Florida

Cartucho al Gabusho

Gabriel M. (original recipe)

I visited Florida numerous times as a child, but the time that stands out was my most recent visit during college. It is the only time in my adult life that I took a normal vacation, meaning a short duration with a set itinerary. It was during spring break, and although we did take a dolphin sunset cruise with bubbly wine (I highly recommend), mostly we did our own things including driving four hours through the center of the state which really gives you a different perspective. We packed a lot into a week and I could tell stories but it's hard for me to believe anyone wants to hear vacation stories.

I'll tell one. We visited Disney for probably the last time possible without kids in tow, so we pull into the 4th largest parking lot in the world and who pulls into the very spot next to us but our crazy Florida friend from college and her parents. It is one of the weirdest coincidences I've experienced. Anyway, we had a good time with them and hilarity ensued until our friend got a stomach ache from eating too many gummy bears at the buffet and we had to part ways.

I will make a quick plug for Sanibel Island. It will blow your mind, if you're the kind of person that finds a beach made entirely of perfect tiny shells to be mind blowing.

So I am quite fond of Florida even if your governor seems like an idiot. Apparently the Democrats in Florida are in disarray. They ran a candidate for governor who used to be a Republican and has never won an election since switching parties. Hopefully his trouncing was a wake-up call.

I've wondered about being a liberal in a Red state before, but Florida seems like an extra special case because your governor is so outspoken and the state isn't really all that Red. When he says, "woke comes here to die," isn't that like taking a giant dump in the face of a pretty significant portion of the population? I can't quite imagine what it's like to have a governor who is openly hostile to you, in some cases to your very existence. I'm not afraid to lose supporters on the right by speaking difficult truths or unpopular opinions. But we on the left don't generally disparage the culture of the right. We may come to different political conclusions, yes, based on a different set of politically-salient values. But no one on the left says, "This is where Bible-thumping comes to die." No. Generally we are far more agreeable. Look what happened to Hillary Clinton when she dissed Trump supporters specifically. I guess it comes with being the party of compassion and empathy. At times I'd agree the Democrats are too compromising, but I begrudgingly accept they nominate a loser rather than an asshole.

I've pondered the severely religious vote so now maybe I need to speak to the matter of Old People. In theory, Old People share many of the same values as the rest of us. The problem is they have been indoctrinated all their lives and therefore come to strange conclusions when it's time to exercise their political power. Maybe it's because we don't spend enough time with them. When I was a kid, my dad would take us to play poker with an old guy at an old folks' home. I don't remember him being very expressive, but I know enough now to know it must have been a highlight of his schedule. I know spending time with Old People sounds boring but it's important and basically what they want most. It's what they want most and it costs nothing but our time. Maybe if we spent more time with them, they wouldn't vote like morons.

There is some debate about whether people get more conservative as they get older, or whether older cohorts form their political opinions in such a way that generations tend to get more liberal. The results are mixed and the extant generations are few enough that we may as well deal with them individually. The baby boomers were liberal but got more conservative. It's tempting to think money corrupted them. If so, millennials don't have this problem and maybe that's why they stay liberal. It's also tempting to give the Internet some credit, since it diversified the propaganda we are exposed to (think, by contrast, of grandpa watching Fox News).

Everyone ignores Gen X because smaller numbers means less influence, but as a geriatric Millennial, I can't ignore the cultural contributions of Gen X, and I am forced to admire the honesty with which you admitted you had no clue what's going on. This was the last generation to grow up without the Internet, and you must respect that they rejected the legacy handed them, they had no Internet but they were willing to embrace nothingness, I don't know if they had any hope it would get better, or whether it has or will, but I feel you, I have gone years without home Internet or even a computer, surviving on the radio and my wits, and I'm not excited to do that again, but I've wondered, too, how do you stand when you've been crushed?

I don't know if Gen Z can vote yet. Maybe some of you. Maybe you saw the photo of the manatee? There's more where that came from.

I'm not suggesting we wait out Old People, our problems are too urgent, but it will be interesting to see what happens when younger generations take the reins. Conventional wisdom dictates it's easier to change a young mind than an old one, which would imply we are wasting effort when we try to sway Old voters. Maybe this is true, but at the end of the day (and for them, it is), Old People want to be a force for good in the world. Maybe they are scared of "woke" but if they could see the bigger picture (hello? healthcare for the working poor!) then maybe they would see how their fears are manipulated to support bad policies that benefit the rich and powerful at the expense of Americans of all ages.

Somewhat later, I will add this. Generational change is not given to us. We must fight for it, even if it feels inevitable. It won't happen if we elect leaders who are stuck in an outdated mode. You can have all the grassroots in the world, but if you don't use your power to elect sane leadership you will head in all directions but forwards. Joe Biden's age isn't the problem. It's his stale positions on important issues. I think we need to demand change and what reason is there to wait! Start demanding it now so that it's there when you need it! Which is now! So there is that.

Ingredients

• Juice of 1 Lemon

• 3 Tbs. Soy sauce

• 1 Tbs. White miso paste

• 1 package Banana blossoms

• Vegan Butter

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• 1 small Yukon Gold potato, chopped

• 1/4 cu. Cherry tomatoes, sliced

• 1/4 cu. Shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin

• I added dried and fresh herbs but I don't think they did anything

• Brown rice

Preparation

The purveyor strongly encourages you to marinate your banana blossoms, so I combined lemon juice, soy sauce, and miso paste and let the banana blossoms marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Then I combined the banana blossoms with all remaining ingredients except the rice inside a pouch made of parchment paper and baked for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve with brown rice.

Discussion

I decided to experiment with banana blossom in place of fish and even though it wasn't bad, the meal fell a little flat. The banana blossom looked like a giant artichoke heart. It was novel but maybe couldn't carry the day the way a tasty piece of fish might. Otherwise the potatoes were a little bland. Sometimes I try to follow the recipe as closely as possible while other times I take generous liberties with a similar concept in mind. I think this was a case where I should have taken the building blocks given me to fashion something a little more inspired and inventive. When trying to substitute for animal products, a simple swap isn't usually going to cut it. If I had more time, maybe I'd give it another go, but I am a little burned out after Super Tuesday and I think it's enough for me to keep going.

I feel like I am letting you down, Florida, a bit, but you will have to understand. We visit, we party, we try to clean up after ourselves, we leave. Do we exploit you for your tropical climate and beautiful beaches? Perhaps. There are no easy answers. Hopefully we take a lot of photos to remember by.

Arizona

Florida The only place where both Alligators and Crocodiles live

Illinois