The Third Decade

Louie

This is a great video. I've seen this man biking around town before, but never gave much thought about his background story. I hope the filmmaker does more videos about people around town.

Louie from Brian Moore on Vimeo.

Found on UniversalHub.

Tea at the Shirley-Eustis House

Despite the misty and rainy weather yesterday, Discover Roxbury's first afternoon tea at the Shirley-Eustis House was fantastic. Everyone was dressed elegantly, with ladies in their hats, and Chef Nadine Nelson presented a creative array of food items that included a refreshing berry-infused drink, chocolate chip and berry muffins, blueberry bundt cake, roasted turkey breast finger sandwiches with an herb-strawberry cream cheese spread, beef satay with chipotle sauce, and berry trifle with whipped cream made fresh at the table, among other things. By the time the event ended, everyone left with wide smiles on their faces and many made it a point to say that they would return with friends if another tea was offered. Needless to say, we're thinking of offering another in the auturn. Stay tuned.

Note: 3D works for Discover Roxbury.

Farmers Market Guide

Now that summer is in full swing, it's time to take advantage of all the fresh produce at the local farmers' markets. In need of a change of pace from Haymarket, I Googled farmers' markets and came across an interactive guide to markets around the metro area. I didn't know there were so many! There aren't any ratings detailing quality or price, but I guess that's the inherent gamble that comes with buying direct from the farms.

Food events in Roxbury

In the wake of a somewhat limited best-of list by the Improper and the demise of the Banner (which is already rumored to be making a comeback), it's up to individuals in greater Roxbury to share what's happening with news and events. I'll do my part by starting off with a pair of upcoming food events organized by Discover Roxbury:

A Celebration of Roxbury cooking class
Roxbury is home to a multitude of ethnic groups. Despite their differences in origin, all groups have one thing in common, they cook with soul. Participants in today’s class will cook foods from the American South, Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Prepare for a flavorful ride that includes items such as Suya-spicy kebobs from West Africa, Ginger Beer, Rice and Beans, and Passion Fruit Trifle. In addition to learning what the cuisines have in common, the class will enjoy a tasty meal prepared together.

July 22, 6:30pm-9:30pm. Limit 15 people.
Advanced enrollment ($50) by purchasing tickets or calling 617-427-1006.
Haley House, 12 Dade St, Dudley Square.
MBTA: Bus #1, 8, 47, Silver Line to Melnea Cass. Parking is available.


Berries in the 'Bury: high tea at the Shirley-Eustis House
Royal Governor William Shirley's Georgian mansion is one of only four remaining country houses in America built by a British Royal Colonial Governor. Experience this unique and grand colonial masterpiece during a special High Tea. The menu will incorporate seasonal berries, currants, and cherries. Participants will also tour the grounds, including the historic gardens and fruit trees. The recommended dress code is smart casual, with hats for ladies.

July 23, 4pm-6pm. Limit 20 people.
Make reservations ($30) by purchasing tickets or calling 617-427-1006.
Shirley-Eustis House, 33 Shirley St.
MBTA: Bus #15 and 41. Limited on-street parking.

I also received an email this morning about a free meeting on Thursday evening focused on making new connections and communicating across the media gap in the Black community. I already have plans and can't attend, but I'm interested in hearing the outcome of the meeting from anyone else who goes. Info below:

The Baystate Banner - our community newspaper has halted the Presses ...

http://www.boston. com/news/ local/massachuse tts/articles/ 2009/07/08/ as_bay_state_ banner_closes_ black_community_ loses_a_voice? s_campaign= 8315 

 

The Radio Stations (WILD & Hot 97) have Vanished...How Do We

Communicate with one another...stay in touch..exchange information? 

 

Join us for a Powerful Event - "The Exchange of Ideas"

bring your business cards to

OM Restaurant  92 Winthrop St, Cambridge  (Harvard Square)

Thursday July 16, 2009   5:30 - 9 PM

Yo, Improper Bostonian! Is that really all you found?

Normally I enjoy the Improper Bostonian and look forward to reading what's new and interesting around town. I also generally think they put together one of the better Best of Boston lists, better even than Boston Magazine's. This year's edition of the Improper's Boston's Best list, however, was seriously lacking in geographic and ethnic diversity. Couldn't they find anything else going on in Chinatown, JP, Dorchester, and the South End other than restaurants and bars? Each of those neighborhoods has large concentrations of Latinos and Asians, but you'd hardly know it by their choice of categories and the winners. And what of Roxbury, Mattapan, and East Boston? As far as I can tell, those neighborhoods weren't even included or considered as the panel did its survey.

I'm not begrudging the winners for their placement in the magazine. Boston has many, many exceptional restaurants, bars, arts venues, and entertainment options. But, even if I were to concede that not a single establishment in the "outer" neighborhoods was able to compete on a citywide basis, wouldn't there at least be some way to acknowledge that there are quality options in all of the neighborhoods? Given that some of the categories are neighborhood bars and neighborhood restaurants, where are the entries from East Boston, Roxbury, and Mattapan?

Just using Roxbury as an example, Merengue, Haley House, The Savant Project, and Ashur would have been some of the eateries that could've been judged for best neighborhood restaurant. Brigham Circle also has enough bars to give the reviewers something for the neighborhood bar category. Considering how overlooked Roxbury is most of the time anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if the panel found tons to consider for the best-kept secret category, too. How many of them know about the Shirley-Eustis House or the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists?

Again, this isn't to say that the winners don't deserve their spots in the sunshine. But this collection of recommendations doesn't even begin to cover the full breadth of diversity that exists in Boston. I suspect that the choice of categories is one of the underlying reasons, as well as the need to satisfy advertisers. Still, how would this list look if it included additional categories like best soul food, Dominican food, African-American history tour, Latin music & dance venue, Asian cultural resource (the magazine only mentions food), Caribbean festival, neighborhood tour (most neighborhoods including Chinatown, JP, Roxbury, and Dorchester have them), and neighborhood arts venue?

I'm hoping that their August 12th Neighborhoods issue will be more inclusive, although I believe that I'm going to be disappointed again. I sent a letter to the editor last week and followed up with a voice message encouraging him to include Roxbury in the neighborhoods issue. Both messages referred to the Roxbury Cultural Network, which I hope he will use as a resource. Let's see if he sends someone out to do some legwork. With the Roxbury Film Festival, Discover Roxbury's high tea at the Shirley-Eustis House, and Berklee's Jazz at the Fort coming up, there are a variety of options on the table for the Improper to learn something new about one of the "outer" neighborhoods and add it to their body of knowledge.

For those of you who would also like to contact the editor to encourage him to expand the magazine's horizons, contact Andrew Rimas at andrew@improper.com or 617-859-1400. Please leave positive messages and constructive criticism that reflects the true quality and character of our communities.

Full disclosure: The Third Decade works at Discover Roxbury, a member of the Roxbury Cultural Network.

No more Banner?

First UniversalHub then the Boston Globe report that the Bay State Banner will be shutting down. This sucks! If the Banner really does shut down, there's going to be a big void in Boston's communities of color when it comes to print news. What I don't understand is why the Banner didn't take a page out of the Globe's playbook and report on its own situation months ago. Hello, that's news! Did the publisher really have to wait until now to say the paper needs help?

It's good to be home

For the first time in years I left Boston during the July 4th celebrations. A handful of friends and I drove north to Ogunquit, ME to enjoy some peace, quiet, and time on the beach. I'd never been before, but I found it a very pleasant town. The people are nice, the beach is pristine, and it's easy to get around partly because, for the most part, Ogunquit is basically three streets that all converge near the coast. After a few days of going to the beach and eating at nearly every restaurant in the town, I was wondering what else there was to do there.

My friends, all of whom live in Worcester, kidded me by asking whether I miss having clean air and open space (which I guess is abundant in Worcester). I thoght about that while riding the subway today, and I can honestly say "not really." The air here isn't that bad. Besides, it's the people, the bustle, and the pace that make living here so great! I'd be so bored living somewhere slower and relatively empty. The few times I visited Worcester, that city felt like a ghost town. Boston's energy - and even the attitude - are what keep me going and make this city unlike many others. I'll concede wishing that customer service here were much, much better, but it's a small price to pay for everything else that makes living here so interesting and fun.

I guess I know where I'll be celebrating July 4th next year.