hat

erz

wan

na

hat

e...

love

rs w

ann

a lo

ve...

Volume II, 09 | January 2011

Coming in 2011

Central Presbyterian Church (200 E. Eighth St.)

hosts their Thursday Noonday Concert on Jan.

6 at 12 p.m. featuring organist Hyojin Song. Drop

by or make reservations at concerts@cpaustin.org

using “lunch” in the subject line. For more info, go

to www.cpcaustin.org.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Literary figure Achy Obejas converses on

“Uncorking Cuba: One Hundred Bottles,” her

acclaimed translation of Ena Lucía Portela’s

provocative novel, “Cien botellas en una

pared.” Presented by Austin Area Translators

and Interpreters Association at the Emma S.

Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center

on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. Free. www.ci.austin.

tx.us/macc.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asha Austin presents GANGA: A River’s Story

at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15 at Waldorf

Performing Arts Center (8700 South View Rd.).

The contemporary dance drama from Natyalaya

School of Dance is told through the eyes of a

boatman on the Ganga. Tix $8-$50. For more go

to www.eknazar.com.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Heritage Council is sponsoring the MLK

Community March and Festival which begins at

9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 17 at the MLK Statue on

the University of Texas campus. The march leads

to Huston-Tillotson University and the Cultural

Festival featuring live music, food and fun ‘til 2 p.m.

For more information, visit www.mlkcelebration.

com/celebration-event.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cine de Oro’s Lunch & A Movie continues at the

ESB MACC on Tuesday, Jan. 25 with the screening

of Viva Mi Desgracia (Long Live my Misfortune), a

1944 flick from Mexico’s golden film era. Early bird

show for seniors at 9:30 a.m.; general screening

at 7 p.m. for general public. Free. For more, go to

www.ci.austin.tx.us/macc.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Continental Club (1315 S. Congress) hosts

Graham Reynolds & the Golden Arm Trio’s

CD release party for “Duke-Three Portraits of

Ellington” on Saturday, Jan. 29. Golden Arm

Strings @10:30; Ruby Jane @11:15; Golden

Arm Trio @12; with DJ Butcher Bear spinning

Ellingtonia all night. www.grahamreynolds.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FronteraFest hosts 25 days of the best in Austin

live performance from Tuesday, Jan. 11 - Feb 12.

The fest, a collaboration of  Hyde Park Theatre

and ScriptWorks, features The Short Fringe, a

new bill of four or five plays every night. The Long

Fringe (Jan. 17-30) spotlights 90-minute pieces at

Salvage Vanguard Theater and the Blue Theatre.

Full article on page 12 and more info at www.

fronterafest.org.

contact@todoaustinonline.com

512.538.4115

NANDINI JAIRAM is passionate about technology and education. She pursues the former through her day job at AMD and the latter by serving as Asha Austin’s volunteer coordinator. Her story about Asha Austin is on Pg. 7.

Gary Jaffe is a Yale graduate and director at Capital T Theatre. He teams up with Rebecca Robinson to cover Frontera Fest on Pg. 12.

Adriana Cadena is the Coordinator for Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance. Her commitment to the community is rooted in her family’s experience as Mexican immigrants in the U.S. Feature story on Pg. 8. Vandana Kumar has lived in Austin with her family since 1996. She works as Technology Business Development Executive at IBM, and now devotes a significant amount of her time volunteering for local non-profits, including Saheli and Pratham (story, Pg. 7). 

Jessica Meyer lives in Austin, Texas where she is the owner of ATX Gluten-Free. She works as a gluten-free personal chef, nutritionist and food blogger. Story on Pg. 12.

CONTRIBUTORS

Yoga made ESY for You.

1050 East 11th St. #150 ~ 512.779.8543www.eastsideyoga-austin.com

www.facebook.com/todo.austin

www.twitter.com/todo_austin

by Mary Parsamyan

BRANDI COWLEY1611 W. 5th Street

512.473.0700 | brandicowley.com

P H O T O B Y Z O E A L E X A N D E R

BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOKFACEBOOK.COM/WHOLE.KIDS.LIFESTYLE.AUSTIN

TWEET WITH US ON TWITTERTWITTER.COM/WKLAUSTIN

SUBSCRIBE TOWHOLE KIDS LIFESTYLEWWW.WHOLEKIDSLIFESTYLE.COM

Pick up your complimentary publication at Whole Foods, Central Market, Wheatsville Co-op, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Eco-Wise, or other health stores and physician offices around town.

04 TODO Austin // JAN 2011 // TODOaustinonline.com

Marlon Bailey may be addicted to volunteering. He is currently a

mentor at two local high schools, involved with children’s ministry

at his church and serves as a hospital advocate for SafePlace. On top

of all of that, he has spent the past year working on two different

cases as a CASA volunteer advocate. With CASA, Marlon has been

working with teenagers, and really enjoys the very real conversations

about life he gets to have with these youth. He feels that at 23 he’s

not so far removed himself from this age and that he can relate well

to them, which helps build a strong relationship and a lot of trust

on his cases.

 

When he’s not volunteering, Marlon is getting his Masters in Social

Work at the University of Texas, and working at SafePlace as a

Community Education Training Specialist. He “likes to wish that he

exercises,” though he does enjoy playing sports with his friends. He

loves finding free time for Saturday morning cartoons and catching

up on Grey’s Anatomy when he can.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Travis County (CASA)

V O L U N T E E R S P O T L I G H TTexas Hospitality Extends to Radioactive WasteBy Harmony Eichsteadt

West Texas will soon welcome low-level radioactive waste from 36 other

states. Plans have been in the works since 1998 to develop a storage

and processing facility for waste from Texas and Vermont, but the recent

proposed changes to the policy would allow for a number of other states to

bid for waste storage as well. Construction began in April of 2010, and the

Andrews County facility will begin accepting waste for storage in February

of 2011.

According to Waste Control Specialist, LLC (WCS), a private company

contracted by the state to build and maintain the site, the landscape’s

unique geology makes it ideal for storage of low-level radioactive waste.

The “impermeable red Dokum clay” provides a barrier between the waste

and the land, and the site is situated far from any aquifer.

But not everyone agrees with WCS’s assessment of the geography. There are

some reports that indicate that the facility is located over the Ogallala Aquifer,

which provides drinking water for nearly 2 million people, and storage isn’t

the only safety concern.

Tom “Smitty” Smith of Public Citizen, a national environmental watch group,

notes that waste must be transported to the facility, and transportation is one

place where major accidents can happen. The kind of low-level radioactive

waste set to be stored in Andrews is moved in containers that don’t require

integrity tests, and accidents involving trucks carrying these containers

do happen, with 90 percent of the accidents causing the contents of the

containers to spill. Because these trucks will travel routes through major

cities, the risk to even those Texans who live far from Andrews County is

significant. And if (or when) accidents do happen in the transportation or

storage of the radioactive waste, it will be Texas taxpayers (not WCS or the

taxpayers of the states shipping their waste) who get stuck paying the cost

– both environmentally, and financially.

Citizens had until December 26, 2010 to register comments and complaints

to their elected officials on the proposed plan to allow importation from

other states. The next public meeting will be held January 4, 2011. For more

information on the project and upcoming developments and meetings,

visit the Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission

website at www.tllrwdcc.org.

A series of events in January will mark the final program of the series “Mexican American Firsts: Trailblazers of Austin and Travis County,” sponsored by the Austin History Center. The programs preserve and encourage commemoration of Austin’s Mexican American history and honor Mexican American Trailblazers. All events are free and open to the public.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 8

Vamos a Platicar: Preserving Austin’s Mexican American History(Panel Discussion) 1 - 3 p.m.Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe StreetAn informal panel covering the preservation and documentation of Mexican American history in Austin.

Tour of Austin History Center 3 - 4 p.m.For more information, please visithttp://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/news/nr20101215.htm.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 16

Last day to view the Mexican American Firsts: Trailblazers of Austin and Travis County Exhibit Austin History Center

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29

Mexican American Firsts: Trailblazers of Austin and Travis County ClosingReception 2 - 4 p.m.Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Road

The reception will honor 32 extraordinary Mexican American Trailblazers, as well as schools, teachers and students. A 10-minute documentary produced by the Austin History Center entitled “Abriendo Brecha” (”Making our Way”) will be shown during the event. Refreshments will be served.

TODO AustinVOLUME II, NUMBER 009

Publisher/Editor - Gavin Lance Garcia

contact@todoaustinonline.com Art Director - Dave McClintonwww.dmdesigninc.com

Executive Editor - Erica Stall Wiggins

Senior Editors – Harmony Eichsteadt, Jillian Hall, Gabino Iglesias, Katie Walsh

Associate Editors – Sonia Kotecha, Alexandra M. Landeros, Julia Lee, Esther Reyes, Blake Shanley, Bowen Wilder, Yvonne Lim Wilson

Contributing Writers/Artists – Mohammad Al-Bedaiwi, Joseph Banks, Lina Begum, Stefanie Behe, Adriana Cadena, Deborah Alys Carter, Jennie Chen, Brandi Cowley, Mia Garcia, Paul Hernandez, Anoop Iyer, Yadira Izquierdo, Gary Jaffe, Nandini Jairam, Vandana Kumar, Callie Langford, Heather Lee, Otis Lopez, David Marks, Mike Martinez, Jessica Meyer, Lata Narumanchi, Damaris Nicholson, Jay Parmar, Mary Parsamyan, Kathy Pham, Rebecca Robinson, Marion Sanchez, Rupal Shah, Kristina Vallejo, Kuetzpalin Vasquez, Thomas Yoo

Photographers – Heather Banks, David M. Collins, Jenny Fu, Mark Guerra, John M. P. Knox, JoJo Marion, Jay Parmar, Mohan Sridharan, Rama Tiru, Aimee Wenske, Matt Ziehr

AdvertisingContact 512.538.4115sales@todoaustinonline.com

TODO Austin is published by Spark Awakened Publishing. © 2011 Spark Awakened Publishing. All rights reserved. Unsolicited submissions (including, but not limited to articles, artwork, photographs) are not returned.

Visit us at:

TODOAustinOnline.com

TODO Austin: Multicultural Media for All of Austin

TODO Austin is a free, colorful print and online journal for all of Austin highlighting our multicultural heritage. Our mission is to promote the concept of community in an ethnically diverse city.

WRITE TO USwith stories, submissions, etc.:Contact@TODOaustinonline.comEditorial – 512.538.4115

Series Highlights Mexican American History in Austin

TODO Mexico:Celebrating One of the World’s Oldest Fusion CuisinesBy Katie Walsh PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATIE WALSH

Let’s Talk About It

TODO Austin // JAN 2011 // TODOaustinonline.com 05

With over 10 million indigenous peoples and 10 thousand years of food history, Mexico is home to a uniquely diverse and dynamic cuisine, one that is often oversimplified and underappreciated in the U.S. Here in Texas, many people think of Mexican food and Tex-Mex interchangeably, mistaking the staples of our border cuisine—nachos, chile con carne, beef fajitas—as Mexican. While Tex-Mex has a rich history of its own (my father Robb Walsh documents this extensively in his book The Tex-Mex Cookbook), the foodways of Mexico are steeped in the intermingling of flavors, peoples and ingredients as one of the world’s oldest fusion cuisines.

Nestled in a quiet pueblo between the bustling tourist hubs of Cancun and Playa del Carmen, The Little Mexican Cooking School opened in December of 2009 to offer day-long courses on Mexican food, cooking, history and culture. While the material and recipes covered are themselves a colorful representation of Mayan, Aztec and Spanish influences, the school brings the idea of cultural fusion to life through its diverse staff and students.

The school was co-founded by Australian-born, Mexican local Catriona Brown and Montreal-based Patti Murphy. Both founders have traveled the world extensively and have a passion for sharing expansive experiences with fellow travelers.

“I hope to give people a unique tourist experience, something different than what they’re used to,” Brown said. “We always aim to offer our students more than what they were expecting, so that they walk away with a true love and understanding of Mexican culture.”

Brown hired the school’s instructing Chef, Pablo Lopez Espinosa de los Monteros, in October of 2010. Originally from Mexico City, Espinosa had received several awards cooking in Canada, including a 2008 Critics’ Choice Award for his own restaurant, Café Maya.

But one day, he was startled to hear a story on the news that stated Mexican food traditions were beginning to be lost due to a lack of time during today’s modern daily grind for making traditional recipes from scratch.

“I came back to Mexico to try and preserve the cuisine—that’s my passion,” Espinosa said. “I’m constantly learning myself. Even though I grew up with a lot of these dishes, I love researching and reading about the history behind them, and sharing that with foreigners.”

Brown and Espinosa have created four daily, rotating menus, often mixed in with some special features and improvisation depending on the local ingredients available and the dynamic of that day’s group. The day I spoke with them, the menu included chicken in mole poblano, guacamole “de los tiempos,” (an old-fashioned recipe made without lime juice), three types of salsa and do-it-yourself tortillas that students press and cook themselves.

Mole, Espinosa said, is a particularly interesting dish to teach. With a complex combination of dried chiles and spices and a tedious cooking time, it’s a great example of a tradition that may be compromised for a quick-and-convenient alternative, more and more often made from a jarred paste rather than by hand.

Mole poblano is made with chocolate, giving it a rich, earthy undertone and a connection to Mexico’s ancient indigenous cultures. Recent studies show that cacao may have first been used by the Olmecs, the very first Mesoamerican civilization. Reserved for spiritual rituals and the aristocracy, it was considered to be sacred and extremely valuable, even used as a form of currency by the Aztecs. While they might be turning over in their ruins at the thought of plopping it into sauce pots, its use in the dish exemplifies the cultural fusion that lies at the heart of Mexican cuisine.

The mole taught at The Little Mexican Cooking School is made from scratch, and includes an in-depth tutorial on each of the chiles that goes into the paste. Championing a “100-mile diet” and support of local communities, the chile powders the school uses in the kitchen and sells in the gift shop come from the family farm of Lucy Adriana Och Pool, one of the school’s assistants. For years, her parents have grown and ground chiles in the small village of Panaba and pedaled them to nearby pueblos.

“They’ve been doing it for 30 years,” Och Pool told me in Spanish. “Selling the chile powders at the school was a great idea because they’re getting older and can’t travel as much.”

She and Daisy, the school’s other local kitchen assistant, both said that working there has been a “beautiful” and unexpected experience. Both from the Yucatan peninsula, they said they liked that the classes were “part Mexican, part Yucatecan,” and that they value the experience to work in such an intimate environment atypical of the tourist industry.

“Cooking at home is different than cooking here

in the school kitchen,” Daisy said. “I’m learning a lot. It’s a great job to have and it’s nice to see the [tourists] coming here instead of the big commercial places in Cancun and places like that.”

And the tourists that come to the Little Mexican Cooking School come from all over. They’ve hosted students from the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, Finland, Scotland, Ireland and beyond. Between the diverse staff, the robust instructional menus and the global student roster, The Little Mexican Cooking School celebrates the world’s first fusion cuisine from the inside out, through its food, people and practice.

For more information or to book a class, visit www.thelittlemexicancookingschool.com or email cat@puertomorelosliving.com.

The Little Mexican Cooking SchoolCalle Andres Quintana Roo 779aPuerto Morelos, Quintana Roo 77589

US Booking Line (512) 410-8146

Chef Pablo Espinosa demonstrates knife technique to students at the Little Mexican Cooking School

Kitchen Assistant Lucy Adriana Och Pool prepares sopes for students at the Little Mexican Cooking School

Students at the Little Mexican Cooking School taste native Yucatan fruits

The city of Austin continues to build bridges to China with cultural and economic development exchange. During the week of December 13, a delegation from Austin’s sister city in Xishuangbanna (“Banna”), China toured Austin, Houston and San Antonio.

Governor Linyin Dao, along with directors of development and tourism, met with Mayor Lee Leffingwell and other community and business leaders to not only create connections, but also develop concrete plans of mutual benefit.

After a whirlwind tour of Austin highlights, the delegation held court at a reception attended by business and community leaders at The Long Center hosted by the Asian American Cultural Center, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Asian Chamber of Commerce.

Acclaimed local cellist Hai Zheng Olefsky performed a beautiful song from Banna, which inspired Governor Dao to spontaneously perform a Chinese dance, a highlight of the evening.

“I am so touched, there are tears in my eyes,” said Amy Wong Mok, chair of the Austin-China Relations Advisory Council for the Mayor’s

office and also CEO of the Asian American Cultural Center.

Consul General Gao Yanping of China, whose office is based in Houston, spoke of the growing ties between China, the United States and Texas.

“I believe by next year you will have more friends and delegates visiting Texas,” she said. “Madame Dao’s visit will be the first step in cooperative, friendly relations.”

Mayor Leffingwell is expected to continue the exchange with a visit to Xishuangbanna in 2011.

On January 12, the City and the Consulate General of China in Houston will co-present “Treasures of the Yunnan Province,” a showcase of Yunnan folk songs and dancers from China at the Paramount Theatre. The show represents not only a celebration of Chinese culture, but will also open the door for more arts exchange between China and Austin. Tickets ($10 general admission and $20 orchestra and mezzanine) and details available at www.austintheatre.org.

As we close the year and enter 2011, Asians all over the world are getting ready for the Lunar New Year, which begins on February 3, 2011. We will be welcoming the Year of the Rabbit, which is said to be the luckiest sign of the Chinese Zodiac. In Austin, get ready for myriad Lunar New Year celebrations, each with their own flavor and style.

A few highlights include the Asian American Cultural Center’s family friendly celebration on Saturday, January 30; the Capital Area Asian American Democrats celebration and awards on Thursday, February 3; the Texas Asian Chamber of Commerce’s elegant evening Lunar New Year Gala on Saturday, February 5; a day-long extravaganza at the Chinatown Center on N. Lamar Blvd. on Sunday, February 6; as well as many more celebrations in late January continuing throughout February. For more event listings, visit Asian Austin at www.AsianAustin.com.

Yvonne Lim Wilson is founder and publisher of Asian Austin at www.AsianAustin.com, an online news magazine featuring news about Asian American people, organizations and events in Austin. Contact Yvonne at yvonne@asianaustin.com.

By Yvonne Lim Wilson

Asian Austin: About Town

Photo by Yvonne Lim WilsonGovernor Dao of Xishuangbanna, China surprised reception guests with an impromptu dance performance.

LIVE MUSICEVERY FRIDAY - MARIACHI TAMAZULA (8-10 PM, FREE)JAN 2 ENLACES LATINOS (NOON, FREE)JAN 8 SON Y NO SON (8:30 PM, NO COVER)JAN 16 ENLACES LATINOS (NOON, FREE)JAN 22 SON DE REY (10 PM)JAN 29 ECLIPSE (10 PM)JAN 30 ENLACES LATINOS (NOON, FREE)

Restaurant & Bar

MONcCLOSED // TUE to THUc8am - 11pm // FRI - SATc8am - 2am // SUNc9am - 4pm 600 East 6th Street // 512.444.7770 // www.elsolylalunaaustin.com

Latin American Cuisine

FREE PARKING2 HR LUNCHTIME PARKING ON 6TH ST.

We have relocated from our long time home onSouth Congress to Austin’s Historic Sixth Street.

“Every child in school and learning well.” It is the mission statement adopted by Pratham, a non-profit organization in India for child literacy. Currently, there are more than 100 million children in India who cannot read or write. More are joining the ranks everyday. That is the magnitude of the problem Pratham (www.pratham.org) is trying to overcome.

Surveys show that although nationwide, 95% of the children in India are enrolled in schools, nearly half of the children in 5th grade cannot read even at the 2nd grade level. The child may stay in school for several years; his learning effectively halted until he finally gives up and drops out. It is truly a crisis of colossal proportions, a crisis which calls for an innovative, scalable and urgent solution.

Pratham was founded in 1994 in the slums of Mumbai (Bombay) by Madhav Chavan andFarida Lambay, two people who believe that children belong in schools, not in factories or on the streets. In its 16 years of existence, Pratham has managed to teach more than 600 thousand

TODO Austin // JAN 2011 // TODOaustinonline.com 07

By Nandini Jairam

ASHA: HOPE THROUGH EDUCATION

children. The teachers, mostly young girls, who themselves have a 9th – 10th grade-level education, are picked from the very villages that the disadvantaged children are from and are paid a very small stipend. They are trained to raise the reading, writing and math skills of the children to a level at which the children can study and progress with the rest of their class within six to eight weeks. Since the girls would not normally be working outside the home, this is of benefit to both parties. The focus is on tackling the problem with the maximum reach and coverage; not building something quaint and pretty that would only benefit a few. India has the largest illiterate population in the world, and the task is not for the faint hearted. Chavan has always been critical of boutique mentality: “There is 40 percent illiteracy in India. What is small and beautiful about that?” he says.

Pratham is not a typical charity. It is a partnership between the government, the private sector and individuals to bring about systemic change. It is primarily a volunteer-run

organization with an expense ratio of 6%. Not many NGOs can claim that. Recently, Pratham won the prestigious 2009 CNN Indian of the Year award in the Public Service category and the 2010 Henry R. Kravis prize for leadership in the nonprofit sector. Pratham USA has won the coveted four star rating from Charity Navigator for several years in a row, exceeding industry standards and outperforming peers.

Inspired by Pratham’s story, a group of motivated Austinites met in mid-October and decided to host a holiday dinner event to raise awareness within the Central Texas community. The goal was to get 50 – 60 people to attend the event and raise 5,000 dollars. The planning committee was pleasantly surprised at the speed with which seats started filling up. Within five weeks of the offer date, all 140 tickets for the dinner were booked. The event partner, Clay Pit, has a reputation of being one of the best ethnic restaurants in town, and the evening’s live entertainment, Naga Valli, has a strong Austin following. The event eventually brought in total pledges of

more than $50,000—ten times the amount of the initial target. As the pledge drive ended, the enthusiasm in the audience was palpable. It was the excitement engendered from being part of something big. Crowds danced and shimmied to the popular Bollywood numbers played by Valli late into the night.

The holiday dinner event was just the beginning for Pratham in Austin. The team hopes to launch the official chapter, create the board, select the advisory committee and host several fundraising events throughout the year. In keeping with the tradition set by other U.S. chapters, they hope to end each year with a grand gala in the fall. Pratham enthusiasts know that it will be hard work, but the potential to offer 100 million kids a chance at life? Priceless.

For more information, please contact Ashish Gupta at (512) 296-3162 or Vandana Kumar at (512) 659-9271.

However diverse we are, we all have a common goal. We want to build a good future for our children and are prepared to make sacrifices to achieve that dream. What happens to the unfortunate exceptions?

The word “asha” translates to “hope” in English. Asha for Education is a zero-overhead, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to bringing socio-economic change in India through the education of underprivileged children. Started in 1991, Asha for Education now spans 73 chapters worldwide, which have together disbursed $18 million to more than 400 projects focused on children’s education in India. The Austin chapter of Asha

took shape in 2002 on a small scale with just four projects. Today, Asha Austin raises funds to support 19 projects in India and has disbursed over $550,000.

There are many reasons Austinites choose to volunteer with Asha. The organization is apolitical, secular, non-hierarchical and democratic. Volunteers have opportunities to be responsible for and work directly with projects. Volunteers can visit any of 19 project sites and see the positive impact that Asha has made. Asha supports a wide spectrum of projects, including schools for children with special needs, work with orphans, children of migrant laborers and leprosy patients

and those who come from impoverished families earning less than $2 a day. Additionally, they have a fellowship program that supports individuals who have dedicated their lives to social service.

Raising funds for such projects is a challenge that Asha faces each year. One of their biggest fundraisers is the “Strides of Hope” program, partnering with a local marathon training company to train participants for a full/half marathon or a 10K race chosen by the runners, who in return raise money for Asha. The 10K training program starts in January and is looking for participants. To learn more, e-mail austin.marathon@ashanet.org or visit www.ashanet.org/austin/soh/.

Asha Austin also organizes several cultural events throughout the year to raise funds. On January 15, they will be present “Ganga-A River’s Story,” featuring the talented dancers of local dance school Natyalaya School of Dance. Learn more at www.ashanet.org/austin/ganga.

If you would like to donate, become a volunteer, run with Team Asha, attend meetings or events, join the mailing list, or have a great fundraising idea to share, please visit the website or Facebook for more details. www.ashanet.org/austin

www.facebook.com/pages/Asha-for-Education-Austin-TX-Chapter/99189587971

By Vandana Kumar

EVERY CHILD IN SCHOOL AND LEARNING WELL

08 TODO Austin // JAN 2011 // TODOaustinonline.com

These questions will be at the forefront of public debate in 2011. In Texas, it will come as soon as this year’s legislative session convenes in Austin with a group of right-wing conservatives, backed by Tea Party enthusiasts, poised to have their way.

Several of the legislative proposals we will see introduced are similar to those Arizona lawmakers have chosen to pursue. A series of statutes and laws passed in the last few years have essentially criminalized and dehumanized a vital sector of society—immigrant families and immigrant workers. Such laws have eroded civil liberties while giving Gestapo-like powers to law enforcement agencies. Most notably, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County has made a political career out of arresting immigrants who have been incorporated into the American economy. These actions have best served the interests of private prison corporations who benefit from the increased incarceration of human beings. And, if this persecution of hard-working people was not enough, employers face the impending threat of harsh state penalties and license revocation for not verifying the immigration status of their employees.

The marginalization of people of color, Latino immigrants in particular, has even been driven down to the public school system. Ethnic studies programs have been barred based on the rationale that such programs teach Mexican American children to resent Anglos.

In Arizona, harsh measures have been taken in the name of security and the defense of America. But when you see through the smoke, what comes into view are traces of xenophobic racism.

Why are these politics of fear being promoted? Could political power be a factor?

The divisive, belligerent, xenophobic society being shaped now in Arizona is being exported by a radical sector of right-wing politics. Texas must now decide if it will follow suit. Our representatives will make that historic decision through the policies they enact, beginning January 11.

To date, more than 40 anti-immigrant bills have been introduced in the Texas House. These range from denying citizenship to U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants, to requiring local law enforcement to stop anyone who looks “suspicious” of being an undocumented immigrant. Some bills are clearly unconstitutional, yet the authors seek to carry the debate out

debate. The 82nd session, though, will see the balance of power in the House dramatically shifted. Last session, Republicans held 76 seats and Democrats held 74, forcing both parties to make compromises. Now, Republicans control the House with 101 members. This is not to say that only Republicans are subject to the right-wing conservative agenda. There are Democrats who would like to see harsher immigration policies. Just recently, two Democrats abandoned the Democratic Party label and crossed the aisle. This, of course, means that there are a greater number of right-wing representatives in the ranks that could essentially push forward and pass their agenda. If pragmatic Republican legislators allow themselves to be bullied by their right-wing colleagues, our Texas values will be challenged, the well-being of the immigrant community will be compromised, and our state’s finances will face further challenges.

Some freshman legislators are eager to embrace the anti-immigrant agenda. What will prevail in the session is yet to be seen. It is possible that some of the more aggressive bills will not fare well, but there could be a compromise. Many conservatives, and those in the human rights advocacy community, see that the best way to resolve the issue of illegal immigration is with comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level.

Ultimately, what will prevail in the next six months will be tied to our own action or lack thereof. We tend to believe that there is someone else who will carry the torch, especially on divisive issues such as immigration. The war being waged on immigrants can quickly move on to other communities. The immigration struggle–the immigration debate–is not far from individual lives. If we let the values that represent regression prevail, we are losing the battle for a more tolerant and progressive society.

The result of the 82nd session will either allow xenophobia and racism to infiltrate our principles and be institutionalized in the rule of law, or, conversely, will allow tried-and-true Texas values to persevere–values we all understand as respect for family, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. Texans must lead the way in being a society that promotes liberty and justice for all.

Join us for the Rally Against Racism & Xenophobia: “Let’s Recover Texas’ Dignity” on February 22, 2011 at 2 p.m. on the South Steps of the Capitol.

The 82nd Texas Legislature Takes on ImmigrationBy Adriana Cadena

What would it be like to live in a place where U.S.-born children were

denied citizenship and schools were mandated to look for, find and report

children’s citizenship status to authorities? Imagine that English was the

one language officially recognized. How would a government like this

serve the taxpayers of an ethnically diverse community? How would our

safety be compromised if people were stopped by law enforcement on the

basis of their skin pigmentation, interrogated as possible undocumented

immigrants? What would local officials do if they were required to

enforce federal immigration laws or else be denied needed funds?

in a public forum. The question then becomes, why proceed in this fashion? Is it to sway voters’ attention away from the real issues facing the state, such as a budget deficit (close to $25 billion), or to essentially throw red meat to constituents who resent anyone who is different from them?

Texas’ demographics are rapidly becoming increasingly diverse. Within the next five years, minorities in Texas will be the majority of the population. The 2010 Census results will give Texas four more congressional districts, mostly driven by growth in the Latino community. So, as Texas grows more diverse, why have dozens of bills with anti-immigrant underpinnings been filed?

Here’s a sample of some of the bills being considered:

HOUSE BILL 17 creates a Class B misdemeanor offense of “criminal trespass” for undocumented immigrants and procedures for arresting them for the crime of simply being in Texas.

HOUSE BILL 18 threatens to withhold state funding from local governmental entities whose law enforcement agencies opt-out of enforcing state or federal immigration laws. It essentially forces local law enforcement agents to act as federal immigration agents.

HOUSE BILL 22 requires school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to determine the citizenship status of students at their initial enrollment in the district or school and report that information to the State Board of Education.

HOUSE BILL 293 denies state benefits to U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants.

HOUSE BILL 302 requires local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 38 proposes a constitutional amendment declaring English the state language and requiring that official acts of government be conducted in English.

In past sessions, a handful of right-wing conservative legislators introduced similar proposals. These bills were so extreme and contemptuous that they never reached the House floor for

E M M A S . B A R R I E N T O S M E X I C A N A M E R I C A N C U LT U R A L C E N T E RA N D B E L L A S A R T E S A L L I A N C E P R E S E N T S

The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require special assistance for participation in our programs or use of our facilities please call 512-974-3770 or 711 Relay Texas. La ciudad de Austin está comprometida al Acta de Americanos Incapacitados. Si requiere asistencia para participar en nuestros programas por favor llame al teléfono número 512-974-3770 o 711 Relay Texas.

MARCH 18-19, 2011 • AUSTIN TEXAS

Pan Americana Festival is an innovative, all-embracing multicultural arts and entertainment celebration designed to

foster appreciation of America’s diverse cultures and heritage.www.panamericanafestival.com

3 1 9 C o n g r e s s Av e n u e , S t e 2 5 0 | A u s t i n , Te x a s 7 8 7 0 1 | 5 1 2 . 5 3 8 . 4 1 1 5

AB Quintanilla III presents Kumbia All-Starz

Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center600 RIVER ST., AUSTIN, TX 78701 • 512.974.3772 • MACCAUSTIN.ORG

10 TODO Austin // JAN 2011 // TODOaustinonline.com

United Sounds of AustinBy Bowen Wilder

Venue Profile

SCOOT INN1308 E. 4th Street @ Navasota

Austin, Texas 78702

www.scoot-inn.com

When the sun goes down, the corner of Fourth and Navasota comes alive with the sounds of clinking

bottles, live music, and laughter bursting from an unobtrusive red cabin surrounded by meager

vegetation. The Scoot Inn’s dilapidated sign and humble appearance juxtapose the ample amenities

and inviting atmosphere inside. With an expansive bier garten, indoor and outdoor music stages

and the possibility of renewing your addiction to Skee-Ball, nostalgia frequently afflicts first time visitors.

Live music three or more nights a week showcases a diversity of styles by musicians and DJs from near and

far. The Scoot Inn is hands down one of the best East Side venues to open their paint chipped doors.

TEXAS MUSIC MUSEUM Housed within a modest, inconspicuous building tucked behind the Ebenezer Baptist Church is one of the lesser known treasures of East Austin: the Texas Music Museum. Since 1985, the nonprofit organization has been honoring Texas musicians past and present for their diverse contributions through the collection and preservation of important documents and artifacts, and utilizing these collections for exhibits, educational programs and performances.

Meandering the humble halls, perusing plaques and conversing with the accomplished and articulate music pioneer Bevis Griffin, a growing admiration for these influential musicians reached epic levels that only an ethnocentric, native-born Texan could achieve.

Since the 70s, Griffin has served Austin as an exemplary role model for musicians seeking to make a difference both on and off the stage, and as one of the most recent inductees to the museum, enthusiastically champions the continued support of the museum as an avenue to inspire creativity and to promote his body of work, as well as the work of the colleagues he proudly calls his friends.

The museum’s exhibits rotate to include music legends Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Janis Joplin, Ruben Ramos, Little Joe Hernandez, W.C. Clark, T.D. Bell, Gary Clark Jr. and many more. The museum collaborates with venues such as the Victory Grill to provide fun-filled events encouraging active participation for the whole family, continuing the legacy of creating and preserving Texas Music. For location, shows and hours, visit www.texasmusicmuseum.org.

SAMURAI NITEDid you see the amazing Japanese punk and metal bands that played at SXSW last year? No? You can lament with countless others, who squandered opportunities to experience that eastern cultural experience, listening instead to somber lullabies serenaded by acoustic guitarists reminiscent of “open-mic” night in Kerrville. This regretful decision is unlikely to be visited twice, thanks to the hard work and dedication of SXSW volunteer veteran and music promoter Burton C. Turner. For the last 13 years, Turner has volunteered for SXSW as a Japanese interpreter and talent advocate, helping with magazine and TV interviews, coordinating schedules and providing day-to-day support for touring artists. His unabated love for Japanese culture began in the 70s, when he was stationed as a Navy Seal linguist in Tokyo, and continued during his tenure as an economics professor in Japan.

Through his tireless efforts, “Samurai Nite” has exponentially increased the prominence of the Japanese music culture in Austin by hosting well known hard rock groups like Detroit

7, The Emeralds and Shonen Knife. Japanese rock and metal have received more exposure in America than other genres of Japanese music, but in the future, Turner hopes to bring Jazz musicians and more traditional Japanese music stateside for your listening pleasure. Skip the folk and bow to the chords of the rising sun this March, when Samurai Nite returns.

For more, visit www.elysiumonline.net or www.facebook.com/pages/Samurai-Nite/140131112681958.

AUSTIN CARNAVAL BRASILIEROWhat extroverted Austinite hasn’t enjoyed the communal synergy of a drum circle, dressed up in feathers and body paint, or pretended to read while darting quick glances at the alluring Barton Springs sunbather under the shelter of dark aviator sunglasses? This February, voyeuristic and exhibitionist tendencies are shamelessly permissible as Carnaval Brasiliero invades the Palmer Events Center for its 34th year.

Austin’s own Brazilian themed Mardi Gras celebration has earned a reputation as one of the biggest and best outside of Brazil. Rave reviews from critics such as Art Mann of “Art Mann Presents” and local party goers alike have garnered Austin’s fete worldwide recognition. The theatrical and risqué costumes, intoxicating rhythm of the traditional Brazilian Samba band and continuously snaking conga line is sure to leave concert goers highly stimulated and drenched in sweat for hours.

What better way to escape the frigid winds of February than to join the vibrant energy radiating from thousands of dancing feet and gyrating bodies, reveling in the signature sounds of Austin’s own Academicos da Opera and Beleza Brazil, winner of the Brazilian Press Association’s “Best Brazilian Band in the USA?”

This Mardi Gras season, leave your sunglasses and inhibitions at home for the festival that will awaken the audacious animal in all of us, one drum beat at a time.

For details, visit www.sambaparty.com.

photo by Bowen Wilder

THE TODO ARTS LISTPRESENTED BY TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS

TEXASPERFORMINGARTS.ORG

Texas Performing Arts is proud to recognize Austin’s many outstanding arts organizationsAUSTIN CHAMBER MUSIC CENTER OUT OF THE BACH’S The musical profundity of J. S. Bach is on display Fri.-Sat., Jan. 7-8 (7:30 p.m.), the first at a private Austin home (Intimate Concert series), and the latter from the Synchronism series at First Unitarian Church (4700 Grover Ave.). In addition to Bach, selections from Philip Glass, Arvo Part, and Keith Jarrett are alternated and arranged to form a seamless thread for piano, marimba, and vibes featuring Michelle Schumann and Graeme Francis. www.austinchambermusic.org

VORTEX REPERTORY COMPANY’S PLANET OF THE MERMAIDS In the tradition of silent film/B-movie science fiction, Electronic Planet Ensemble presents this over-the-top multi-media, movie spoof with original live music Jan. 14-29, Thursday-Sunday. 8 p.m. (2307 Manor Rd.). Join Captain Rex Vydor (David Jewell) and the crew of the spaceship Odysseus as they explore the mysterious planet of Aquanea and encounter the Mer Queen and her beautiful minions on the Planet of the Mermaids. Story by Chad Salvata, cinematography/digital imagery by Sergio R. Samayoa. www.vortexrep.org

LA FOLLIA AUSTIN BAROQUE HERD OF HARPSICHORDS It’s said that until Bach put the harpsichord center stage, nobody had thought of it as a solo instrument. La Follia guarantees you won’t hear a concert like this soon: concertos by Bach for four harpsichords, with the LFAB String Ensemble. Keith Womer, JiMin Kim, Jeffrey Jones-Ragona and William Cory featured. Saturday, Jan. 8, 8 p.m./Sunday, Jan. 9, 3 p.m. First Presbyterian Church (8001 Mesa Dr.) www.lafollia.org

DIFFERENT STAGES’ HUMBLE BOY Different Stages continues its season Jan. 7 – 29 (City Theater, 3823 Airport Blvd., Ste D) with the Austin premier of Charlotte Jones’ award winning “Humble Boy.” Felix Humble, theoretical physicist, has left Cambridge and his search for a unified “Theory of Everything”, to attend his beekeeper father’s funeral –– but finds himself in the middle of a hornet’s nest instead and bumbles to find order amid chaos. Directed by Jonathan Urso. Thursdays – Saturdays, 8 p.m., Sundays, 2 p.m. www.main.org/diffstages

CONSPIRARE’S RENAISSANCE AND RESPONSE A dramatic concert series explores the riches of Renaissance polyphony (“many voices”) and its enduring influences. Comprising four distinct programs featuring works by Josquin, Lassus, Victoria, and Bach, each concert will also feature a world premiere composition by series composer-in-residence Robert Kyr, written in response to the early masters. Fri.-Sun., Jan. 21-23 at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church (606 West 15th St.). Choose individual programs or purchase a special package. www.conspirare.org

THE PARKER QUARTET at MCCULLOUGH One of today’s most exciting young chamber ensembles, the Parker String Quartet takes a contemporary approach to classical music that has earned it praise from fans of both traditional and non-traditional classical music. The 2009 winner of the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award (for which Texas Performing Arts is an originating partner), the Quartet has held residencies at both the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Barbès Bar in Brooklyn. The Thursday, Jan. 20 (8 p.m.) program at the McCullough Theatre includes Dvorák (Selections from Cypresses), Kurtag (Twelve Microludes), Hindemith Quartet No. 4, Op. 22 (1921), and Mendelssohn (Quartet No. 4 in E minor, Op. 44, No. 2). www.TexasPerformingArts.org

AUSTIN CLASSICAL GUITAR SOCIETY - FLORIAN LAROUSSE Aficionados of the Guitar Foundation of America International Competition won’t want to miss the winner of the 2009 competition: Florian LaRousse. From numerous prizes in the some of the most significant international competitions of the guitar world to audience choice awards and recording contracts, the Parisian artist has shot to the forefront of his field. Saturday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m. Northwest Hills United Methodist Church (7050 Village Center Dr.) www.austinclassicalguitar.org

BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS with GLENN KOTCHE Out of the energy and excitement of New York’s now legendary Bang on a Can Festival, six of the most brilliant and provocative musicians in America—the Bang on a Can All-Stars—come together at Bass Concert Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 8 p.m. One of the most powerful voices for contemporary music in the world, the incomparable group, performing with guest drummer/composer Glenn Kotche from the band Wilco, is equally comfortable in each of the diverse styles that exist within music today. Part rock band and part amplified chamber group, their live shows are an eclectic super-

mix of groundbreaking music from uncharted territories. With the occasional homage to living masters, the heart of their repertoire is the sound of a new generation that blurs the lines between classical and pop ensembles, giving voice to a huge range of music genres and styles. www.TexasPerformingArts.org

AUSTIN CHAMBER ENSEMBLE’S BEST OF MOZART Concert pianist Richard Dowling joins members of the Austin Chamber Ensemble wind quintet for a performance of Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds Thur.-Fri., Jan. 27-28, 2011 8 p.m. at Westlake United Methodist Church (1460 Redbud Trail). Dowling will also perform works from his Piano Rags CD featuring Gershwin and Joplin. Dowling has been acclaimed by audiences for his elegant and exciting style of playing which earns him frequent return engagements. www.austinchamberensemble.com

REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY: THE COMPLETE WORLD OF SPORTS (abridged) The Reduced Shakespeare Company (RSC) is renowned for taking long, serious subjects and reducing them to short, sharp comedies. Since its 1981 origins, RSC has created numerous shows, TV programs and radio pieces—performed, seen, and heard the world over. RSC brings “The Complete World of Sports (abridged)” to the B. Iden Payne Theatre stage Saturday, Jan. 29 (8 p.m.) and Sunday, Jan. 30 (2 p.m.). This hysterical show sprints through the world of sports at record-breaking speed. From the earliest cavemen playing “Neanderthal in the Middle” to your own kid’s soccer practice, the history of athletic competition is regurgitated in a Tour de France of physical theater, at a level of sophistication and pathos that only the RSC can muster. It’s a marathon of madness and mayhem as the world’s great sporting events are shrunk to theatrical size. www.TexasPerformingArts.org

Planet of the Mermaids

The Parker Quartet

Bang on a Can All-Stars w/ Glenn Kotche

Reduced Shakespeare Company

11 Steps to a Healthy 2011By Jessica Meyer

It’s a new year and a new opportunity to improve your health. Each year,

thousands of people write down their New Year’s resolutions. Most all of

them want to include more exercise, but what about the other ways you

can improve your health? Here are 11 ways to work toward a heathier 2011:

footwear

apparel

nutrition

training

community

FronteraFest: Theater for All of Austinby Gary Jaffe and Rebecca Robinson

January rings in a new year, and with it the much anticipated FronteraFest, one of Austin’s most exciting performance events. Now in its 18th year, the festival offers 25 days of live theater performance, five nights a week spanning seven Austin venues.

FronteraFest is a joint collaboration between two Texas nonprofit arts organizations: Hyde Park Theatre and ScriptWorks. Named “Best Theatrical Event” by the Austin Chronicle, FronteraFest has also been called “the fringe theatre event of the Southwest” by the Austin American-Statesman.

The Fest has different components; “The Short Fringe” (pieces 25 minutes or less) runs January 11 through February 12, Tuesdays through Saturdays at Hyde Park Theatre (511 West 43rd). Every Saturday during The Short Fringe is “Best of the Week,” and the entire final week is reserved for the “Best of the Fest.” “The Long Fringe” (pieces up to 90 minutes) runs from January 17 through the 30 at the Blue Theatre (916 Springdale Rd.) and Salvage Vanguard Theatre (2803 Manor Rd.). Participants can also select their own performance space with the “Bring Your Own Venue (B.Y.O.V.)” component, and finally, there’s “Mi Casa es Su Teatro,” which are unique performances hosted at private homes on February 5 (one night only).

Participation in the festival is non-juried and is on a first-come, first-served basis, which allows performers greater freedom to experiment with their pieces. FronteraFest provides a venue, lighting and a small crew, relieving participants from the worries of producing. As a result, FronteraFest has become what Artistic Director of Hyde Park Theater Ken Webster calls a “great combination of work done by established writers and performers, as well as newcomers to the Austin arts scene.”

For Natalie Goodnow, a local theater professional whose work has received national exposure, FronteraFest offered an early opportunity to gain professional footing in the community. “The first year after I graduated, I signed up for a slot

in Short Fringe, just to give myself a deadline to create something. The next year [2009], I did three FronteraFest pieces.” One of those pieces, “T.A.G.,” which Goodnow directed, won Best of the Fest.

FronteraFest’s accessibility and creative openness has allowed artists from across Austin’s diverse community to make their voices heard on stage. Goodnow’s work exemplifies this diversity. She writes as “a woman of color, a woman between cultures, from [her] specific experience as a Latina, Chicana, Tejana, mixed-race girl.”

Actress and playwright LaTasha Stevens, whose play “I’m Not a Writer…But I Got a Story to Tell” won Best of the Fest in 2010, also used the festival to cross cultural boundaries. By telling her story of growing up in a neighborhood without theater, she wanted to “get others from demographics that don’t normally go to the theater to tell their stories.” Her work went beyond FronteraFest, extending to workshops held in women’s prisons, in which she helped inmates develop their own artistic voices. Stevens will appear in the Long Fringe this year, in Capital T Theatre’s production of Mickle Maher’s “Spirits to Enforce.”

According to Christi Moore, Executive Director of Scriptworks, FronteraFest can be a source of inspiration. “It is a hothouse for creativity, providing the opportunity for seasoned artists and newcomers alike to develop new work and get it in front of an appreciative audience. Often, what sprouts at FronteraFest goes on to bloom in the wider community and around the country, but there is nothing like the experience of seeing it first here.”

Tickets can be purchased and performance schedules can be found on the Hyde Park Theatre website, www.hydeparktheatre.org.

Gary Jaffe is an Austin-based theater director and playwright. Rebecca Robinson is a freelance writer and actress.

Lacee Duke and Taylor Flanaganin “All too Human”

Photography by Brett Brookshire

Matt Hislope in “Something Good, Something Sad”

¡Salud!

1.) LOWER INFLAMMATION: Inflammation is associated with many serious disorders. Tips to lower inflammation include: maintain a healthy weight, control blood glucose levels, and eat turmeric (the spice).

2.) TAKE A VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENT DAILY: Research shows that most Americans are deficient in Vitamin D, which aids calcium balance, immune system function and blood pressure regulation. Recommended amount for adults: between 800-2,000 IUs /day.

3.) WATCH YOUR PORTION SIZES: Be mindful of your food choices. If it seems like too much food, then it probably is.

4.) QUIT DIETING, CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE: Live a healthy lifestyle and make good choices for yourself. Being healthy is not jumping on the new diet bandwagon, being healthy is a state of mind.

5.) FLOSS: Floss regularly for healthier teeth and gums.

6.) SET GOALS: Build self confidence and improve time management by setting goals; whether they are personal, financial, or lifetime goals.

7.) EAT BREAKFAST: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It prepares your body and your metabolism for the rest of the day.

8.) HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK: Improve your mood and health by looking at the positive in each day.

9.) INCORPORATE SUPER FOODS INTO YOUR DIET: Some examples of super foods include: mushrooms, chia seeds, goji berries and coconut.

10.) STRETCH: Improve joint pain, flexibility and mood by incorporating stretching into your everyday routine.

11.) LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE:Take a step back from your everyday stresses to enjoy life and laugh with friends and family.

TODO Austin // JAN 2011 // TODOaustinonline.com 13

Foodways Texas Aims to Preserve, Promote and Celebrate Diverse Food CulturesBy Katie Walsh

Kimchi:More than BanchanBy Jennie ChenA common staple at Korean meals is kimchi. Often served as a side dish (banchan) or as a condiment or topping, the use of kimchi for nontraditional Korean dishes is becoming more common. From taco toppings, burger toppings, sandwich fillings and hot dog flavorings, kimchi’s uses appear to have no boundaries.  

One might think that kimchi, also called gimchi, sounds a little unappetizing. After all, it is fermented vegetables, garlic and ginger mixed with a variety of seasonings that are usually spicy. But fermented, pungent side dish doesn’t do kimchi justice. The vegetables in kimchi (most often Napa cabbage, but also including radish, onion and cucumber) maintain their texture throughout the fermentation process and absorb the spicy and slightly sour flavor from the liquids. The juice has also been touted to offer health benefits like lower cholesterol and improved intestinal health.

If you haven’t tried kimchi yet, it is readily available pre-made at many grocery stores. While the biggest variety will be found at Asian markets, it can also be found in the ethnic food isle of mainstream grocery stores.

In addition to making a great side dish or condiment, kimchi can also be used in soups. Kimchi Jjigae (kimchi soup), makes a fabulously delicious winter meal. Following is a recipe for a warm soup perfect for the falling temperatures adapted from Norecipes.com.

Texans come in many flavors—and so does our food. Communities of different cultures, faiths and backgrounds mix and mingle in the Lone Star State, creating uniquely diverse histories and traditions. This summer, Foodways Texas was formed by a group of 50 food producers and writers, academics and chefs with the mission to “preserve, promote and celebrate the diverse food cultures of Texas.”

Modeled after the Southern Foodways Alliance (SFA), an Oxford, Mississippi-based organization covering the food traditions of the American South, Foodways Texas will collect oral histories and create documentary films focused on Texas. They’ll also host events, seminars and discussions to encourage dialogue among Texas food lovers of every variety, native and not.

Elizabeth Engelhardt, Foodways Texas board member, UT American Studies associate professor and author of “Republic of Barbecue,” feels that food is particularly well positioned to drive learning and exchange among the diverse communities of Texas.

“One of the unique things about food is that everyone walks into the room with some important knowledge,” Engelhardt said. “We’re trying to make such a big tent that people who are already interested in food will get involved, but so will folks who got into preserving strong food traditions because they care about their families and communities.

“Put them all in the room and add journalists, media and academics, and we find that we all have a

whole lot in common, and even in places where we disagree, we can learn from each other.”

Foodways Texas Executive Director Marvin Bendele, also of UT’s American Studies department, feels that the organization will help tie modern food movements together with deep-rooted histories.

“A lot of food movements are, especially in Austin, based in contemporary ideas. One thing Foodways Texas can do is contextualize movements like “slow food” with historical background,” Bendele said.

He also feels the organization will benefit the community by quelling longstanding Texas food stereotypes.

“When people think of Texas, they think of barbeque and sausage, sometimes maybe Mexican food, but there’s so much more than that; things that get ignored. That’s what we want to help educate people about.”

The academic home of Foodways Texas is the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) at the University of Texas. Vice President Dr. Gregory Vincent feels the organization “ties in nicely” with the mission of the DDCE.

“We feel that this project, that integrates food culture and academic enrichment and brings the diverse cultures of Texas together through food, is a wonderful complement to our mission, which is to connect the intellectual resources of the university to the needs of the community,” Vincent said.

Foodways Texas hosted their Austin launch party

at Momo’s Club on December 11, where they aired

their first documentary, and of course enjoyed a

range of heartyTexas food catered by Hoovers,

Zanduga and JR’s BBQ.

Austin filmmaker Keeley Steenson debuted her film

“Good, Better, Best,” which follows a Czech family

near Yoakum, Texas as they make sorghum syrup

(or molasses) using one of the last old-fashioned

syrup mills around. Capturing endearing Texas

personalities and a disappearing tradition, the film

exemplifies the type of cultural preservation work

you can expect from Foodways Texas in the future.

“Food stories here in the state of Texas are stories

that we need to make sure we’re talking about in

local communities and the rest of the U.S., because

they’re important stories about racial and ethnic

diversity, history and innovation,” Engelhardt said.

Foodways Texas will host their first symposium in

Galveston February 26 - 27, with a focus on seafood

from the Gulf of Mexico. They’ve also stepped

in to host the Texas A&M BBQ Summer Camp in

partnership with the Meat Science Section of the

Department of Animal Science. In addition to the

science-based curriculum A&M has offered in the

past, Foodways Texas will contribute a cultural

element and make sure everyone’s fed great BBQ.

Tickets are on sale at www.foodwaystexas.com.

1/3 lbs pork belly, sliced thin (available at asian grocery stores) or 1/3 lbs of thin sliced beef

1/2 small white onion, diced

2 cups of kimchi, include the liquid

2 tbs minced garlic

2 cups water or chicken broth

1/2 tsp dried ginger

1 tbs white rice wine vinegar, available at asian grocery stores

2 tsp korean chili paste or sriracha sauce

2 tsp miso paste

2 tsp light soy sauce

2 tbs dried chili flakes

8 oz silken tofu or firm tofu, sliced into cubes

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat a small heavy soup

pot. Sear the pork belly until

the fat begins to render out

of the meat. Add the diced

onion and sauté until it starts

to soften. Add the kimchi

(vegetables only) and garlic

and continue to sauté until

the mixture becomes fragrant

with garlic. Take care to

not burn the garlic. Add the

kimchi liquid, water, ginger,

rice wine vinegar, chili paste

(to taste), miso and soy sauce

(to taste). Stir to combine the

ingredients. Adjust the flavors

if needed. Dilute with water if

the flavors are too strong.

Add the tofu and allow to

simmer for 15-20 minutes.

The pork should be cooked

thoroughly, and the kimchi

vegetables should be tender.

Serve by topping with sliced

green onions along with

steamed rice.

I N G R E D I E N T S

Korean Kimchi makes much more than a great side dishPHOTO BY KATIE WALSH

Michael Pollan and the Politics of FoodBy Julia Lee

Michael Pollan walked onto the stage of the Bass Concert Hall on December 10 with a couple of bags from Fiesta.

What he had in the bags were things you can pick up at almost any grocery store in America; Pringles, Snackwells, Gogurt (flavored yogurt), Oreos, a Coke and other foods in bright, energetic packages. The lone unpackaged item in the bunch was an apple.

If you are not familiar with Pollan’s books—“The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” “In Defense of Food,” and his latest, “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual”—you may not know that Pollan’s mantra is “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Eating food seems obvious, but according to Pollan, the only “food” in his Fiesta bags was that lone apple.

He refers to the rest of the items as “edible food-like substances,” which are “no longer the produce of nature, but of food science.” These products are highly processed and have ingredient lists that look more like supplies for a chemistry class than ingredients for a meal. “Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food,” Pollan said.

Pollan believes these ubiquitous, edible food-like substances are the cause of the current health epidemics of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases that are affecting so many Americans. In an interview that was posted before the lecture, Pollan said, “the healthcare

crisis is a euphemism for the catastrophe of the American diet.”

Changing the American diet means wading into politics. Why? Current farm legislation subsidizes corn, soy, wheat, rice and cotton. This makes these crops dirt cheap to produce and process, providing the abundant, never-ending supply of high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil in so many of the processed, edible food-like substances that Americans eat.

In the American diet, “thirty percent of calories come from corn and soy,” Pollan told the crowd. Subsidies make these processed foods, with their bright, colorful packaging, much cheaper than the simple apple. “Americans pay less for their food than any civilization, ever,” Pollan told the audience. “We’ve made it rational to eat badly.”

In recent weeks, two major bills about food have been in the news that many hope will begin to change that rationality. President Barack Obama has already signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which will help kids get healthier meals at school. In addition, the Food Safety Modernization Act has passed the Senate and is expected to pass the House. This law would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority, budget and manpower to carefully and frequently monitor the facilities where food is processed and manufactured, with the goal of preventing outbreaks of salmonella and other mass food contaminations that may occur.

Pollan supports the Food Safety Modernization Act, which is a somewhat controversial position in the food world. Many fear that this law will ultimately hurt small farmers and producers. Pollan believes, however, that an amendment to the bill addresses those concerns and will protect most small farmers. He also said that many of the accusations about the bill—that it would criminalize saving seeds and gardening, for instance—were simply “not true.” (Locally, Barton Creek Farmers Market’s website as of this writing still has a plea to customers to stop the bill, saying it puts small farms in jeopardy.)

However, it is the 2012 Farm Bill that Pollan believes is the biggest opportunity to really change the American diet for the better. “The 2012 Farm Bill needs to be fought for. We need to turn it into a Food Bill,” he said. By taking the focus off of subsidizing and producing a few crops, and making them irresistibly cheap, the focus can shift to helping farms produce a wide variety of real fruits and vegetables, and improving the methods used to grow them—so that healthier foods are accessible to all Americans.

When an audience member asked Pollan what the food movement can do for low income people who may not be able to afford the price of organic fruits or grass-fed beef, Pollan said “it’s too much to ask the food movement to solve all of society’s problems.” But, he added, the issue was “not to force farmers market prices down,” but to make healthy food accessible to lower income families.

To address this issue, across the country, farmers markets are providing vouchers and are now accepting SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) food benefits (formerly known as food stamps). In Austin, all of the major farmers markets accept the Lone Star card, which gives users access to their SNAP funds. In addition, all of the SFC Neighborhood Farm Markets, which are all located in East Austin, accept funds from the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program. These funds are also known as vouchers. Pollan noticed people standing in line for hours to get vouchers for $10, $20, $30. “People want this food,” he asserted.

Pollan believes that fighting to change food legislation is vital to the health of the American people. “You can’t think of your health as separate from the whole system where your food comes from,” he said.

For more information, visit www.michaelpollan.com/resources or www.edibleaustin.com.

1412 S. Congress Avenue • Austin, Texas 78704Open Weekdays 11am-11pm; Weekends 8am-11pm www.GuerosTacoBar.com

TACO BAR

Good Times at Güero’sFor great tunes and great rita’s!Please join us for live music on our outside jardin stage, every Thursday through Sunday. THANKS TO THE FANS & BANDS WHO SUPPORT US!!!

ALL OUTDOOR SHOWS ARE “WEATHER PERMITTING”

JANUARY Line-up----------------------------------------------------Sun 1/2 LOS SUPER VATOS (3:00)Thu 1/6 THE BOB FUENTES SHOW (6:30)Fri 1/7 LOS FLAMES (6:30)Sat 1/8 PONTY BONE & THE SQUEEZETONES (6:30)----------------------------------------------------Sun 1/9 LOS PINKYS (3:00)Thu 1/13 THE FABS (6:30)Fri 1/14 LOS FLAMES (6:30)Sat 1/15 LARRY LANGE & HIS LONELY KNIGHTS (6:30)---------------------------------------------------- Sun 1/16 MITCH WEBB & THE SWINDLES (3:00)Thu 1/20 THE BANZAI PROJECT (6:30)Fri 1/21 LOS FLAMES (6:30)Sat 1/22 PETE LIPPENCOTT (6:30)---------------------------------------------------- Sun 1/23 IMPERIAL GOLDEN CROWN HARMONIZERS (3:00)Thu 1/27 JOHNNY GIMBLE (6:30)Fri 1/28 LOS FLAMES (6:30)Sat 1/29 BONNEVILL COUNTY PINE BOX (6:30)

Photography by Alia Malley

By Blake Shanley

I will not allow myself an excuse. I will not give power to my fear. I will not be so quick to judge. I will not assume I’m always right. I will not offer advice where none is requested. I will not over-analyze everything. I will not be afraid to be vulnerable. I will not choose self preservation over possible failure. I will not waste time. I will not be so hard on myself. I will not be so hard on others. I will not say I’m going to do something and then not do it. I will not think I know everything. I will not pretend something doesn’t hurt me. I will not touch up my makeup every five minutes. I will not take everything so seriously. I will not take everything else so lightly.

I will give audible voice to the feelings I keep constantly silenced, out of concern for how weak or unsure they may make me appear. I will give wings to the ideas that I abandoned, unfinished and incomplete, slowly rotting away in the archives of my brain. I will excitedly take the first steps toward any notion I have that may lead me to something, somewhere or someone new. I will continuously strive to expand my library of knowledge, to encourage my spiritual growth and to accelerate my personal evolution.

I will actively and fervently search for that which brings me joy. I will genuinely and honestly express the truest version of who I am in every moment. I will consciously and willingly let people poke holes through my walls. I will intently and specifically choose the outcomes I desire.

I will touch when I want to touch. I will cry when I want to cry. I will love when I want to love. I will ask for, and accept, help. I will let go when I’m tired of driving.

I will play the piano more. I will sing more. I will run more. I will meditate more. I will dance more. I will be outside more. I will walk more. I will read more. I will cook more. I will create more. I will write more. I will call my friends and family more. I will do yoga more. I will travel more. I will trust people more. I will sleep more.

I will choose my words more thoughtfully. I will choose my thoughts more carefully.

I wish everyone an extraordinary New Year.

The World of Undercover Mexican Girl Through Words

By Alexandra M. Landeros

Plum Writing:

As we begin a new year, you might be thinking that you need to replace or expand your wardrobe for a new season. But try this instead—make a new year’s resolution to not buy new clothes! The other day, I overheard some people discussing various clothing hang-ups. They disliked buying clothes that didn’t fit a certain way, for example, on the shoulders or the waist. Or they preferred a specific type or style of clothing. For some, it was even as specific as wanting to shop at a particular department store, boutique, or name brand.

I was tempted to share my clothing hang-up, but it didn’t seem parallel with the others. My clothing hang up, lately, is—does it cost more than free?

In my early 20s, I enjoyed clothes shopping and did not blink an eye at a $30 price tag on a shirt, or a $50 price tag on a nice pair of pants or skirt. For a dress, $75-$100 was acceptable. I wanted to look a particular way; with clothes that I believed would make me feel confident and happy. In my late 20s, I discovered thrift stores. My standards dropped a bit, but I would still routinely pay $5-$10 per item for every article of clothing I desired.

Many of these items of clothing I either outgrew, or grew to dislike. Thousands of dollars of clothing gone to waste. A shallow and pointless investment. Nothing to show for it, except a few compliments here and there. And much like getting scratches on a car, I’d be mortified when I accidentally stained them or shrunk them. Eventually, many of these purchased clothes ended up going to Goodwill, my little sister, or...the clothing swap.

The glorious clothing swap, the most ingenious way to clean out your closet of unwearable items, acquire new articles of clothing (what’s old to you is new to me!), and have an excuse to indulge in a bit of feminine socializing in the comfort of a friend’s home. (I’m getting too old for dressing up and going to girls’ night out at the bars.) And the host of the party is generally responsible for delivering all the leftovers to a charity.

Three clothing swaps later, I’ve disowned three piles of clothing and acquired some of the fashion pieces I wear the most, and actually have received the most compliments for. Some of these items, of course, I grew tired of quickly, and they made their way to another clothing swap or were given away to the needy. But there’s absolutely no shame in getting rid of a shirt—even if it’s a brand name—that you never paid for.

My wardrobe is gradually being replaced entirely by recycled fashion. True, these clothes don’t necessarily make up the exact or ideal outfit I would have dreamed up to wear, but really, in the end, it’s just an outfit. I am still tempted by the charming retro-imitation fashion on websites like Modcloth.com or Daddyos.com. But ultimately, my clothing swap outfits are free, fun and stylish in their own random way. They are guiltless. And best of all, I can wear them to Europe with all the money I saved up!

Don’t hang up new clothes in 2011. Get rid of your clothing hang-ups! (And then you won’t need to buy any more hangers.)

Dress: $0. (Hand me down from a friend.)Boots: $0. (Perk from working at Future Farmers of America.)

This year, and every year after:

Frame of Reference

www.rzaustin.com | (512) 386.7336RZ AUSTIN RZ LAREDO RZ PORT ARTHUR

T E L E C O M M U N I C AT I O N S

B R O A D B A N D & W E B H O S T I N G

I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y

S E R V I C E I N D U S T RY

S U R V E I L L A N C E A N D S E C U R I T Y

S TA F F A U G M E N TAT I O N

Meeting customers communication and information technology needs and challenges

of tomorrow — today.