September 2007 - Posts
Who are your heroes? “Our Hawkeyes are Heroes,” the theme for this year’s University of Iowa Homecoming, spurred me to ask this question to performers and audience members at Iowa Shout, held Sept. 27 in the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City. Iowa Shout is a yearly Homecoming pep rally of sorts, in which members of UI sororities and fraternities perform skits, songs and dances.
So who does our society elevate to hero status?
This year’s Homecoming theme implies our heroes are athletes, those who battle for the sake of team spirit on the football field, soccer pitch or track.
On the other hand, the guest of honor at this year’s Homecoming is Brandon Routh, the UI alum who soared through theaters as Superman in the 2006 blockbuster Superman Returns. Superman, Spiderman, Batman, X-Men and more: pop culture has been full of heroes of the very obvious kind over the last few years, right down to that hit T.V. show, Heroes.
Then again, making a movie star the Homecoming guest of honor implies something about the status of celebrity in our society – vacuous as it may be, are actors and rock stars our heroes?
Then there is another category of hero, of the firefighter, risk-your-life-for-others set. Not to mention the Martin Luther King Jrs and Gandhis of the world, the leaders of revolutions. These seemed to me to be the obvious answers, so I was surprised when no one gave them.
Instead, when I asked people who their heroes were, those I questioned almost invariably named their parents.
It’s kind of nice to know: you don’t have to be a skilled athlete, posses a superpower, or risk your life to be considered a hero. At least according to this informal poll, the parents who support their children, who help them through the worst and best parts of their lives, are as heroic as they come.
So many non-profit organizations in Cedar Rapids and every community throughout the country do so much good. Deciding how to donate money or time can be overwhelming.
That's why several of the women I talked to Wednesday night at Junior League's annual provisional night, an evening where potential members get to know more about the organization, decided to join Junior League. They liked that through their involvment in one group they could do good for so many others. Since 1980 they've worked on the Old MacDonald Farm at Bever Park, The Madge Phillips Center, Science Station, Playtime Poppy and easily a dozen more projects.
For that reason, some of the women I spoke with named Junior League as their favorite charity. Still others mentioned specific organizations like The Arc of East Central Iowa, Girl Scouts, Big Brothers Big Sisters and others. For many of these women, their favorite organization was also their 9 to 5. It struck me that women who are already making an impact in their day to day work lives would be willing to invest more time through Junior League to help others.
So many of us, myself sheepishly included, claim that we don't give time because we're too busy or money because we can't pay our own bills. But, how many could find one evening a month or a dollar a week to donate to one of these worthwhile groups? My guess is most of us.
I love summer. And I love the things that come with it: farmer's markets, festivals, and anything else that brings people together outside.
But now summer is definitely coming to an end. Sept. 4 marked the last installment of the Friday Night Concert Series, which offered free weekly performances by local bands in downtown Iowa City's pedestrian mall, part of the city-wide Summer of the Arts. Summer's end was doubly marked, not only by the closing of the Summer of the Arts but also in the crisp, cold air permeating the crowd at Iowa City-based band Euforquestra's show.
So, I thought I'd ask concert-goers what they'd be doing next Friday, now that the Concert Series was over - and with it, summer.
The answers varied, from working or doing homework to watching a baseball game to picking vegetables. But no matter their answer, almost everyone mentioned how sad they were the weekly concerts were finished.
I'm thankful I live in a place that sponsors and embraces such things as outdoor concerts, jazz festivals and art exhibits. This will be my fifth year living in Iowa City, and such events make me feel this is not just a place to live, but a true community. Now that I'm working at the Gazette in Cedar Rapids, I'm slowly learning about the things that town is offering too.
My hope is that as fall and winter's chill converge on the Corridor, Eastern Iowa will continue to offer community-building opportunities. Just perhaps not outside.
Of all the questions we've asked Eastern Iowans in the more than a year since The Gazette launched the On the Street feature, this week's was perhaps the hardest.
Usually we ask people to name one of their favorite foods or tell us something about themselves. Not this week, though. This week was more of a history lesson pop quiz when I asked folks watching Marion's Swamp Fox parade just what a swamp fox was.
I'll admit. I didn't know until Thursday afternoon. I had to do a little Internet searching to find out the answer. As it would turn out a swamp fox is acutally a person. Francis Marion, for whom the city of Marion is named, was a was a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army and later brigadier general in the South Carolina Militia during the American Revolutionary War. He became known as the "Swamp Fox" for his ability to use decoys and ambushes to disrupt enemy communications, capture supplies and free prisoners.
One person I talked to knew the right answer, most guessed it was something to do with the military. Others had no clue. All were intrigued to hear the real answer.
My revelation for the day was when on of the women I interviewed commented on how cool my job is. How right she is. I get paid to go out into the community, to fun events, and talk to people. Of course, like any job, mine isn't without frustrations. But, more often than not I am struck with how lucky I am to get paid for doing something I love. Cheesy. I know. But, it's true.
Sauerkraut. A quick Google search tells me it’s finely sliced, fermented cabbage. The idea of heaping mounds of fermented cabbage on my hot dog has never really appealed to me.
Then again, if I think too hard about the make-up of hot dogs, they don’t appeal to me either.
But still, I eat them, every summer as grilling season kicks into full swing. I’ll layer ketchup, mustard, and sometimes pickles and cheese on top – but never sauerkraut. Before this weekend, I’ve never been brave enough to take a bite of the somewhat smelly relish. I’m not alone – several people I talked to at Blairstown’s Sauerkraut Days said sauerkraut was never on their menus.
I’ve tried sushi and seaweed salad, love cooking with tofu and have conquered any childhood fears of broccoli, which I now adore. When I studied abroad in South Africa last year, I even tried amasi, a popular food that is basically sour, curdled milk. I probably won’t be eating that one again, but at least I tried it.
Yet, living in Eastern Iowa, only a short drive from places such as the Amana Colonies and with German heritage of my own, I’d never embraced that very German dish called sauerkraut.
So when I visited Blairstown’s Sauerkraut Days, I decided to take the plunge. It helped they were handing out free hot dogs smothered with the stuff.
All in the name of journalistic inquiry, of course, I jumped in line for my new culinary experience. When it was my turn, I could barely see my hot dog, it was buried under so much of the pale yellow, slightly damp, smelly cabbage. I steeled myself, then, slowly, took a bite.
Not bad.
I wonder how it would taste with tofu?