Vegetables and Immigration

I’m a little obsessed with vegetables. I was a vegetarian for about 9 years before I decided to engage in the occasional meaty meal, but I still retain my fondness for the plants. There are many naysayers to vegetables in the world (i.e. some boys in my college who tried to practice “Meat Week,” a week eating nothing but meat. No one’s GI tract was happy and I’m not sure they lasted more than a day). However, when done right, vegetables can be quick and delicious. The following is an easy veggie burrito including, of course, frozen spinach. You can pretty much put in whatever veggies you want or throw in some chicken if unlike me, you’re not too lazy to defrost.

Ingredients
• Oil (a couple tablespoons?)
• About half an onion
• A halfish can of beans
• All the frozen spinach you want (I used about ¾ cup)
• Salsa
• Mexican cheese
• Cajun seasoning
• Tortilla
Cut up onion and sauté in oil for a bit, until soft. Here you could put in some other fresh veggies like peppers or mushrooms. Add frozen spinach and let thaw. Add beans. Add salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Let it mess around in there for a little while. Take your veggies out and put on a plate. Toast the burrito on the pan and flip over. Put veggies in burrito and top with salsa and cheese. You could also throw in avocado, sour cream, or guacamole, whatever you like!

Now comes the part where I failed: fold the burrito up like a burrito

…or submit to using a fork, your choice.

The tunes!

The burrito is a Mexican food (although it is made much differently from this in Mexico, usually containing just refritos, rice, and meat). Accordingly, I chose the class “Clandestino” by Manu Chao. It has a slow, methodical beat that will have your hips swaying ever so slightly. The tune is quite catchy, and when you look up and translate the lyrics, it can put certain things in perspective.

“…Solo voy con mi pena
Sola va mi condena
Correr es mi destino
Por no llevar papel
Perdido en el corazn
De la grande Babylon
Me dicen el clandestino
Yo soy el quiebra ley…”

Which translates to….

“Alone I go with my sorrow
Alone goes my sentence
To run is my destiny
For having no papers
Lost in the heart
Of the great Babylon
They call me clandestine
I’m the lawbreaker“

Here, Manu Chao is referencing illegal immigration and the struggle that people go through while trying to migrate to and stay in the US. I think this part of the immigration discussion is sometimes lost. I’m not exactly sure how more empathy will change the discourse, but certainly taking the perspective of these people is important when decisions need to be made about immigration issues. In terms of the current economic debate, many want to point fingers at immigrants as being those that are “stealing” our jobs when unemployment is so high. While I’m not of the persuasion that we should open up the border, if we do want change we have to look at employment practices instead of going after the illegal aliens here.

Anyhow, ¡Buenos noches!
Julie