A food day—and the State of the Union

 

My leftovers lunch

As a mystery reader and author, I loved July Hyzy’s White House Chef Mysteries One title in the series is particularly appropriate tonight: The State of the Onion. The title mixes food and politics, and that’s exactly how my day went.

The food part began at noon. Last night I served friend Kathie a dish of roasted sweet potato and spinach, seasoned with a bit of jalapeño juice and garnished with sliced scallions, crumbled feta, and more jalapenos if you wanted (I didn’t). But for lunch today, I had a bit of leftover herb-y chicken and potatoes from a sheet pan dinner, so I made a cup of bouillon, added the leftovers, and then added a good serving of the sweet potato and spinach dish. Best lunch I’ve had in forever. And I was proud of my use of leftovers.

Somewhere in the morning, I found out Christian had spent the night at his mom’s hospital beside in Grapevine, sitting—and trying to sleep—in a chair. And he’d spent half the night before in the same place. So I ask for prayers, please, for him, his mom, and his family. She is not critical but has several aging problems. He came home, showered, and went to work—no rest for the wicked.

Jordan and I went back and forth about what would best comfort him for supper. She wanted beef, because he’s a beef-and-potato man, but all I had on hand was ground beef (Jacob doesn’t like meatloaf or ground beef dishes and Christian is the one who does hamburgers for us, so that was out). I also had cube steaks, but they sounded like a lot of work in an uncertain evening. Jordan suggested tacos, but I nixed that, and suggested instead German potato salad with hot dogs—one of Christians’ favorite meals. So I rushed to make that, and of course, Christian was too tired to eat. I am not at all surprised that he fell asleep almost the minute he came home. Jordan, Jacob, and I had supper, and they took him a plate. I have no idea if he ate it or not, but Jordan came out about nine to say that he had to go back to the hospital because his sister couldn’t make it tonight. So my thoughts and prayers go with him.

The highlight of the day, for me, was President Biden’s State of the Union speech. I have not yet listened to any commentators about it, so this is just my opinion: I found it incredibly strong, energic, and full of optimism. That man has a vision of America moving forward. I did listen to about two minutes of Sarah Huckabee’s rebuttal before I turned it off, but the difference to me was that Biden is talking about the future while Huckabee—and others of her political ilk—are looking backward, trying to recapture an idyllic way of life that never was reality. But whites were in power, there were no gays (at least not talked about out loud), and kids were safe, happily playing in the streets. If you grew up in Chicago, as I did, you know that is the land that never was. I much prefer Biden’s realistic optimism for dealing with the problems that beset us—inflation, immigration, drugs, police brutality, and an unfortunately long list. As for those who quibble about his age, I thought he was remarkably strong and vital (he is two or three years younger than I am).

A big part of the fun of watching this annual address is seeing the individuals in the chambers when the camera pans on them. I suppose it’s de rigueur for the Republican leader to look bored and, sometimes, slightly amused. If that’s what the job requires, Kevin McCarthy did a great job. But he did more often than I expected rise to his feet. And the Republicans in the audience also rose more often than I remember from other speeches. Most Democrats of course cheered wildly at almost every sentence, but their obvious enthusiasm was happy medicine for me.

Occasional shots showed Republicans like Ted Cruz shaking their heads in pretend-obvious dismay, and a stone-faced Mitch McConnell—wish I could remember what the subject was that turned him to ice. Another time Marjorie Taylor Greene, with a remarkable display of bad taste, rose to her feet to shout at the president, contradicting the image she presented wrapped in something with a wide, white fur collar. And Lauren Boebbert, with too much makeup (okay, that’s catty of me), shook her head.

On the whole, Republicans did not come off looking well, and I sensed that Biden was carrying most of the crowd with him as he looked to the future of a stronger America. It may be that’s a standard reaction to the State of the Union, no matter who delivers it, but I don’t remember trump’s speeches that way. And of course, who can forget Nancy Pelosi’s sarcastic clap for trump and her ripping up his speech. Nothing that dramatic tonight, but, as a firm believer that for now Joe Biden is the best man for America, I was left with a strong sense of optimism.

You used to hear him called Uncle Joe, and to me that fits. He’s like a comforting uncle who tells you everything will be okay, if you just play along. I like that.