Veg Chili for your Superbowl

I know that technically many people say that if there are beans in it, it's not a chili. BUT for us vegetarians, that means that we'd basically have seasoned tomato sauce. This is a really good recipe, and I'm sure if you were dying for some meat you could throw some bacon/pork/beef/sausage in it and it would be grand. But it's pretty grand how it is in my opinion. Thanks, Whole Foods!

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil 
1 medium yellow onion, chopped 
1 large carrot, chopped 
1 stalk celery, chopped 
1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped 
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped 
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
1 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped chipotles in adobo 

1 tablespoon dried oregano 
2 teaspoons ground cumin 
1 tablespoon chili powder 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (if you use kosher salt, consult here)
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid 
3 cups cooked red kidney beans, drained (2 15 oz cans)
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained (1 15 oz can)

Method

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, peppers and garlic and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until vegetables are softened but not browned. Add chipotles, oregano, cumin, chili powder and salt. Stir to blend. Add tomatoes and 4 cups water. Gently simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Add beans and simmer an additional 30 minutes. Garnish individual bowls with green onions or sour cream, if desired.

**Putting just some cut up avocados instead of green onions/sour cream on top of this is SO good. 

**Eat it with tortilla chips (scoops)!

**Also, when you buy chipotles in adobos, they come in a can and even the smallest can comes with a lot of chipotles. You can put the leftovers in the fridge OR you can put all of them in a food processor/blender (or just cut them all up really small) and then measure out tablespoon or teaspoon sizes and wrap each of the teaspoons/tablespoons in a bit of saran wrap and put them in the freezer. Then, you can add them to whatever meal you're making whenever you want them! They'll probably stay for at least 3 months months in the freezer. 

IT'S OFFICIAL

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00397911.2010.523921#preview

A Definition of Success

When I’m hanging out with people on the West Coast and explaining about some of my experiences living in New England, I joke that there are two, daily habits that I’ve picked up as a result of being there: Sea Salt and Vinegar Chips and The New York Times. This joke apparently excludes ultimate frisbee, but I would argue that ultimate is more of a lifestyle choice.

One of my favorite columnists from the Times is named David Brooks, and I like him because he does a good job of presenting thoughtful, conservative viewpoints as well as topics covering the human condition. When the Tapping the Die Table was started, Brooks came out with an article entitled: “It’s Not About You” (http://tinyurl.com/3qcgclk)*. I wanted to write about it… but it didn’t seem like quite the time. An introductory post seemed sufficient. (I also wrote that post at about 10:12 P.M. in the middle of a) a conversation over gchat with Isaac b) figuring out Blogger’s formatting and c) trying to make it through finals week. So I was already being productive enough… no need to complicate things that night.) 

Anyways, the article brings up a few good discussion points. As the article discusses recent college graduates, I felt it was relevant for us to discuss.

• The article begins by saying how lucky we all are by being able to start life right now, as many adults would give a lot to start over at our age.
• It points out that we have been failed by our elders, specifically pointing to the excessive borrowing and the “ruinous federal debt” that we will “inherit.”
• Our generation has been supervised, monitored, and guided unlike any before us. Upon leaving college, all of that supervision is lifted, and we get to face the wild wide, open, and unrestrained real world.
• This idea is then linked to a typical graduation/commencement address—one that likely emphasizes that we follow our dreams/passions. However, “successful” adulthood doesn’t necessarily mesh with these dreams/passions. Brooks defines “successful” as having a house, finding a spouse, being a part of a community…
• And then Brooks notes that most people don’t find themselves and then start a life, but rather, find a problem a devote themselves to solving it.

The reason that I found this article so interesting is that I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with it at many points during the article. I definitely feel lucky to be living in Oregon, to be able to pursue the dream of working professionally to help children in school, to live in a solid apartment with great friends. I definitely agree that I was one of those children that was monitored, guided, and supervised to earn a degree from a tremendous college, and that the idea of stepping out into the “real world” definitely seemed like a challenge. (Personally, I wish I had been taught more officially how to fix shit and how to cook better… I guess those will be some lessons I will be learning from here on out). And I agree that the reason I am here, in Oregon and in life, is that I want to be able to help other children out to provide them with the most successful educational experience that they could possibly have—that is, I saw a problem and have decided to dedicate myself to it.

I guess what I’m most frustrated with is the idea of “success” in adulthood. It really seems like that idea is too standardized and rigid for my liking. We, as a generation in our early twenties, have experienced what the adults of the white-middle-to-upper-class-world define success as: getting a fancy college degree, finding some sort of employment directly out of college, eventually obtaining a high-paying job, etc. etc. However, if/when we face the struggles of the real world (which Brooks admits we likely have not been prepared adequately enough for) and do not “succeed,” immediately, it is our fault, and not some symptom of the larger society or the current economic times. For some friends (both inside and outside of Colby) it has been a struggle to find something (or anything for that matter). And if we find it necessary to move back home temporarily, that, too, is frowned upon. I guess I’m failing to see why not having those “successes” is a problem. While I am grateful for an opportunity to be in a tremendous grad program (thereby having what Brooks might define as a “successful” beginning to my post-college career), parts of me would a) join the Peace Corps b) be a Camp Counselor in Australia c) generally explore the world a little bit more or d) choose friends/family over traditional, successful employment. (I’m banking on having time to do some of those things once graduate school is over.) Had I done these things, would I have been considered “successful?” What if I felt personally fulfilled while not pursuing traditionally “successful” opportunities? Would finding a fulfillment in my daily life mean that I was “successful,” even if it is non-traditional? I’m not convinced that the definition of success, as the overbearing/overwhelming majority states, is flexible enough to include personal fulfillment—only when that fulfillment leads to tangible/observable/material rewards does our society finally designate it as success. And that, to me, is too limiting.

*I am not a big fan of the NYTimes’ 20 article limit. I really dislike that one of the sources that I’ve become dependent on for (reliable?) news limits me from viewing them. Is it really a sustainable business strategy? I’ll check their front page once in a while, but I’m no longer immersing myself with the Times when I’m online…