Hello friends,
It's feeling like pretty dark days in my corner of the world. When I get up and read the news each morning, I'm stunned. Some days, I feel myself wanting to slide into depression and paralysis over the state of affairs here in the US. I’m finding it hard to post on social or write for the blog. Pictures of food and travel seem insignificant when the rights of so many are in danger.
But a lovely person posted this to my Instagram feed the other day: "I think open-minded/open-hearted travel is its own protest...protest against narrowness, ignorance, insulation in the safe bubble of 'us.'"
I'm going to hold by that. And advocate for more "open-hearted travel” during these uncertain times. More open-hearted everything, in fact. More travel, more discovering, more connecting with people who are different from you, more meals shared with others, more speaking out for what you believe, more action.
To that end, I'm hosting a Love Trumps Hate dinner in Seattle on February 25. I'll be featuring a Oaxaca-inspired menu in honor of the many talented, wise and generous women and men I met during my recent trip to Mexico. And 100% of the profits will go to the ACLU so they can do the important work of protecting all our citizens' human rights and keeping America a country we can be proud to call home.
When I announced my intention to host this dinner on social media the other day, many of you reached out to volunteer your time. For this, I am touched and grateful. Feeling a sense of community in these upside-down times makes me feel hopeful.
Since I started working on this project, I’ve finally felt inspired to cook again. I’ll be testing several Oaxaca-inspired dishes for the dinner this week. So I’ll be back with new recipes soon. In the meantime, if you could use a dose of community, come join me for an evening of delicious food, good company and a great cause.
xo,
Olaiya
