This was the straw that broke the camel's back:
The man at the center of this media frenzy is Terry Jones, not the cool Terry Jones, mind you, but the pastor of Dove World Outreach Center in my hometown of Gainesville, Florida. Jones recently made international headlines for his threats to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Let me rephrase this for clarity: Jones made international headlines for being a hate-filled, bigoted moron.
Is this really news? Were we dumbfounded, agog in our tie-dyed sugarplum wonderlands to learn that somewhere in the world exists a man of below-average intelligence who perverts his own religion so that he might condemn another's?
Let us examine the above photo in greater detail. There are, if I count correctly, 26 members of the media in this photo, another actually taking the photo, and who knows how many outside of the frame. The networks employing these 27+ people have decided that a man who, in all probability, is borderline-retarded, and whose ideas about the world are less compelling than those of most reptiles, is front-page newsworthy. So Terry Jones becomes famous; famous politicians publicly denounce him, Facebook users worldwide condemn his behavior, federal, state, and local agencies spend untold tax dollars and man-hours tightening security around the city of Gainesville. Only police and credentialed media are allowed near Jones' church. The irony here is that the former is only necessary because of the latter. And yet the media and the average American still blame Jones himself for putting American troops in danger and for creating a climate of fear.
Sorry, folks, that wasn't Jones, that was the other 26 people in the photo, and it was you and me, when we reposted the story on Facebook, and when we couldn't shut our mouths about it for days. Gainesvillians are embarrassed by Jones, upset that he has ruined the town's liberal reputation, upset that Gainesville has become known for something 'negative.' Is this surprising? Are we naive enough to think that good news goes global? It seems that by now we should know that towns do not make headlines for having great farmer's markets and thriving art scenes; they make headlines for bigots and shooting sprees and natural disasters. And in our self-consciousness, Gainesville residents have made the mistake of presuming that the rest of the world is just like Terry Jones, that they are judging us based on the actions of a very few misguided individuals. I think we can safely give the rest of the world a bit more credit.
It is the job of the media to create compelling stories. And as long as we continue to be compelled by the Terry Joneses and the Glen Becks and the Kim Kardashians of the world, we can scarce be surprised when our newspapers and magazines are utterly saturated with images of bigots and morons and sweet asses. Wouldn't the time we devote to loathing these people, to making them famous, be better spent with our families and friends, to volunteer work and exercise and living well and creating a world we want to live in? Maybe you want to learn to play the kazoo. I want to eat good food.
So I'm abandoning the polemical in favor of the delectable. Here's a recipe, I hope you enjoy it.
Curried Split Pea Soup
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 1/2 c. chopped onion
3 large cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
6 c. water or vegetable stock
2 c. potatoes, cubed
1 c. chopped carrots
2 1/2 c. dried split peas
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 c. creme fraiche or plain yogurt
1-2 tsp. brown sugar (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh tomatoes, sea salt. creme fraiche (or plain yogurt) for garnish.
In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and salt and saute, stirring occaionally, until onions are translucent (about 3-5 minutes).
Add tomato paste and spices and stir for about 30 seconds, just until the tomato paste breaks down.
Add vegetable stock or water, carrots, potatoes, and peas. Bring to a boil and stir. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until peas are tender.
Remove from heat. Using a hand blender, carefully blend soup to desired consistency, adding lime juice, creme fraiche, sugar, salt, and pepper, and more water if desired. Return to heat just long enough to reach serving temperature.
Garnish and serve with fresh bread. Serves 6-8.
2 1/2 c. chopped onion
3 large cloves garlic, crushed and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
6 c. water or vegetable stock
2 c. potatoes, cubed
1 c. chopped carrots
2 1/2 c. dried split peas
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 c. creme fraiche or plain yogurt
1-2 tsp. brown sugar (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh tomatoes, sea salt. creme fraiche (or plain yogurt) for garnish.
In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and salt and saute, stirring occaionally, until onions are translucent (about 3-5 minutes).
Add tomato paste and spices and stir for about 30 seconds, just until the tomato paste breaks down.
Add vegetable stock or water, carrots, potatoes, and peas. Bring to a boil and stir. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until peas are tender.
Remove from heat. Using a hand blender, carefully blend soup to desired consistency, adding lime juice, creme fraiche, sugar, salt, and pepper, and more water if desired. Return to heat just long enough to reach serving temperature.
Garnish and serve with fresh bread. Serves 6-8.
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