerced into donating a shitload of money ($500,000) to Black organizations, probably by non-black progressives.  

Think about that, now not only can you be removed from all privileges of life and career but its commonplace to also have a social 'fine' to pay. This is getting very dark and not enough people are speaking out against these perverse practices.   I wouldn't be surprised if not one needy black person saw one dollar of that money.  Yep, a real lucrative shit storm. 

                                         

I abhor racists and hateful speech.  I love diversity, in fact I moved thousands of miles just to be around people of other ethnicities and am myself a person of color.   But, I also loathe hypocrisy and double standards and people that operate under false pretenses.  I realize I might be totally wrong about this guy but I do see and what is clear is there are a hell of a lot of people throwing stones right now.  

And I'll Find Me a Soapbox Where I Can Shout It

A Mexican Plate from an Alternative Universe - Spinach low carb tortillas filled with seasoned pork and onions, topped with Jalapeno Jack cheese, Spanish yellow rice and doctored canned Vegan 'refried' beans. 

Just when I was living back in the mindset of my Midwestern hometown at 20 years old, bored beyond repair at the scenery, when old conservative white men seemed to dominate my world, and I was hopeless for the future, Bill Burr hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guest Jack White.  What an incredible show that slathered salve on so many wounds.  First of all, Jack White's performance was beyond phenomenal, it was transcending, something out of my dreams!!  Those songs each gave me that feeling of the floor dropping from beneath my feet at live concerts.  How we watch rock stars with envy, pride, and yearning as wild abandonment takes over every cell in our bodies. He has successfully found that sound that perhaps he has chased his whole career and hand carried it to us at just the perfect moment in time.  Maybe it could get better but I'm not sure I could handle that greatness at this particular time without completely falling apart.

As if being airlifted spiritually wasn't enough, I was blessed with the monologue of Bill Burr.  I've been secretly adding his comedy sketches to my nightly YouTube feed for months and have found him so refreshingly hysterical.  His particular brand of honest humor hits at a time when it's downright dangerous to draw attention to this ongoing insanity, to make fun of the ultra liberal silliness that for some reason, smart people are getting behind, leaving critical thought behind.  He's not perfect and his vulnerability is restorative, and what the world needs more of right now, caring people calling out blatant hypocrisy within their own party.  Bill is married to a black woman and is neither racist, nor right leaning.  He's a normal thinking person who's bringing to light the utter ridiculousness of how far, the far left have gone to shut down opinion and free speech, taking over the role of judge and jury for the world.  He has joined Dave Chappelle, Norm McDonald and many others to throw cold water on so many of these bigots.  Comedy needs to remain free because you can only bring humor out of truth.  If we squash that, we may as well kill art in the public square.  But knowing him a bit and by his expression at the end of his opening, I'm not sure if he deliberately spoke to his target which would be brilliant or if he actually looked out unto his audience unknowingly at the end and realized the crowd was his target.  The New Yorkers who were able to attend that show, were most likely the elite and ultra single-minded trendsetters that would be offended by those jokes.  But I have to believe there is plenty more of us living smack dab in the middle of all this absurdity, shaking our heads at many of these laws, rules and kowtowing to victimhood.  I won't believe this is the healthy way to evolve.  This show, although skewed in the sketches for sure, also successfully brought comedic spotlight to the left party's failures, and reminds us no one is looking too good right now, except for maybe Jack White!

All the stars aligned:  As a side note, the producers of the show cancelled the original musical guest Morgan Wallen for not social distancing and potentially putting the crews in COVID jeopardy, which was the best chance occurrence to happen since a thin crust pizza place opened next door to me.  It ended up being a double win and probably the best press he could hope for because Wallen professes maybe it changed his life in his equally genuine apology video.