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My own social transactions

I would say that I am a food lover, but that is so overused now. If anything defines what I really am, it is this:


I am a food nerd.

I am constantly asking myself asking questions like: where does parsley come from and why is it a garnish? (Parsley became a thing when butchers used it in the eighteen hundreds as a color contrast to the red meats in their window cases. Restaurants sort of caught on and just made it a thing after that. It's actually considered a flavor component, everywhere else but here.)

Some of my friends initiate this in me. Some of my friends enjoy this little quirk of mine. Some of my friends want to learn these things from me and others just tolerate this piece of me that is an obsession -- that has completely taken over my essential nature. My roommate has recently compared me to "Bubba" from the movie "Forest Gump" when I would not stop talking about alligator gumbo. And alligator gumbo potpies. And just about all the things you can do with an alligator gumbo.

The ones that don't understand, or the ones that think they do, have NO IDEA that I remember making a roux before I learned how to tie my shoes. My "Grumpy" literally handed me a wooden spoon and showed me how to heat up the fat, add flour and cook the flour to make gravy. Making the gravy has always been my favorite. I like my gravy chunky, with hearts and livers and all the other offal things you aren't supposed to see your mom pull out of a dead bird. I learned how to make a fire to cook over before I was even tall enough to wield the "fire poker" (a giant stick my dad would bring in from the woods). My mom and I have competed in dutch oven contests in the fair (and won in two categories, if i do brag about that, myself).


I will always be willing to spend more money on food than I do on any luxury or other necessity, other than rent (probably), in my life. That is how I prioritize my happiness. I show my affection in my food. I love people with food. I don't I don't know how to not feed people. I also don't know how to spout off all the random things I know or desire to know about food.


Knowing these things about myself, I wonder what do other people obsess over? How does it effect your interactions?

Ways to describe people

This is from www.tickld.com When you encounter a stranger, try thinking of them like this: 

Everyone, this is my mother: Patty, and this is about her battle with Ulcerative Colitis

Six years ago my mother had her large intestine removed due to complications with Ulcerative colitis (an auto immune disease that causes your white blood cells to attack the intestines and create ulcers).

She was fitted with a colostomy bag for six weeks and then her surgeon was able to re-route her large intestine with her smaller intestine, leaving no need for the bag. My mother is one of the lucky ones.





The illness she lived with is: Ulcerative Colitis/Ileostomy


She was diagnosed with it in the year: 2003
Year of the surgery: 2007


The biggest adjustment to make is: Shorter outings. Less outings. Less family time. More sleeping and bathroom time than we ever thought possible.


Most people assume: "That digestive diseases are the fault of the person and can be cured with some special diet. Digestive diseases are either hereditary or the result of a transcription error in your DNA reproduction (RNA). Simple as that." - http://runstrongereveryday.com/





Or they are caused by trauma. My mother had my sister at 37 and her body was so stressed out from it that it decided to attack her.


The hardest parts about nights: Trying to throw up or complete some other restroom task quietly, despite the pain and the tears. Or not making it to the bathroom at all and needing help cleaning it up.


Regarding alternative treatments: tried homeopathic methods, vitamins, avoiding certain things (LOTS of certain things: wheat, dairy, meats, processed foods...) Some witch doctor that decided she had a damn parasite...


Her illness has taught me: That we really could stick together, as a family, somehow, despite ourselves.


When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them: Stay open with your family, don't be afraid to let them help you. They need to help you as much as they can, it's bad enough that they can't cure you themselves. It's bad enough that this disease exists at all. Don't give up.


To the family members and friends: Don't blame them or get frustrated with them when they want to give up. Don't take it personally when they do want to give up. It's their disease. It's their pain. Of course they want to give up. Cry with them. You're not necessarily being strong by not crying. Sometimes, they need someone to cry with them as much as they need someone to distract them. If there's an "accident" - clean it. And don't make them feel worse. With this disease: shit happens. Often.


Something that has surprised me about watching someone living with an illness is: Resiliency is an important quality. My dad is a very strong individual. A doctor prescribed something wrong, and almost killed my mother. My father pinned that man against the wall. My mother: forgave him.


The nicest thing someone did for our family was: Look out for us. They brought food, company, baby sitters, phone calls, support for my parents... If anything would have ended as badly as we sometimes thought it was about to, we still would have had support.

Top 3 reasons you SHOULD talk to strangers (as long as your mom says it's ok)

1. You will always learn something about the world from someone else.
Whether its their job, background or ideas people love to share these things. Most of the time.
 I always come away with more of an appreciation about where I am from or what I am doing when I hear about someone else's struggles and victories.

2. You will always learn something about yourself while interacting with someone else.
I have dealt, and I mean "dealt", with some pretty interesting people over the years. I ALWAYS come away with something about how I reacted to the situation. Some people don't need any "dealing" with. Some people are just nice, or some people aren't nice but they keep to themselves, either way I am always responsible for how I "deal" with whatever it is they are willing to hand me.
If I don't want to be like them I teach myself what it is that I didn't like, and I don't judge them for it, I thank them for the lesson.

3. It never hurts to have more friends. 
Sometimes you just meet people with sweet hook ups or hobbies and you get to hang out. Sometimes, you never see them again but you get to be a part of their lives for those moments. I met a baby on the max once. Her name was Bailey, and she was on her way to the doctor with a fever. You could tell mom wasn't feeling so hot either. When I made eye contact with Bailey she stopped crying and she held my hand until their stop. Mom got a break and my estrogen got to feel like I was letting it do its job. Sometimes I still look for them.

1st transactions

     I am excited to say that I met two people yesterday that I would love to interview. The first one is a woman from India who educated me on the spices in her shop, and told me all about how she ended up here in Oregon. I have yet to ask her for an interview or for her permission to write about her. The next person I met was a man who owns a pizza shop and also makes some of the most amazing gyros on the planet. He and (who I assume to be his daughter, working the front counter) were very knowledgeable and passionate about the food they are making and selling. I am very excited to get the opportunity to interview them tomorrow.

Until then, I will leave you all with this: