June is Pride Month

 

Gardens

 Our Garden is Changing

Thursday: gardening truck delivers plants…

… but almost the first hole the workers dig turns out to be a disaster for our cable for TV/phone/internet.
All the plants went back into the truck while we were hoping for a solution.
Remarkably, ATT came out and replaced the cable within two hours!!!

Friday: With Cable Fixed, Gardening Happens.

Some new and some old plants at the corner of the front yard.

New plants both in the front and back yards.

Here is one of our patio plants from a few weeks ago. I included my Rainbow Croc for fun.

Our rhododendron is still covered with blossoms.
It was already flourishing when we moved into the house.

A New Rain Garden in the Park

In the Neighborhood

In every garden we see squirrels.

Our neighbor’s planter boxes.

Blog post © 2025 mae sander.

Shared with weekend blog parties.

Around Ann Arbor

 

Framed by a sculpture in the park.

At the museum

Picasso, 1935.

Man Ray pipe

Virtue

The Virtues of the Table: How to Eat and Think is a book about ethics by a very opinionated journalist, Julian Baggini. He’s really quite preachy. But I still enjoyed reading the first half of it, because I like his way of challenging commonly-held ideas. The second half was a bit tedious, rehashing a lot of concepts that are often mentioned about food and cuisine, and I kind of speed-read it.

Here are some quotes that appealed to me. (Note, the Kindle edition doesn’t have page numbers).

“The idea that novelty is a cardinal virtue in food can only emerge in a culture where the food tradition is weak and the daily menus not packed with favourites passed down the generations. Routine need not lead to boredom, but ironically, the constant pursuit of novelty can. There is nothing more tedious than culinary innovation for the sake of it.”

 

“In the 1950s and 1960s the Spanish costas were ruined by tasteless developments built to attract mainly British holiday-makers in search of a cheap break. Now, behind the beaches, the foothills are being ruined to provide tasteless food to, often British, consumers in search of cheap meals. The Spanish have blown their inheritance in search of quick rewards.”

“Excessive rigidity about the desire to cook everything from scratch is not a character trait I wanted to reinforce. It would be wrong to become moralistic about what is in essence a luxury. Before the widespread use of domestic ovens, the poor did little home cooking as we would now recognise it. In the slums of the developing world, takeaways and simple restaurants are the cheap option, not an indulgence, since it is more expensive to buy the fuel to cook at home for a single family than it is for one person to cook for many. In the modern West, doing a lot of home cooking is the privilege of the time-rich, or at least time-flexible.”

Time Marches On

The essays in this book were collected for publication in 2014, meaning they were written and in some cases published elsewhere earlier than that. I’m surprised at how many of the ideas were being explored in detail back then (as I recall) but have gone dormant now, though they would be just as relevant. I think the whole question of ethical eating was discussed much more a while ago than it is now. When was the last time I saw the term "food miles" and heard all the fuss about eating local? No longer an obsession, I guess.

I’m also surprised at how several of the “facts” known a decade ago are now very much in question, especially those theories of weight control and hunger that have been demolished by the widespread use of GLP drugs like Wegovy. 

“Why do people seem to think that people ought to lose weight by willpower alone?” asks the author when discussing weight-loss surgery. He argues that such surgery should be a perfectly respectable and unquestioned procedure, but he didn't think it was accepted. 

The same judgy question comes up for people on weight loss drugs now, but the whole issue has shifted as it’s become apparent that the control of food thoughts and hunger is simply much more difficult — or not possible — for many people, whose problem can now be solved by drugs, not surgery with all its risks. Reading the viewpoint from a decade ago sheds light on how much things have changed because of effective weight-loss drugs.

I wish I knew what inspired me to get this book! The author is still producing many articles, so maybe he mentioned it himself? I can’t really recommend it, though it has some good chapters.

Julian Baggini (Wikipedia)

Review © 2025 mae sander

My Ann Arbor Kitchen in May

May, 2025: Food in Ann Arbor

May has been a very busy month. We traveled to Virginia for Alice's graduation, and we began our back-yard cooking season in Michigan. For Sherry's In My Kitchen this month, I've divided my post into two parts: Virginia and Michigan; yesterday’s post was about Virginia. Before and after our Virginia trip, we cooked a variety of foods in our kitchen, and after a lot of rain, were able to cook on the grill in our back yard.

Finally: Outdoor Cooking and Eating

In my kitchen and dining room…

I love this new dragon cup made by Evelyn. The dragon wraps around the cup, so I showed two sides of it.

Salmon and coleslaw

At the Neighbors’ House

Sushi Lunch

Beyond My Kitchen: Government Interference in Science and Government Dishonesty Emerges

First, a cartoon suggesting who will eat when we achieve our new social order. (source)

Here’s one clear and believable summary of the current childhood nutrition situation, as expert food scientist Marion Nestle explained it:

“Most American children’s diets are dominated by ultra–processed foods (UPFs) high in added sugars, chemical additives, and saturated fats, while lacking sufficient intakes of fruits and vegetables.”

The “Make America Healthy” report on childhood nutrition was released this month. While the problems in our society with feeding children a healthy diet seem to be pretty well formulated, the solutions seem questionable and more details of the dishonesty of the study have been revealed each day.  

Current budget legislation substantially cuts benefits for families who need them, and reduces benefits to farmers who have supplied food to food banks and other charities. This makes the report seem a bit hypocritical. Note: for info about more government interference in science and health, see “Trump’s new ‘gold standard’ rule will destroy American science as we know it.”

 

Here’s a quote from the press release about this new publication:

“We will end the childhood chronic disease crisis by attacking its root causes head-on—not just managing its symptoms,” said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We will follow the truth wherever it leads, uphold rigorous science, and drive bold policies that put the health, development, and future of every child first. I’m grateful to President Trump for his leadership—and for trusting me to lead this fight to root out corruption, restore scientific integrity, and reclaim the health of our children.” (source)

New details keep emerging about this report. In particular, a news story on Thursday revealed that the report “contains citations to studies that do not exist.” (source) Several of the authors whose works were “cited” stated that the supposed articles and fictitious coauthors. Further reports on Friday revealed that the study is based on unreliable AI generation. Bottom line from an expert:

“This is not an evidence-based report, and for all practical purposes, it should be junked at this point….It cannot be used for any policymaking. It cannot even be used for any serious discussion, because you can’t believe what’s in it.” (quote from Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association)

I’m not just skeptical about this bogus study, which the Trump administration is nevertheless supporting. I’m terrified by the meaning and implications, in the first quote, of  “truth,” “corruption,” and “scientific integrity.” The administration has undermined existing programs and sabotaged public trust in the food supply. Kennedy's crackpot science ideas are already doing quite a lot of harm in agriculture, medicine, and climate science. Layoffs of food regulators, perversion of regulations, and defunding of agriculture and welfare programs (details here) undermine the well-being and health of all citizens. 

I started writing this on Tuesday, and new revelations each day have caused me to revise what I’ve said. You really can’t trust this government!

Blog post and photos © 2025 mae sander

Shared with Sherry and with Deb.

Virginia Kitchens, Restaurants, and Food in May

Food in Virginia in May

This is the first of two posts about food and kitchens in May, 2025. We had such a busy month that I had to break my usual wrap-up post into two parts: tomorrow will be a post about Ann Arbor kitchens and dining. During our trip to Fairfax and Charlottesville to attend Alice’s college graduation, we ate many good things. Here are a few examples.

Restaurant food: a steak at our graduation celebration in Charlottesville.

Brunch at a favorite Cuban diner: huevos ranchros.

Back in Fairfax: dinner at Evelyn’s. Salad, quinoa, bread…

… and the main course: trout.

Evelyn’s fried Gabriella brought us Armenian apricot leather.

Tom’s crab cakes in the refrigerator!

Bonus: Murals

Blog post and photos © 2025 mae sander

Shared with Sherry and Sami.