To Market, To Market

My first memories of going to a farmer's market are a mixed bag of joy at simple pleasures and annoyance. When I was younger my parents would sometimes go to a market in the next town over (our own town didn't offer one, I don't think) held in the parking lot of a church. We'd casually stroll down the rows, most frequently picking up fresh corn and, if we were good, my sister and I would each get an array of stick candy offered at five cents a pop. These were candies that didn't have fancy wrappers or cartoon characters, weren't offered in the regular store or advertised on TV - but they came in a variety of flavors and jeweled colors, so to me they were a major treat. The only thing I didn't like was that going there meant hauling myself out of bed early on a Saturday morning (sacrilege!) to walk about on the shadeless pavement.

I am now older and wiser, but damn if I still don't have a hard time getting up early on a Saturday, now compounded by the fact that I don't get home from work until well after midnight. However this past Saturday a magic thing occured, one of those rare miracles like a solar eclipse or a butterfly landing on your hand to rest for a moment: I woke up early on a Saturday. And I mean early. Like, "Hey, I forgot what 6:00 int he morning looks like!" To celebrate this wondrous event, Loverman and I decided to take a swing down to the Rochester Public Market.


Now there are plenty of farmers' markets all over the place, and I could rattle off several locations off the top of my head - including a few places that are closer to our home than the Public Market. But these small, town markets are nothing compared to the Rochester Public Market.

The first and most obvious difference is that the Rochester Public Market is a permanent fixture. As I understand it, the venders do need to bring there own stands (or at least some do), but there are buildings with roofs, or at the very least beams with eaves (there needs to be some shelter from snow come winter!). More to the point though, is the sheer size of the Market. Whilst the markets in the towns usually take place in parking lots of various businesses, the Rochester Public Market consists of three large, sheltered buildings (the term "building" used loosely, as some of them are, as mentioned, just beams supporting eaves), several small businesses (mainly food stands, tiny breakfast joints, at least one coffee shop), and even a sort of "customer service" stand and a You Are here map that reminds me of a mall. They also run events occasionally, including Market Flower Days, a community "garage sale," local artists, and more. Live music is a frequent feature, and Saturday we were serenaded by a gentleman with a washboard who fancied himself to be something of a Dylan-esque singer.

There are all manner of foodstuffs to be found at this market. There is, of course, the local produce from local farmers (with several organic varieties available), but then there are the specialty pastas, the array of butchers, the handful of fishmongers, the local businesses that show up (such as Health & Harmony Natural Foods, a store in Victor where I bought gluten-free lentils and beans on this trip, and The Pierogi Guy who, well, sells pierogies), some hippie-dippie clothing stands, fresh eggs (I also saw live chickens - not sure if they were for sale), designer knock-off purses, and a number of stands I tend to think of as Random Crap for Sale - stands with supermarket bread still in the package, or an assortment of cardboard boxes with cheap plastic Made In China toys or "fashion." There are the regional goodies, like local honey, local cheeses, Mennonite pies... I stopped by the stand of a local vineyard, Arbor Hill, where I could not only buy their wine, but also their honey, their preserves, grape pie filling (a regional specialty in the Finger Lakes), and a prouct new to me that I could not resist: "grape twists," which are kind of like if Twizzlers were grape-flavored and not overwhelmingly sweet.

Loverman and I walked away on Saturday with the aforementioned grape twists, lentils, and beans, but also with two varieties of sausage (garlic onion, which became dinner the following night, and breakfast maple, which became part of a delicious breakfast thanks to Loverman when we got home), an array of local cheeses (fresh mozzarella balls, crumbled gorgonzola, a lovely round of colby jack, and a chunk of muenster that also made it into our awesome breakfast), a quart of blackberries which became a miserably failed attempt to make fruit leather, 2 tilapia fillets which became a rather unsuccessful gluten-free beer-batter (lots of food mishaps this week, it seems), 2 tuna steaks, 3 lemons; a pint each of peaches and apples, 4 oranges, a cantaloupe, and a pineapple (yeah, there are some non-regional foods there too) that became a fruit salad thanks to Loverman. I took out $60 at the ATM and didn't spend it all - and though that is partially because Loverman also paid for some of it, we still got a pretty danged good haul. I mainly stopped looking because my string-beany arms were getting too overloaded.

Some time ago I friended the Rochester Public Market on Facebook, and I kept receiving these updates asking me to vote for them in a national competition for best farmers' market in a contest sponsored by American Farmland Trust. Well guess what, folks? It won! When it comes to the large-market category, we officially have the best farmers' market in the country!

Every time I go to the Market, I get a little overwhelmed by the crowds, but I am ultimately seduced by the many, many possibilities at my fingertips, crying out to be cooked, boiled, mashed, or just enjoyed raw. As the weekend approaches again, I am thinking to myself "You know, maybe getting up early on a Saturday isn't such a terrible thing after all."

What's in a Place-Name Specifier?

Here in Rochester - and other places, I am sure - we have a proud tradition of having businesses named for one area when they are, in actuality, nowhere near said area. There is the Park Avenue Bike Shop, naming the store for an upscale part of the city when it is actually in the suburb of Henrietta with another location in the suburb of Brighton. There is the Pittsford Seafood Market, a cute family-owned store named for a high-falutin' suburb when it is actually on Monroe Avenue in the city. There is the Brighton Animal Hospital, naming it for one suburb when it is actually in the suburb of Penfield. Why are these places touting to be from one area when they clearly or not? I don't know.

Then there is the subject of this post: Park Avenue Pets. As I mentioned, Park Avenue is one of the more upscale neighborhoods in the city. However this shop is not on Park Avenue, but on Monroe Avenue. Apparently once upon a time the shop was located on Park Avenue, however the owner decided not to rename it when the shop moved.

The store is significantly smaller than any of the big box pet stores, but don't let this fool you. The selection is just as big as you could ask without superfluous nonsense. And since it is a small, locally-owned spot, the selection is much more interesting than you'd find in a big box store.

Collars!!!

I recently had cause to go into the pet shop for reasons other than pining after cuddly animals I could not get. I knew some of the items I needed, but not all. and I had no idea what types of the items I knew I needed that I should get. The owner was helpful without being pushy. She showed me various options and did not push the more expensive items but allowed me to make my own decision, even if that meant I picked the cheaper one. I appreciated not only the help, but that she did it without pitching anything.

Despite the small size of the store, there are comforts for pretty much any creature you can conceive. It's not just the standard dog-and-cat supplies, but also fish, bird, lizard, and various rodents - including live crickets (which if you have to get for your animal companion, you have more nerve than I do). Definitely a varied local business I'm happy to have around.

Regional Religion

Something that I think is key to having a cultured, accepting city is that multiple different faiths can practice openly. Rochester and the Finger Lakes definitely succeed on that point - between the churches of various denominations of Christianity, various synagogues, and at least one Baha'i center, mosque, Hindu temple, and Buddhist center, I'd say we're pretty darn welcoming to people of other creeds.

But did you know that a religion was actually founded in the Finger Lakes region? I sure didn't until my AP U.S. History class in high school! I am surprised it took me reading it in a textbook to actually learn this when I might have learned it if I paid closer attention to headline that gets press once a year.

In 1830, the Book of Mormon was published for the first time out of Palmyra, NY. Joseph Smith, to those who believe, found ancient tablets near his home in Manchester (pretty much a town over) under the instructions of an prophet named Moroni on a hill that is now considered a sacred place to Mormons. He garnered a following and preached what he believed to be the word of God.

Then an angry mob drove them out of the town.



But I digress.

Now, I am not a Mormon, so how do I know all this - and why do I think I should have known all this before high school? Well every year there is a show to re-enact the Book of Mormon on said holy hill: The Hill Cumorah Pageant has been performed since the 1920s and every year that I can remember, it has been mentioned on local news channels.



Last night (it is an evening performance) some friends and I decided that even though none of us are Mormon, we wanted to partake of the pageant. After all, it is a piece of local culture and history, and we had heard nothing but good reviews - oh, and did I mention it's completely free? We were not disappointed.

First off, let me tell you: This is not just a small, local festival. This is a major event that attracts Mormons from all over. As we were leaving we played license plate Bingo, seeing plates from as far away as California, Florida, Arizona, and of course, plenty of Utah. There were several tour buses parked outside, I'd estimate at least five. Literally thousands of people were in attendance last night - and yet, everything was so organized it was insane.

The organization began when we entered the parking lot. A very polite young parking attendant asked how we would be leaving the pageant in the end, and based on where we were heading he directed us accordingly to the appropriate section of the parking lot. All the other parking lot attendants directing internal traffic were a well-oiled machine - they have had a lot of practice, I suppose - and parking was just smooth as could be. Same thing when we eventually left: Sure it was time consuming for all these people to leave at the same time, but everything was directed with amazing precision.

I don't know about you, but I have heard the stereotype that Mormons are all ridiculously nice. I can't speak for all Mormons of course, but I can tell you that everyone that was working last night that my friends and I encountered completely supported that stereotype. The attendants were nice. The pageant-goers were nice. The "ushers" were nice. And I don't mean fake nice or make-you-feel-uncomfortable nice, I mean genuinely nice. Of course I know that not all people are going to fit this stereotype, but all the folks we spoke with last night were just gosh-darn nice people.

As I mentioned, my friends and I were not Mormons. I actually kind of expected the pageant-workers to be uncomfortably preachy. We were thankful to see that this was not the case. Maybe it was because we got there immediately before the pageant started, but we did not get the preaching or pamphlets we had all been expecting.

There are several rows of seats prepared for the audience, however the crowds are so large that there are more people without seats than with them. People are welcome to bring their own chairs, sit on the grass - whatever. Photography didn't seem to be frowned upon and many people took advantage of that. Even though we were way back in what might have been called "discount seats," the stage looked effing huge. It had multiple levels - maybe 10? - plus the side of the actual hill itself. The cast has over 600 people and the stage holds all of them!

The pageant itself was quite the production. The script was written by Orson Scott Card (did you know he was Mormon? I didn't!) and the effects were actually pretty darn impressive. I was surprised how much they were able to accomplish with well-placed fire jets, water/mist jets, and lighting. There is one scene where Jesus appears to descend from the heavens onto the stage (oh man, there was an absolute sea of cameras snapping away at that point), and since the play was at night, the wires were not visible and the actor truly did appear to be levitating down. That was cool. The show was only about an hour long, but it didn't seem too short - nor too long, at that.

Even though this is not my personal faith, what I like best about the pageant is that it attempts to be accessible to everybody: The pageant? Free. Parking? Free. Handicapped? Accessible. Deaf or hard of hearing? ASL interpreters available. Spanish-speaking? Spanish translation available. Before the show cast members in full costume mingle in the crowd. Sure, concessions cost money - but you are welcome to provide your own food and drinks - minus alcohol - as long as you pick up after yourself.

There were some protesters outside the parking lot calling the Mormons liars and sinners and evildoers - including kids and preteens heckling pageant-goers. We all agreed they had every right to be there, hold up their signs, and say what they were saying - and thankfully their protest was limited to the parking lot and did not disrupt the actual pageant. But at the end of the day there was a group of people who seemed like bad guys, and I'll tell you what - it wasn't the Mormons.

To be honest, before this production, with the exception of a few paragraphs in my high school history book, the extent of my knowledge of the Church of Latter Day Saints was pretty much limited to the Osmonds, the polygamists in Utah that are not recognized by the wider church, and that episode of South Park (incidentally, the version of the Book of Mormon as portrayed by South Park picks up right where the pageant leaves off). After attending the Hill Cumorah Pageant, I have more firsthand knowledge about the background of this religion. Did it change my mind and make me consider conversion? No. But I am glad to live in a place that, with the exception of the protesters, is pretty cool with people not only holding their own beliefs, but in them publicly celebrating said beliefs with the degree of showmanship, majesty - and kindness - as the Mormons did last night.

A Rainbow in Rochester

Another post! If I can keep this pace up I might actually grow up to be a Real Blogger!

Part of the frenetic pace this blog has taken as of late (at least compared to my first several post which were spaced out by about a month at a time) is the fact that so many exciting events have been going on in the region as of late! I fully confess that I have been unable to keep up 100% with telling you all the awesome things that are going on here that you can’t really find elsewhere.

Across the country, June has quite recently been declared Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Month, and here in New York State many cities are celebrating Pride this weekend, the annual celebration of acceptance of all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Here in Rochester, our Pride is a bit belated this year, celebrated July 10th – 18th but that doesn’t mean the Finger Lakes LGBT community is any less active.

I have heard say in the past that Rochester had actually made a list of top ten gay-friendly cities. Although I am not sure as to the veracity of this statistic – or, even if it is accurate, how old it is – I can say that while there are certainly pockets of intolerance and ignorance, as a whole the Flower City is pretty darned open-minded, I think. We have several gay bars, many of which feature weekly drag shows. We have stores that are openly gay-friendly, whether be it because the owner/s are gay, they support gay employees, or sell rainbow products – and I can even think of one particular adult-store that caters largely to the Leather and BDSM subcultures (although no, one does not have to be gay to enjoy either subculture). There is Equal Grounds, a coffee shop in the trendy South Wedge neighborhood that is openly an LGBT-happy java stop (with some kick-ass hot cider in the fall, by the way). There is even the Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus and Lilac Squares, a gay square-dancing group (I totally didn’t know about the latter until doing some background searches, and it made me smile far more than it should have when I did)!

At the forefront of the LGBT Community here in Rochester is the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley (GAGV), an organization with a mission to help those who are gay, bi, transgender, questioning, or otherwise identify as Queer. They publish a monthly newsletter called The Empty Closet addressing local and national LGBT news. They run youth programs for LGBT and Questioning teens, as well as programs for Rainbow Seniors. On a weekly basis, free STD rapid tests are offered to anyone who comes to their office.



They are also very active in terms of getting out into the community for education. For example, I recently graduated from a Master’s program in Mental Health Counseling. Two representatives of GAGV (who also happened to be wives to each other) came into our course on Counseling Diverse Populations to discuss not only what is not helpful in counseling someone who is not straight, but also to describe the Coming Out process (no, it’s not just a singular event) to those who might not have been in the know.

They do also run lectures at their home base including a class series called InQueery. I for one wish I had not had my own class to attend last night (one last class to officially get that diploma!), because I could have gone to a lecture describing Rochester’s particular history during the Stonewall Era and beyond. I think it would have been a fascinating history lesson, and I am sorry to have missed it. Look at their calendar and see what else is coming up!

Tonight through Saturday, 6/26, another agency is offering a fundraiser to benefit Pride 2010: Method Machine, a local performance and art company (of who, I confess, I didn’t hear about until now) is presenting The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later. This production revisits those originally interviewed in The Laramie Project, a landmark play written from speaking with those in the town of Laramie, Wyoming following the brutal murder of Matthew Shepherd, a college student who was killed for no reason other than the fact that he was gay. Tickets are available at the aforementioned Equal Grounds, Outlandish Gifts (the adult store mentioned above), and the GAGV website for $10 each.

No matter which way you slice it, growing up as a LGBT or Questioning kid has a large likelihood of sucking a lot more than other kids’ youths if that Rainbow child does not have a supportive environment. Although kids can still be cruel and some families just as hateful, to me it is an encouragement to have such a wide-reaching, positive agency in the area like the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley. If their message can reach these kids, tends, or even adults who might feel they aren’t accepted, these former outcasts can rest assured that at least somewhere in this world, they are welcomed exactly as they are.

Reproductive Rochester

In my previous post on the "Upstate" debate, I touched briefly on the idea some of us "Upstaters" have proposed that it may be more beneficial for the supposed Upstate and Downstate regions of New York State to secede from one another. I neglected to address how that could potentially change the political make-up of this region of the state. It has been suggested by some that in the unlikely event that New York State was rent in twain, with New York City, Long Island, and possibly some of the Hudson Valley counties as the new New York State and the rest of the state as a new entity, this would leave the downstate region as a Blue State thanks to all the forward-thinkers and liberals in New York. It is theorized that we of the former "Upstate" region (what would we be called? Old York? New Netherlands? Upstateland?) would become a Red State - after all, what would be left of us would be a great deal of farmland and small, largely rust-belt cities, both of which tend to embrace what might be considered "traditional family values."

As for me, as a dirty-hippie-tree-hugging-bleeding-heart-liberal, this would surely lead me to many beating of breasts and gnashings of teeth during election seasons, the main time I actually pay attention to politics. However, when I heard of this thought initially, that we of the "Upstate" region (Upstaters? Upstatians?), it led me to ponder about my own region - are we in Rochester and the Finger Lakes region so conservative? While the Mayor of Rochester has been a Democrat for as long as I can remember, the town elections tend to be a fairly even spread between Reds and Blues.

When I think about how I measure the political temperament of an area, one of the things I take into account is how open it is in terms of sex education and reproductive rights. Whilst I tend to bumble a good deal in terms of different political causes, I personally believe in everyone's access to information and resources in terms of contraception, honest reproductive options (versus misleading scare tactics), and affordable pre-natal care.

In terms of this, I believe that Rochester scores pretty well. Our primary resource is Planned Parenthood of the Rochester and Syracuse region, and our particular chapter is really quite active. This includes education, advocacy, and resources. This Thursday, 6/24, they are sponsoring their first Sex and Justice on Tap, a get together to meet their steering committee for REAL (Rising Educators Advocates & Leaders for Planned Parenthood, "a group of young, professionally and socially active people who are dedicated to building and strengthening PPRSR ties in the Rochester community") and to collaborate and raise funds with the aim of assisting all in having access to the information to manage their own sexual and reproductive health. Why is it called "On Tap?" because it is being hosted by Tap & Mallet, a small gastro-pup in the trendy South Wedge area, who is even offering complimentary drinks and nosh (and by the way, their drink selection is amazing and their food delicious - expect a post about them upcoming!). I think it's inspiring that a successful local business is putting itself out there to support a cause they believe in this manner. Kudos to you, Tap & Mallet.

If it were simply this, I would smile to myself that an awesome business is supporting a cause in which I believe. But wait, there's more! What is even more inspiring to me is when young people can also take a stand for their beliefs - hell, it's uplifting enough that they even form their own beliefs, let alone that they express them.

Enter Max Kamin-Cross. He's a Pittsford teen I had never heard of up until recently. Apparently, certain students in his high school had planned a pro-life day, including wearing shirts with such phrases as "Abortion Kills A Person." Now, I know when I was a teenager some kids wore shirts like this, and while I knew they were entirely within their rights to do so, it still made me silently seethe. Not young Mr. Kamin-Cross. He wrote to the local Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America who donated shirts, pins, and bumper stickers to him and his own cohort of students who chose to wear their own Pro-Choice shirts. Interestingly, on the day of the scheduled "day of the shirts," only 25 wore pro-life shirts whilst over 100 wore pro-choice gear, an interesting turn of events given that Pittsford is a predominantly Republican area.

Politics aside, here what is even more inspiring about that story: Kids on both sides of the debate were involved. Both voiced their opinions in a non-offensive, respectful manner. Remembering how confrontational high school could be, I suppose it is likely that individuals on both sides of the fence could have been outright jerks about their particular viewpoint ("I AM RIGHT YOU ARE WRONG AND SHOULD JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!") - but still, this was, in essence, an organized, passive protest. The fact that young people are doing that, regardless of their beliefs, did that, is enough to give me hope that when these kids enter the world they will aspire to create the change they wish to see.

Green Granola Girls

As I have mentioned before, I like to dabble in a variety of crafts - admittedly, with varying degrees of success. When I was younger I would try to utilize scraps of fabric, stray pieces of pretty ribbon, and bits of yarn. In today's language we would probably say that I was a budding found-objects artist. In reality, my collection of materials just made me look like a bag lady with a collection of odds-and-ends to sell to have money to feed her 86 cats.

Whilst I now turn to more conventional materials for my craftings, I greatly admire others' ability to reinvent something lowly into something high-end. So, when I read about EvenOdd in the Democrat & Chronicle, I admit I kind of squeed at the thought.

You see a lot of businesses with vinyl banners promoting their "OMG COME TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR GREAT DEALS - WHILE THEY LAST!" but what happens when the sale is over? Well, usually businesses just throw out those banners. That's not so green friendly. The awesome ladies at EvenOdd, self-described "granola, hippie types," take such castoffs as these and "upcycle" them - i.e. they recycle them into something more upscale than the original intent - into some pretty bitchin' bags:



They make bags of all sizes, from messenger bags to reusable shopping bags. The D&C article also indicates the ladies are interested in branching out into wrist cuffs and also clutches. What's even cooler is that they have "recycling partners," local agencies that donate their old banners and other items to EvenOdd for materials. Not only do they prevent these items from going into the landfill, every bag is an original creation!

Their green creations are made out of their Neighborhood of the Arts studio (also their home) and sold in the South Wedge trendy boutique Thread. With prices between $20 and $60, the cost is admittedly somewhat more than conventional bags. Still, when one considers that traditional bags tend to be mass-manufactured in sweatshops overseas, it is preferable to spend some more money on a unique, locally-made, creative endeavor. In the end, as with so many things, it's about quality over quantity, and EvenOdd has the former in spades. Don't believe me? Check out their website and consider buying a bag there. Then you can brag, "Oh this? One of a kind." Just like you, right?

Local High School Students' Winning PSA

The first time I ever received a text message, it took me the 15 minutes that it took for the sender to arrive for me to finally figure out how the hell to respond to the damn thing. Nowadays I am an accomplished texter, and it is a favorite way for Loverman and I to send sweet nothings to each other since we work opposing schedules.

Our sickening cutesiness aside, Loverman and I are hardly alone in our affinity for texting. Just about everyone does it these days, especially those young punk kids, dontcha know. Although New York State does have a law against texting and driving, it still happens with concerning frequency.

Side note: Monroe County actually had a texting-and-driving law before the State did. In fact, Monroe County's law was far harsher than the current one: Whilst under the original county law an officer could pull over a driver for no reason other than observing them texting behind the wheel, under the current state law an officer can only add that as a charge if s/he observes the driver committing some other driving offense, such as reckless driving. Personally, I think the old law did more to deter texting-and-driving, but my opinion is neither here nor there.

Some National Honor Society students from one local high school, Pittsford Sutherland, made this brief PSA against texting and driving. They even won $2,000 in grant money, and the spot will air locally. You can read more bout these students here



Now I don't know about you, but I remember when I was in National Honor Society I attended a bunch of boring meetings - well, when I felt like it. I'm sure other, more motivated students used their powers for good rather than for sloth, but I know my membership was largely spent merrily reflecting on how it was padding my resume for college applications. Good for these kids for actually doing something positive with their NHS experience. It's refreshing to me to see youth involved in activism.

Update on the Eyases!

Very brief update, but I thought I would share for those of you who are interested: The little baby falcons I told you about a few posts ago? They now are banded for future tracking and have names! Welcome little Jemison and Callidora!


Awwww...

I am curious as to how exactly names are chosen for these little guys. It's a good thing there is no falcon school, otherwise these two wee ones would be due for their fair share of sniggering.


They had to shoo the parents away in order to band the babies. I can just imagine Mama Falcon shouting, "HEY! Don't touch my babies!"

And for one last gratuitous birdie-pic before I belatedly slip off to bed, I stopped at the live-streaming falcon-cam shortly after 2AM (hey, I work nights, I am awake for a while after I get home). Look at this precious little screencap!


Fuzzy falcon cuddles!

Sleep tight, little eyases.

Flour-Less in the Flour City

Today I was surprised and also somewhat ashamed to discover that if one runs out of bacon, yet is craving something salty and vaguely meat-like, frying Oscar Mayer bologna in the pan is a fairly acceptable alternative. Certainly not a perfect substitution and nowhere near as fulfilling as bacon, don't get me wrong, but in a pinch it can make do.

Unlike most people, before I boldly slapped my bologna in the pan, I not only read the ingredients, I Googled more specific nutrition facts. Daring, I know - a terrifying notion to most - but in my case, I had no choice: Just prior to New Years 2010, I was diagnosed as having gluten intolerance, aka Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disorder that prevents the body from digesting the gluten protein.

Gluten is found in many naturally occurring grains (such as wheat, rye, barley, bran, bulgur, durum, einkorn, faro, semolina, farina, spelt, triticale, kamut - just to name a few) but where it becomes tricky is all the hidden gluten to be found in food, particularly artificial ingredients that might have a gluten-containing base. Even trickier are those foods that are naturally gluten-free, but are prepared in areas where gluten-containing foods are as well, thus contaminating what should be "safe" foods (oats are a good example of this: naturally gluten-free, but prepared with wheat or other "dangerous grains"). Thus my quest to learn all the unsavory parts I was contemplating consuming in my bologna before just going ahead with my mad culinary scheme.

As you can probably guess from reading the above list - a list which I assure you is by no means comprehensive (side note: this list is incredibly helpful to learn more about safe/unsafe foods for someone with gluten intolerance) - changing from a "normal" diet with no limitations to a gluten-free diet is incredibly challenging. Think about it: After years and years of eating anything and everything you wanted, now you can't have traditional bread, crackers, pasta, croutons, pastries, pizza, beer, anything breaded (deep fried is difficult too because the vat of oil may be shared with gluten-containing items) - and now all of a sudden those polysyllabic artificial ingredients in your processed foods become pretty darn important to know what they actually mean. It forces one to become more conscious of what one eats, which is not always a fun thing.

At this point I find it appropriate to inform you lovely people that one of the first nicknames of Rochester is the Flour City, owing to the mills along High Falls making the then-fledgling city the number one flour producer in the United States in the mid 1800s. Nowadays the moniker has been changed to the Flower City, honoring the bounty of blooms in Highland Park so celebrated during the Lilac Festival. A homonym, I know, but to me the newer version sounds much cutesier and thus pleases me more. But I digress.

So with all this temptation around me - an abundance of bakeries, a gaggle of gourmet pastas all locally made - why not just give in and eat gluten anyway? After all, I had been eating it all these years. Well, as I mentioned, Celiac Disease means the body can't digest gluten. When a person with Celiac consumes gluten, it produces a wide variety of symptoms, most commonly severe intestinal distress, but also migraines, asthmatic responses, depression, anxiety, vitamin deficiency, even neuropathy, delayed puberty, short stature, and difficulties with fertility; my own doctor informed me that Celiac Disease manifests in so many different ways, that one could tell her any number of physical symptoms was due to Celiac Disease, she wouldn't be surprised. It really is something that can affect any body system, and as a result it often gets misdiagnosed as other illnesses like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and a variety of other ailments.

So you may be wondering to yourself, "Dude, why did it take so long for you to get diagnosed? Didn't you know something was wrong? Didn't your parents take you to a doctor as a kid? What tomfoolery is this?!" Well, believe it or not, my situation is pretty common. Since the symptoms are vague, it's not always a doctor's first suspicion. Hell, I only got tested when my older sister was diagnosed in November since there tends to be a genetic link. It is estimated by the Center for Celiac Research that approximately 3 million Americans have Celiac Disease, most of whom are undiagnosed.

Sadly, in this country medical research tends to be largely funded by the pharmaceutical companies. However, there is no pill that can cure or treat Celiac: the only treatment is to follow a gluten-free diet. Since there is no money where there is no option of a cure, research for Celiac Disease in this country is profoundly lacking.

Those of us affected by Celiac Disease know this is a huge problem. This Saturday, 6/12/10, is the ninth annual fundraiser Making Tracks for Celiacs, a walk to raise money towards Celiac research. It is the hopes that the more research is funded, the sooner people will be diagnosed with Celiac Disease and possibly the more food producers will be aware of the need for clearly labeled products and the need to prevent cross-contamination. In the Finger Lakes region, the walk will be taking place at Brockport High School with registration starting at 9AM and the walk kicking off at 10:30AM.

You may be asking, "Lex, you've only known you have Celiac Disease for, like, six months. How are you able to talk so much about this fairly new diagnosis?" Well firstly, when you know the only way to treat your ailment is to avoid certain foods, you learn quickly to adapt - admittedly with some growing pains (I can't count how many times I wailed, "I JUST REALIZED I CAN NEVER EAT *INSERT GLUTEN-CONTAINING FOOD HERE* AGAIN!"), but acceptance does come, in time.

Secondly, I cannot be grateful enough for the help of the local chapter of the Gluten-Intolerant Group, the Rochester Celiac Support Group. They have not only basic information on Celiac Disease for neophytes like myself, but a compilation of members' recipes, local shops that carry gluten-free products (some even specialize specifically in gluten-free baked goods!), and my personal favorite, a list of restaurants that have gluten-free options. While not comprehensive, it was a good jumping off place for me: The diagnosis, for me, meant a lot less eating out, but I didn't want to completely deprive myself of the occasional bite out, and it was good to know there were options out there that would understand my dietary needs and not just cock their head and ask "Wait, you're allergic to what?!" Their listserv is quite active and offers helpful hints as to local offerings that are safe - and also not so safe. Their information has made going flour-less in the Flour City not such a challenge.

Two members spoke on the local news on the upcoming walk in Brockport, as well as some basic information about Celiac Disease. There is no link for just the video, but you can watch it here.

If you have gluten intolerance or know someone who does, please look at the website for Making Tracks for Celiacs and consider donating. This is something that would not just benefit Rochester and the Finger Lakes, but overall health nationally. I know both my sister and I would have had considerably fewer health problems throughout our lives if we had been diagnosed sooner and we both feel much healthier than we ever have following a gluten-free diet. We'd like to see a world where other kids don't have to struggle to figure out what was wrong as we had to. My sister is even participating in the walk (yay!). No dollar amount is too small - if you are able, anything would be appreciated.

Rochester's Mayor a Future Lieutenant Governor?

I had intended to write an entirely different post today, however as I turned on my local news, my next post just about wrote itself! Funny how things work out.

I confess, I am one of "those people" so often lamented in our society. I tend to be somewhat oblivious when it comes to politics - at least locally. Oh sure, I can tell you the concerns the region has, but when it comes to which politicians are saying what, I can seldom tell you. Admittedly, not a great thing.

Recently, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that he would be running for governor. Today the announcement came that he was selecting Rochester Mayor Robert (Bob) Duffy as his choice for Lieutenant Governor.

Mayor Duffy has been in the fore of Rochester news for several years. Born and raised in Rochester, Duffy served seven years as Chief of Police before being elected mayor in 2006. Re-elected in 2009, Mayor Duffy has lately been in the local news over his controversial push to begin mayoral control over the Rochester City School District. The city schools have their share of issues from truancy, low graduation rates, poor test scores, drugs, and violence. Pointing to vast improvements under mayoral control in other cities, Mayor Duffy has been pointing to this as a solution for some of these problems. He has met a lot of opposition from parents, the school board, and other citizens.

Despite this, there have also been many successful initiatives Mayor Duffy has led. He started the 311 call center, a toll-free number billed as "one call to City Hall." He began Clean Sweep, an annual city initiative to beautify neighborhoods. To involve the community in helping out high-crime areas, he helped begin programs such as Pastors on Patrol, gang-prevention program Pathways to Peace, and police-citizen coalition PAC-TAC (Police and Citizens Together Against Crime). He lowered city property taxes. Hell, don't take my word for all this - his website has a List of Accomplishments during his reign as mayor (not exactly humble, but hey, that's politics for you).

There is some concern that if elected, many of the initiatives started by Duffy may fall by the wayside, including mayoral control of schools, revitalization of downtown sites, and some of the aforementioned programs that have already been successful. Some Rochesterians support his decision whilst others are concerned that he will leave Rochester in the lurch.

So why is someone who usually doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to politics spending so much time talking about Bob Duffy? As a fellow Rochester native, I am interested to see how, if elected, how this might affect Western New York State. Having lived here my whole life, I am pretty much used to the rest of the country - the rest of the world even - seeming to think New York State is pretty much comprised of New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, and a very ambiguous term called "Upstate" which is used to describe pretty much everywhere else. To illustrate, here is the message most people get about New York State:



Hm, that's an awful lot of nonentity there. In reality, here are the correct names of the regions of New York:

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We who are lumped into the generic "Upstate" label are pretty much used to being disregarded not only by the rest of the country, but by our own state government. Many "Upstate" regions voice feelings of neglect on the part of the government. In some ways, I can understand the error: It would be foolish to ignore that New York City is a mecca of national and international business, culture, and history. At the same time, Western New York, the Finger Lakes, and many other "Upstate" regions have been suffering economically.

Despite its many wonderful qualities (including being rated #6 on the Places Rated Almanac Best Places to Live in America out of 379 communities in America), Rochester is a rust belt city with businesses - and young people - leaving in droves. Where's the help for us, and cities like ours? In fact, in March of 2009 some state senators motioned for a vote to divide New York, seceding "Upstate" as its own entity that can focus on its own unique needs. Some citizens agree wholeheartedly with this motion, such as Unshackle Upstate. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I think it illustrates a valid point: "Upstate" New Yorkers feel pretty darn neglected and are pretty miffed about it.

I'm not here to say the Cuomo/Duffy ticket is going to be a panacea for all of "Upstate's" woes - I may not be fully invested in politics, but I'm not that delusional. However I do think it would be interesting to see how having one of Rochester's native sons in such a position of power and how this may - or may not - ultimately lead to a closer understanding of the particular needs of this region.

Any other Rochesterians or New Yorkers out there? How do you feel Mayor Duffy's viewpoint could potentially affect government relations with "Upstate?"