Why Cranberry Sauce

SPOKES: MotoGP - Silverstone, UK

TOWCESTER, England – For an English person, a national stereotype coming into fruition is abhorrent. Horrific. Things like ‘they all drink tea,’ when we don’t. As it happens, I do – but that’s beside the point. Not all of us British do, really... Then there’s the one about having jam with roast beef. That’s not jam! It’s cranberry sauce, a preserve that’s made like jam but instead of strawberries, raspberries etc., we use cranberries. which doesn’t make it jam. Honest. It makes it cranberry sauce, which is a sauce, as the name suggests. It’s not jam at all – well, a bit.

The stereotype I despise the most is ‘English summer,’ which is a euphemism for ‘rain.’ You should’ve been here a few weeks ago. It was boiling hot and we didn’t see a drop of rain for over a month. Just because it rained and rained all over the British MotoGP, that doesn’t automatically mean that it rains like that all the time over here. Besides, technically speaking, it was still spring.

The British MotoGP got off to a bad start before it started. First there was the rather inclement weather and then we learnt that the only English rider, who, ironically, would’ve had an advantage in the wet, had fallen off during practice and wrecked his collarbone. So, no Cal Crutchlow, and for the third time in a row, no Danny Pedrosa, which was mildly worrying as he should be good to race by now. I have it on fair authority that he may have re-injured his collarbone in a training/supermoto incident, but these claims are unsubstantiated. Either way, the lack of his talents on the grid is worrying and will do nothing for the dynamics of Moto GP.

Needless to say we got off to a soaking wet start. Lorenzo took the lead as the grid paddled its way through Copse (that’s the first corner to the uninitiated) and headed gingerly through Maggotts (that’s another corner, in addition to being the larva of a fly).

By the end of the first lap, Lorenzo was in third; Stoner in second, and Dovizioso leading. But getting his nose into the action from fourth was everyone’s favorite whipping boy, Marco Simoncelli, who whistled cleanly past Lorenzo. By now, Stoner was leading and, just as he did the week before in Spain, remained there until the end of the race after a quite brilliant ride.

Simoncelli didn’t hold his position for long. Following a leather-staining wobble Lorenzo clawed his slot back. How on earth Marco (a k a Sideshow Bob) didn’t fall off is still an enigma wrapped in a mystery, but that’s bike racing for you, right, fans.

Cranberry Sauce and Jellyfish « Advancing Education for Sustainability

In the 4th grade, I decided what I wanted to be when I grew up. A garbage woman and an author! Although I lived in a small, pristine town on the north shore of Long Island with very little mess, I abhorred the thought of litter. I envisioned a fruitful and happy vocation writing stories about my adventures while picking up stray cans and pieces of newspaper in the ‘hood.

One Thanksgiving, there was no cranberry sauce. The bogs were polluted in far-away Massachusetts. Although I wasn’t crazy about cranberry sauce, I was deeply bothered. It didn’t seem like how the world should operate and I learned that the distress in other places impacted what was on my plate. As the baby of the family with 3 hungry big brothers, 2 stepbrothers, and a sister, I was definitely concerned with the quantity of food on my plate.

We spent our joyous summers at Lattingtown Beach with our friends and neighbors swimming, laughing, playing backgammon and bocce ball, and throwing jellyfish at eachother. My innocence was shattered when the ominous and destructive red tide* hit the Long Island beaches in the 1970s. Beaches were shut down! No swimming! At this point, I knew in the depths of my soul that pollution was serious and impacted whether I could cool off and splash around or alternatively roast in the sun.

I work to honor my ancestors and protect my children. My ancestors toiled to feed their families and make a good life in America. Some worked to advance freedom in the new world. Many were deeply involved in politics and strengthening their communities. My children and their friends and schoolmates are inheriting a hugely troubled ecosystem and economic system. I work to try to improve their futures. Since our boys are not yet of college age, I am particularly grateful to have the opportunity to work on behalf of Second Nature and the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.

My dream of being a garbage woman / author has become a reality. I’ve dedicated the last two decades to improving the energy efficiency of buildings, increasing the use of renewable energy, trying to slow down climate change, and writing about it. I work to inspire others to action. We’ve made tremendous progress but the challenges are vast, growing, and daunting. Along with my colleagues and friends, I have more stories to write and trash to recycle. Now it is time for me to eat some cranberry sauce.

Eat Me, The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin

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A Mobster's Guide to Cranberry Sauce