We went a little north to visit Ojai, or the "Valley of the Moon," for a get-away trip out of LA.
We camped out in an overflowing campground with el grito de mariachi singing into the wee-morning hours. We hiked up a small waterfall, rock climbed up the side of a mountain, and skipped across streams to Piedras Blancas. Our quads were sore. We slept only a little, and awoke with the early sun, which shines long hours in this stunning valley that stretches east to west.
We came down from our campground and happened upon the early-awake Vicki's Pink Thrift & Vintage Store where a beautiful woman named Vicki talked to us about Ojai-based ceramicist Beatrice Wood, the fluidity of menopause, local 'lore, home-made soap, and her grandson. She "gifted" us some soap made of lavender & sage, citrus & cinnamon.
Oh California, you bewilder me. Ojai is Chumash land. Then colonial settlers sold the earth to Fernando Tico in 1837 via a Mexican Land Grant. Today, homes and land are worth well into the millions, and owned by a very lucky, privileged class of mostly white people. There is a large Oaxacan community that sustains the city. It is a weird thing to bear witness to, unsettling, and strange. Yet the natural landscape is probably just as powerful, medicinal, unique and lovely as it was prior to settlement. And, when we're all gone, it will be restored to its original beauty.
On our way home, next door to Pink Thrift, we went to HIP: A Vegetarian Joint, which is a very yummy place to go and borrow recipes from to create in your own kitchen (or just borrow from their website menu!). We loved this little spot.
Something I sometimes experience as a woman of color is that veganism is a white thing. But also, I feel like I love taking care of myself and my body ~ through food, through sitting in a garden, through yoga, and through dance, all because of the awesome women of color who raised me. Of course, a lot of wonderful, ancestral, and spiritual ways of loving ourselves have become commodified, packaged, and sold as lifestyles of a privileged class. This annoys me, and yet, won't stop me from enjoying a cute, independently owned vegan restaurant, that happens to sit on sacred land. What's important about loving ourselves, and eating well, is remembering that it's what our ancestors have always done ~ it has not always been a white, privileged way of life. It has become so, and I will do what I can to help undo that in the world. Through talking, through community, through bringing these conversations out of the places they are commodified, and building relationships with friends and family where we can remember, together, these simple things.
Something I sometimes experience as a woman of color is that veganism is a white thing. But also, I feel like I love taking care of myself and my body ~ through food, through sitting in a garden, through yoga, and through dance, all because of the awesome women of color who raised me. Of course, a lot of wonderful, ancestral, and spiritual ways of loving ourselves have become commodified, packaged, and sold as lifestyles of a privileged class. This annoys me, and yet, won't stop me from enjoying a cute, independently owned vegan restaurant, that happens to sit on sacred land. What's important about loving ourselves, and eating well, is remembering that it's what our ancestors have always done ~ it has not always been a white, privileged way of life. It has become so, and I will do what I can to help undo that in the world. Through talking, through community, through bringing these conversations out of the places they are commodified, and building relationships with friends and family where we can remember, together, these simple things.
In any case, the tempeh "ultimate burgers" were super delicious. Wrapped in collard greens (or bun or tortilla), with a delicious miso mayo, onions, sprouts, lettuce, tomatoes, and vegenaise, it's a great, quick, summertime meal! We also ordered a Date Shake w fresh cashew milk, bananas, and carob. DAMN this sh** was off the hook.
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