There are many things we are busy reclaiming as Native people. Whether it be our minds, homelands, children, language or history, there is always a noble fight to be fought every single day. The same holds true for our connection to food. Before colonization, food was treated as a sacred gift from the Earth. There has always been a deep spiritual component to ourselves, the landscape and what we eat. Continue Reading
Minneapolis voters will decide on Election Day whether to repeal a decades-old rule requiring that some restaurants make no more than 30 percent of their income from alcohol sales.
There are few things I love more than coffee. The taste, the smell, the energy boost it gives me: I don’t know how I would be able to function without it. Thankfully, I don’t seem to be alone in that front at Macalester. It’s not uncommon to see scores of people walking to their morning class with a tumbler or cup of coffee, and there are plenty of places right around campus where I can get a cup of coffee (or tea, if I’m in the mood.) The coffee shops around campus are amazing places to study, chat with a professor about a paper, or take a study break and catch up with a friend. And as I’ve slowly branched out and explored the Twin Cities beyond Macalester’s campus, I’ve found more and more places that have great cups of coffee. If you’re ever up visiting Macalester, walk around the neighborhood and pop into one of the se shops – you won’t be disappointed! Continue Reading
Most election years, I like to take a look at some of the more obscure votes at the bottom of the ballot. It seems like the farther down on the ballot we go, the more direct influence those votes have on our lives. And yet we tend to be the least informed on these issues, and we give them the least regard. Continue Reading
I got to know Saint Paul and I got to know Bob Dylan because I got to know Bill Danielson. Bill owned the Pink Pizza Shack at Hiawatha and Lake in Minneapolis. In 1957 it was a hangout for me and my friends. Bill and his wife, MaryAnn, did pretty well there, but he wanted to be in Saint Paul, his hometown. He sold the Pizza Shack to brothers Duane and Lonnie Anderson, who changed the name to Dulono’s. Continue Reading
It can be hard to find the fixings to make southern style food up here in the Northstar State, but if you want to cook like those who live at the other end of the Mississippi River, look to Mary Hall. Hall has been selling southern style foodstuffs at the Minneapolis Farmers Market since 2006, when she and her husband Lester inherited their stall from Lester’s father, Bill Hall, one of the few Black farmers in Minnesota. Along with the market stall, Mary Hall inherited a passion for southern style cuisine. She soon expanded the stall’s inventory beyond blueberries and greens to include specialty peas, beans, lentils and rice.“It surprised me how little people up here knew about southern cooking,” she said. “People would ask, ‘What are these?’ about greens or sweet potatoes.”Hall is happy to be the teacher, telling anyone who asks about how to prepare exotic ingredients like fresh sweet potatoes, okra, and greens – collard, turnip, mustard and kale. Continue Reading
I was kind of blown away to find out that Heather Jansz is doing a weekly pop-up at Our Kitchen, a little breakfast and burger joint in my neighborhood. She’s there most Wednesday nights, except for one week a month when she does a more elaborate dinner – “a romantic and sensual evening of sexy food and fun with Heather,” on Friday night instead. The cozy little diner at 36th and Bryant is better known for its hash browns and pancakes than burgers than for Sri Lankan lamb rotis and shrimp curries.But maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised – Heather has been doing a Sri Lankan night on Monday nights at the Highland Grill off and on for several years, and she is not afraid to try new things. On Friday, November 7, she will be teaming up with Ingebretsen’s Scandinavian Gifts to offer a Nordic Ice with Spice cooking class and dinner at Our Kitchen that will feature, among other dishes, curried lutefisk.Heather – known as the Curry Diva – is a legend on the local culinary scene – the former owner of the Sri Lanka Curry House and the Curry Leaf Deli, and author of a Sri Lankan cookbook, and a great cook. She is also a great teller of stories, some of which are not appropriate for children.For her Wednesday night dinners, Heather usually offers three different entrees, including one vegetarian option, alternating between curries and rotis (flatbreads wrapped around savory fillings), all priced under $15. Continue Reading
I tried to tell the two sisters who run the Saigon Uptown that they need to raise their prices. “We know,” one of them replied, “but we’re too busy.” Which seems a little odd, since whenever I have visited, it has been nearly empty. Instead, they have put a little note inside their menu, advising customers that all the listed prices have been raised by 50 cents. So pork with ginger and garlic sauce really costs $6.75, and the chicken with pineapples cost $7. Continue Reading
