Social Justice, Kindness, and Baked Goods
I don't have profound thoughts about where we are after George Floyd's death and what's followed (grief, desperation, violence, destruction, more racism). I do have profound sadness.
This hit just as I have started to feel distant from the initial horror of COVID-19. Our life of isolation has begun to feel normal, which is also depressing, even as it comes as a relief.
I am sad that being human means having the capacity to adjust to the awfulness of things, from racism to disease to poverty to climate change. And don't forget that all those dots are connected, so being complacent about environmental degradation means you're comfortable with things like:
Let's not be complacent, then. I cut drastically back on meat consumption starting with Meatless March in 2019 because farming animals contributes to climate change, and this blog is a record of other small but--I believe--meaningful efforts I make in support of the environment. I'm not trying to make myself sound superior by recording what I do; rather I'm trying to convey that you can take those actions too, because they're not difficult. As you're casting around for positive actions to take in the fight for social justice, add them to your list.
And spread as much kindness as you can to the world around you. Maybe this means baking something delicious for someone (and maybe that someone is yourself, who needs the kindness as much as anyone).
If you're looking for complicated but tasty cookies that supposedly mimic "samoas" Girl Scout cookies, then try this recipe, which turned out well for me but did not taste at all like samoas, sadly:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-samoas-cookies/
If you're looking for a fairly easy recipe that doesn't look special, but your backup dancer wants to try it, and it turns out to taste UNBELIEVABLY GOOD and will make you fear you will never return to your pre-pandemic weight, then this is the recipe for you, from a Hershey's cook book:
This hit just as I have started to feel distant from the initial horror of COVID-19. Our life of isolation has begun to feel normal, which is also depressing, even as it comes as a relief.
I am sad that being human means having the capacity to adjust to the awfulness of things, from racism to disease to poverty to climate change. And don't forget that all those dots are connected, so being complacent about environmental degradation means you're comfortable with things like:
- The development of new patterns of disease
- Obstacles to upward mobility for people of color (for example, lead-contaminated water affecting children's brain development in places like Flint or Newark)
- The anticipated disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities
Let's not be complacent, then. I cut drastically back on meat consumption starting with Meatless March in 2019 because farming animals contributes to climate change, and this blog is a record of other small but--I believe--meaningful efforts I make in support of the environment. I'm not trying to make myself sound superior by recording what I do; rather I'm trying to convey that you can take those actions too, because they're not difficult. As you're casting around for positive actions to take in the fight for social justice, add them to your list.
And spread as much kindness as you can to the world around you. Maybe this means baking something delicious for someone (and maybe that someone is yourself, who needs the kindness as much as anyone).
If you're looking for complicated but tasty cookies that supposedly mimic "samoas" Girl Scout cookies, then try this recipe, which turned out well for me but did not taste at all like samoas, sadly:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-samoas-cookies/
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| We sort of gave up on neat lines of chocolate drizzle |
If you're looking for a fairly easy recipe that doesn't look special, but your backup dancer wants to try it, and it turns out to taste UNBELIEVABLY GOOD and will make you fear you will never return to your pre-pandemic weight, then this is the recipe for you, from a Hershey's cook book:
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| I substituted non-fat plain greek yogurt for sour cream, and used my beloved Scharfenberger cocoa powder, and whatever PB was on hand, and a blend of random chocolate sources for the frosting |
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| Hey, where did the rest of this cake go? Oh yeah, ONTO MY THIGHS. |
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