Better than Prozac and Potato Chips

Only I could start a blog about something that might very well not exist the next day.

Tomorrow night, (Tuesday, November 22) Occupy Orange County will go before the Irvine City Council to see if the city will continue to acknowledge our First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly.

I use the term "our" very loosely, and I hope my friends don't mind. I'm not camping out in Irvine. For the last month or so, though, I've been making hot food a few times a week for those dedicated Occupiers who have become my friends, since they're not permitted to have anything in the village that will present a fire hazard.

Like the majority of Occupiers and their supporters, I have a job. I have a home and a warm place to sleep. I have what most would call a really good job with really good benefits, and on my better days I can acknowledge that (let's save the not-so-good days for another time, eh?).

What I also have is an understanding of just how lucky I've been in my life. And how very unlucky some others have been.

For years, I've had a sense of what underlies the OWS demands. Despite all my reading, all my efforts to educate myself, I never quite got a handle on just what I could do about any of it.

Then the Occupy movement happened. At first I was like many - I didn't get the idea that it could be so incredibly momentous. As the Occupation grew, I knew I had to get involved. So I checked out the website for my local Occupation and found this need for hot food. "Now that I can do," I said to myself. I can finally put that old cooking school know-how to good use.

The first night I put together some vegan chili and my husband agreed to deliver it while I met some other obligations. Apparently it hit the spot, since I've been back several times with different dishes that get gobbled up.

When I signed up officially to volunteer for Occupy OC, I received some kind compliments and thank-yous. "Are you kidding?" I asked, "I've been waiting for this all my life. This is better than Prozac and potato chips!"


It's said that an army marches on its stomach, well, so does a movement. It's my honor, my privilege, my duty to do this small part to keep Occupy marching.

I'll be sharing my recipes - all vegan - as well as my thoughts on Occupy and how to support the movement, even if you can't or don't want to camp out.* If you have been trying to figure out how to support your local Occupy, you might want to try a bit of cooking. It doesn't cost very much and the joy you'll see when you drop off a stock pot full of homemade love is so very worth it.

Namaste

*Well, and other things too, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.