If you are in chicken stew bondage, I have good news, mushroom soup is liberating. I had been eating chicken stew for the first 5 weeks of my stay in Burlington; not out of necessity but a sheer lack of motivation to try something new. I finally got my independence when one of the volunteers of my host organization 350VT decided to give me a life of options. Since then, my life has been beautiful. Mushroom soup at August First restaurant has turned my life around. I have always had mushrooms in Ghana in soups but not mushrooms as soup. What a discovery!
But one thing about Vermont restaurants that I find entertaining is how the portion sizes are so small especially when the food is actually tasty. In Ghana, I’d sacrifice variety for portion sizes in a single meal without apology. So when I told the waitress at the Mexican Restaurant on Battery Street to serve me only rice and beans so she can enhance both portions, I added a sentence-- “I hope it’s not a weird request”. She returned a smile and half.
Vermont hasn’t only entertained my now inviting taste buds, I have had a wonderful month of September visiting schools and presenting on climate change. And in the coming months, even more appointments. Having been personally trained by former US Vice President Al Gore to deliver the Climate Reality presentation that communicate the basic science, impacts and possible solutions of climate change, invitations by schools to my host organization to share slides with students have been very exciting. That reinforces how progressive the Green Mountain state is.
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| Hanging out with the boys in Plainfield |
And when I had told middle school children to ask me lingering questions about the presentation, they have rather asked more questions about Ghanaian culture-- food and language et al. The sheer innocence in the stew of voices of children probing to probably know more about the presenter than the presentation not only interests me. It also opens my mind to the reality of how telling an African story to a swell of American children has long term real life consequences on their perception, perspectives and assumptions.
I have been fascinated about questions indirectly phrased about whether Africa is a country or continent. Well, assumptions are either challenged or confirmed, but how beautiful it is to hear these genuine inquiries and give answers back to drown doubts and stereotypes. What a breath of fresh air it was. At this stage, I believe it isn’t far fetched to write to Al Gore seeking permission to insert into his climate presentation a slide or two about ‘cultural awareness’. While that request may be exclusive to me considering my local circumstances, I’m quite sure Mr. Gore will consider it with a grin. At least my climate reality presentations wouldn’t metamorphose into a one credit cultural studies class.
September wasn’t just about chicken stew sorry stories. I had a great time at Earth Walk in Plainfield, spending the whole day with a bunch of awesome staff, children and teens. It goes into my archives as the best day in my entire Fellowship so far. I enjoyed the time in the woods cooking, telling authentic ‘earth stories' and carving my own spindle and fire board for a bow drill.
I believe October would even be better. Guess what? I get to see Al Gore speak at University of Vermont. And off course, chicken stew, I wouldn’t smell you in my fridge again. Mushroom soup has taken your place in my heart.
