Handicaps

We provide meals as a means of coming alongside people who need and want help. We sit and talk and hopefully we get an idea of what kinds of hopes and goals they have and encourage them and give suggestions on how to pursue some of those goals.

We've got a regular who is so unique using a pseudonym would be pointless; you'll recognize him the first time you see him. He's got palsy and is confined to a motorized wheelchair.  We allow him to sit next to the serving table and he usually gets served first. The palsy also causes a speech impediment that makes him difficult to understand. We're about the same age so I was stunned when he approached me a few years back and told me that he'd started going to church and had been given a Bible. The thing was, he didn't know how to read. Apparently his family assumed that his speech impediment was associated with being mentally handicapped so he was never properly schooled. I looked into getting him into a volunteer reading problem. The results of that effort will be the subject of a long rant some day. I've tried to help with other things over the years.

There have been nights when he's waited for everyone else to leave so he can ask me questions. . One that stuck up in my mind was how to find a way to volunteer at his church as a greeter or some other way. That led to a discussion that helped me understand how a lot (not necessarily all) about how disabled/handicapped people perceive a fine line between helping and... babying, for want of a better way of putting it. There's no malice in it, but I began to see how annoying it can be over time. I hope I'm explaining this well.

The bottom line is that while i still accommodate some of his physical limitations I sometimes include a bit of tough love. If he asks for seconds, I might just look at him and tell him that he's got a perfectly good motorized wheelchair that works, and he can get them himself. You should the looks on the faces of people who overhear that and can't believe it. Then they see us both laughing - and he's laughing harder than I am.

I guess that the overall point is this: people with disabilities do need to have the disabilities accommodated to some degree, but they still want to be seen as people just like anyone else. How that looks is going to vary from person to person though.

Strider

i'm hesitant to share this story because I want to respect this person's privacy, If I provide sufficient detail, you'll understand why. Anyway, the subject of this story has been coming to dinner for a number of months now. After a series of talks, he confided his real name and through Google I've confirmed who he is (by photographs) and that he was once, among other things, national press secretary for a member of the Cabinet (in the White House).

We've met to help me continue to develop a vision/mission state that I can implement into fund proposals and frankly, seeing him listen to me voicing thoughts off the top of my head and turn them into phrases such as:

creating an."environment in which people feel comfortable/safe to explore options without ridicule and within the parameter of mutual respect among its members (among a wide range of world/cultural viewpoints)"

"The organization will not act as an enabling body. Participants must demonstrate a strong willingness to effect positive change. The organization's output is a function of the participants' input. An underlying vision of the organization is to help participants realize their value and self-worth through a model of rewards and "exponential returns" to match and surpass participants efforts. Throughout the "process" it is the hope and goal of the organization to teach about the symbiotic benefits of host and organism (community?).  Ultimately, through this organic process, new levels and achievements will be reached and realized with while teaching the inextricable-intertwined nature and virtues of "getting more" from "giving more." 
"Organization strives to make funding and investment decisions that have immediate impacts while also paving the road to self-sustained living (participants not dependent upon a "hand-out" or organization's monetary distributions."


has got me feeling pretty excited. In particular, I'm hoping to see these goals realized in how we work together. As he continues to help me find my voice, perhaps this will galvanize him to re-find himself.

He currently fixes bicycles and calls himself 'rider'. But I've told him that I'm going to start calling him Strider, a reference from Tolkien: "All who wander are not lost."

Kale Salad

Given that B/K (i've got to find a less self aggrandizing name) is largely self-funded, it's a challenge to prepare inexpensive, healthy things that appeal to the folks who show up. Over time, I've come up with a simple, tasty salad that everyone loves.

KALE SALAD

Two (2) bunches of kale (fortunately, I have a source where I can get 2 bunches for a dollar)
Four (4) tomatoes (any type will do)
Four (4) Persian cucumbers (the large ones are often cheaper, but the texture is not the same)
Two (2) apples (anything except Red Delicious - the crunchier, the better)
One (1) medium size red onion

Vinaigrette:

I never measure precisely, but the general rule is one (1) part acid to three (3) oil. For folks who are more comfortable measuring:

1/4 cup vinegar (I typically use red wine vinegar, but I sometimes splurge and use organic apple cider vinegar for health benefits)

3/4 cup olive oil

The spices I add vary, but typically include:
Basil (1/2 tsp)
Oregano (1/2 tsp)
Powered Garlic (A couple of shakes)
Salt (1/2 tsp)

If ham is being served, I typically add a tablespoon of mustard - I find it a better complement.

Combine ingredients in a sealed container and shake until blended.

Optional: Pour half around the edge of the salad bowl so that it coats the inside of the bowl (This is a Thomas Keller technique I learned that helps guarantee an even distribution of vinaigrette over the salad.)
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Wash and rinse produce as needed.

I personally hand tear/shred the kale into roughly 1-1.5"pieces. Using a knife to cut and dice would be quicker, but this way I can identify the really tough midribs and tear around them.

Place the kale in the salad bowl.

Prepare remaining produce for dicing (Peel red onion, core the apples if you have a corer, I have no proof you should, but I like to trim the ends off the cucumbers, etc.)

Dice the remaining produce (1/2-3/4" dice, cucumbers can just be sliced) and add to the bowl.

Add remaining vinaigrette to bowl and toss. The kale holds up well to the vinaigrette, so timing is not critical. Leftover salad refrigerates reasonably well.